AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, announced that more than 407,000 residents volunteered almost 25,900,000 hours through organizations in Maine in 2023, contributing $790.8 million in economic value to the state. The data highlighted in the latest Volunteering and Civic Life in America (VCLA) research, also shows that more than 703,000 residents volunteered informally, helping neighbors and exchanging favors with each other. This rate of informal volunteering ranks Maine in the top ten in the nation. 

The VCLA research is based on a survey conducted by AmeriCorps and the US Census every other year, and includes data on formal volunteering, informal helping and other civic behaviors that indicate how Americans make a difference in their communities and promote the common good. This new research provides an update over previously reported 2021 data. 

Highlights of the data pertaining to Maine include:

• 97.8 percent of residents talked to or spent time with friends or family.

• 62.0 percent of residents informally helped others by exchanging favors with their neighbors.

• 73.0 percent of residents had a conversation or spent time with their neighbors.

• 31.2 percent of residents belonged to an organization.

• 50.7 percent of residents donated $25 or more to charity. 

The state’s volunteer rate, or the percentage of residents engaged in volunteer activities through an organization, has been consistently higher than the national average. Maine’s volunteer rate for 2023 is reported to be 34.9 percent, compared to the national rate of 28.3 percent.

The consistently higher than national rate of volunteering in Maine held throughout the pandemic, when Maine saw less than a percentage point decrease compared to a national decrease of almost 7 percent. 

According to the research published, more than 62 percent of Mainers informally helped friends, neighbors, or community members at least once a month – an increase of over 5 percent from the last report. This speaks of the significant and impactful ways in which people assist each other in their day-to-day lives within communities across the state, from watching kids to running errands or lending a helping hand.

“We need to remember that volunteering, both formal and informal, are critical elements of resilience in communities," said Maryalice Crofton, Executive Director of Volunteer Maine, the state service commission, in a news release. "The places that bounce back fastest from tragedies, major economic setbacks, and disastrous storms have a strong culture of volunteerism.” 

Formal volunteering is especially important in rural areas where nonprofit services rely on people to help provide food, transportation, library services, youth sports programs, and more, according to Crofton. Informal volunteering is a tangible way in which people can build connections and strengthen communities.

“There is an aspect of volunteering that, many times, is not highlighted and it’s the impact on the mental and physical health of the local residents who volunteer,” said Crofton. 

Jennifer Crittenden, an assistant professor of social work and director for research at the Center on Aging at the University of Maine, studies volunteerism among older adults and how organizations and programs catalyze and support volunteerism.

“Volunteering isn't just great for communities but good for the volunteers themselves," said  Crittenden. "Research indicates that those who volunteer experience improved health, less stress, and increased social connection and reduced isolation. In many ways we can think of volunteering as its own health intervention." 

The new 2023 research release follows on the heels of a recent report coauthored by Colby’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs about Maine’s civic health, titled Strengthening Maine’s Civic Life: Trust, Belonging, and the Future, which utilized previous US Census data from 2021.

About Volunteer Maine

Volunteer Maine, the Maine Commission for Community Service, builds capacity and sustainability in Maine's volunteer sector by funding service programs, developing volunteer managers and service-learning practitioners, raising awareness of the scope and the impact of the volunteer sector, and encouraging an ethic of service. On Oct. 16, 2019, the Maine Commission for Community Service adopted the public identity Volunteer Maine. Visit VolunteerMaine.gov to learn more.

About AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term or one-time volunteers.