Revitalizing the Volunteer Spirit by Empowering Older Adults: A Personal Account

When it comes to volunteerism in America, the good news is that it’s alive and well. Recent data from AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau shows a significant rebound in volunteerism in the last year, with 28.3 percent of Americans engaged in formal volunteering, up from a low of 23.2 percent in 2021. This noteworthy increase, the largest in 20 years, may signal a renewed interest in civic engagement post-pandemic. Also encouraging is the fact that adults over 50 are volunteering at a higher percentage of overall donated time, from 42.1 percent in 2002 to 53.8 percent in 2021.

In this feature, Margaret O. Kirk, senior editor at Engage, writes about her experience being a relatively new volunteer in this growing, over-50 demographics group. She describes why she recently signed up for two volunteer opportunities in her hometown of Philadelphia, and offers some insights into how the mindset of older adults plays into their volunteering decisions.