Supporters who give time and money are twice as valuable

What RKD Group’s latest data means for volunteer programs

In nonprofit growth strategy, few audiences are as valuable as supporters who give both their time and their money.

New insights from RKD’s Giving Barometer: Giving Time & Money confirm what leading nonprofits have long suspected: volunteers are not just helpers. They are high value donors in the making.

As a trusted direct response leader serving food banks, animal welfare organizations, and national nonprofits, RKD brings deep sector intelligence. 

For Rosterfy, the enterprise volunteer management platform built for complex, high volume programs, these findings reinforce a central belief: volunteer engagement is a revenue growth strategy, not simply an operational function.

The most valuable segment: Give time and money

According to RKD’s Giving Barometer Insights:

• 20% of U.S. adults give both time and money
• This group gives to 1.5 more organizations on average
• Their median annual giving is $500, compared to $248 for money-only donors

This segment is disproportionately valuable. They are more engaged, more generous, and more likely to deepen relationships across multiple causes.

For verticals like food banks and animal welfare organizations, this insight is particularly relevant. These sectors depend heavily on volunteer labor while simultaneously investing in donor acquisition and retention. The data confirms that these audiences overlap more than many organizations operationally recognize.

The strategic implication is clear: nonprofits that intentionally connect volunteer engagement with fundraising strategy unlock materially higher lifetime value.

A generational shift: Volunteering is rising

RKD’s research also highlights an important behavioral trend:

• Self-reported charitable giving declined among donors 45+ this quarter
• Volunteering rates increased across multiple age cohorts

Younger generations in particular demonstrate strong volunteering participation relative to giving rates. As disposable income fluctuates, time becomes the entry point.

For nonprofit leaders, this changes acquisition math. Volunteerism is not secondary to giving. It is often the on-ramp.

Rosterfy’s platform is designed around this lifecycle reality. By:

• Capturing structured volunteer data at scale
• Tracking participation, hours, roles, and compliance
• Syncing volunteer activity directly into CRM systems such as Blackbaud and Salesforce

Organizations gain visibility into who is showing up before they give financially.

That visibility is the foundation for smarter segmentation and stronger direct response outcomes, areas where RKD excels.

Income Matters. So Does Infrastructure.

As nonprofits scale into higher capacity audiences, the operational burden increases:

• More volunteers
• More shifts
• More compliance
• More reporting expectations
• More cross-channel engagement

Many organizations still manage this complexity through spreadsheets or disconnected volunteer tools.

This is precisely where Rosterfy differentiates.

Built for Complex, High Volume Programs

Rosterfy is an enterprise grade volunteer management platform purpose built for scale

• One system to manage roles, availability, compliance, and hours
• Automation of scheduling, assignments, reminders, and communications
• Real-time reporting on participation and capacity
• Mobile-first experience that increases engagement
• CRM integration that delivers a 360-degree supporter view

Where basic tools focus on sign-ups, Rosterfy operationalizes the full volunteer lifecycle.

And when volunteer data is integrated with fundraising data, organizations can answer questions that drive real revenue strategy:

• Which volunteers convert to donors fastest?
• What participation thresholds predict first gift likelihood?
• How does volunteer tenure correlate with upgrade rates?
• Which program experiences drive cross-vertical giving?

This is where RKD’s direct response expertise and Rosterfy’s data infrastructure align.

From Activity to Strategy

RKD’s Barometer makes one point unmistakably clear: the supporter who gives time and money is twice as valuable as the donor who only gives money

The opportunity for nonprofits is not simply to recruit more volunteers or send more appeals. It is to connect the two intentionally.

When volunteer operations live outside the CRM, that strategic connection breaks. Data is fragmented. Attribution is unclear. Leadership lacks visibility.

Rosterfy eliminates that fragmentation by embedding volunteer engagement into the broader constituent journey

Together, RKD and Rosterfy represent two sides of the same growth equation:

• RKD brings deep insight into donor behavior, segmentation, and response performance.
• Rosterfy ensures volunteer engagement is structured, measurable, and connected to revenue systems.

For food banks, animal welfare organizations, and mission-driven nonprofits navigating shifting giving patterns, the message is straightforward:

Volunteer strategy is donor strategy.

And the organizations that operationalize that truth will build more resilient revenue in 2026 and beyond.

About RKD Group & Rosterfy

Rosterfy is used by nonprofits, charities, sporting federations, and more to better manage their volunteer programmes by improving how they can recruit, screen, train and retain volunteers.

Our market leading technology helps you create engaging experiences throughout the whole lifecycle of your volunteer journey.