Table 6. Volunteers by how they became involved with main organization for which volunteer activities were performed and selected characteristics, September 2012

Table 6. Volunteers by how they became involved with main organization for which volunteer activities were performed  
and selected characteristics, September 2012                                                                          
                                                                                                                      
                                    Percent distribution of how volunteers became involved with main                  
                                                            organization (1)                                          
                                                                                                                      
                           Total                              Was asked by:                                           
   Characteristics in      volun-                                                                                Not  
     September 2012        teers          Approach-                                                            report-
                           (thou-          ed the                        Rela-    Someone                      ing how
                           sands)  Total   organi-  Total    Boss or      tive     in the            Other     became 
                                           zation    (2)    employer    friend,   organi-    Some-               in-  
                                                                          or      zation/     one              volved 
                                                                          co-     school     else                     
                                                                        worker                                        
                                                                                                                      
          Sex                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                      
Total, both sexes......... 64,513  100.0   42.1     41.6       1.4       14.8      23.8       1.4    13.0        3.4  
   Men.................... 27,238  100.0   41.4     42.6       1.5       16.0      23.5       1.5    12.6        3.4  
   Women.................. 37,274  100.0   42.6     40.8       1.3       13.9      24.1       1.3    13.2        3.4  
                                                                                                                      
         Age                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                      
Total, 16 years and                                                                                                   
over...................... 64,513  100.0   42.1     41.6       1.4       14.8      23.8       1.4    13.0        3.4  
  16 to 24 years..........  8,776  100.0   40.8     39.2       1.0       16.3      19.7       2.1    15.4        4.6  
     16 to 19 years.......  4,644  100.0   40.7     40.3        .2       16.2      21.4       2.4    14.7        4.3  
     20 to 24 years.......  4,132  100.0   41.0     38.0       1.9       16.5      17.8       1.7    16.1        4.9  
  25 years and over....... 55,737  100.0   42.3     41.9       1.4       14.6      24.5       1.2    12.6        3.2  
     25 to 34 years.......  9,513  100.0   42.5     43.2       2.5       15.7      23.6       1.1    11.2        3.2  
     35 to 44 years....... 12,527  100.0   41.8     42.8       1.7       13.8      26.0       1.2    12.6        2.8  
     45 to 54 years....... 12,777  100.0   41.3     42.7       1.4       14.4      25.7        .9    12.9        3.2  
     55 to 64 years....... 10,619  100.0   42.5     40.5       1.3       14.7      22.7       1.5    13.4        3.6  
     65 years and over.... 10,301  100.0   43.5     40.3        .2       14.4      23.8       1.6    12.6        3.6  
                                                                                                                      
 Race and Hispanic or                                                                                                 
  Latino ethnicity                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                      
White..................... 53,778  100.0   42.0     41.9       1.4       15.0      23.9       1.4    12.8        3.3  
Black or African                                                                                                      
American..................  6,316  100.0   41.6     40.1       1.2       13.6      23.6       1.4    14.1        4.3  
Asian.....................  2,524  100.0   46.8     36.9       1.4       11.6      22.4       1.2    12.8        3.5  
Hispanic or Latino                                                                                                    
 ethnicity................  5,635  100.0   44.5     40.7       1.7       13.5      24.3       1.0    11.2        3.6  
                                                                                                                      
Educational attainment (3)                                                                                            
                                                                                                                      
Less than a high                                                                                                      
 school diploma...........  2,177  100.0   44.2     42.2        .5       15.3      25.4        .9    10.4        3.2  
High school graduates,                                                                                                
 no college (4)........... 10,527  100.0   42.0     42.8       1.1       15.8      24.5       1.2    12.4        2.8  
Some college or                                                                                                       
 associate degree ........ 15,832  100.0   41.8     42.2       1.6       15.2      23.9       1.3    12.9        3.0  
Bachelor's degree and                                                                                                 
 higher (5)............... 27,202  100.0   42.4     41.4       1.5       13.6      24.8       1.3    12.6        3.5  
                                                                                                                      
    Marital status                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                      
Single, never married..... 14,920  100.0   41.4     39.6       1.6       16.7      19.3       1.9    14.4        4.6  
Married, spouse present... 39,290  100.0   41.9     42.7       1.3       14.1      25.9       1.1    12.4        3.0  
Other marital status (6).. 10,302  100.0   43.5     39.9       1.2       14.5      22.4       1.6    13.1        3.5  
................                                                                                                      
Presence of own  children                                                                                             
 under 18 years (7)                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                      
Men:                                                                                                                  
  No own children under                                                                                               
   18 years old.......... 18,248  100.0    41.1     41.8       1.3       16.8      21.6       1.8    13.4        3.7  
  With own children under                                                                                             
   18 years old..........  8,991  100.0    41.9     44.4       1.8       14.4      27.2        .9    10.9        2.9  
Women:                                                                                                               
  No own children under                                                                                               
   18 years old.......... 23,857  100.0    43.4     39.2       1.3       15.5      20.7       1.4    13.5        3.9  
  With own children under                                                                                             
   18 years old.......... 13,417  100.0    41.1     43.5       1.2       11.0      30.1       1.0    12.8        2.6  
                                                                                                                      
  Employment status                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                      
Civilian labor force..... 44,974  100.0    41.2    42.3        1.9       15.2      23.7       1.3    13.1        3.3  
  Employed............... 42,083  100.0    41.1    42.5        2.0       15.1      23.8       1.3    13.1        3.3  
    Full time (8)........ 32,568  100.0    41.0    42.8        2.3       15.5      23.6       1.2    12.9        3.3  
    Part time (9)........  9,515  100.0    41.5    41.5         .9       14.1      24.7       1.7    13.6        3.3  
  Unemployed.............  2,891  100.0    43.2    40.1         .8       15.5      22.0       1.4    13.4        3.2  
Not in the labor force... 19,539  100.0    44.0    39.7         .1       13.9      24.1       1.4    12.6        3.7  

   1 Main organization is defined as the organization for which the volunteer worked the most hours during the year.
See the Technical Note for more details.
   2 Includes persons who did not specify who asked them to volunteer, not shown separately.
   3 Data refer to persons 25 years and over.
   4 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   5 Includes persons with bachelor's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
   6 Includes divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
   7 Own children include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children.  Not included are nieces, nephews,
grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children.
   8 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
   9 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
   NOTE: Data on volunteers relate to persons who performed unpaid volunteer activities for an organization at any
point from September 1, 2011, through the survey period in September 2012. Estimates for the above race groups (white,
black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose
ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.



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Last Modified Date: February 22, 2013