Why is volunteering important?

According to the most recent Americorps report on civic engagement and volunteering, Americans volunteered for an estimated 5.8 billion hours in the 12-month reporting period. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that volunteers contributed an estimated 596.2 million hours to the community in one year. In the United Kingdom, the Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport reports that 30 percent of respondents in the last Community Life Survey participated in formal volunteering within the previous 12 months.