Health Benefits of Volunteering

Ken Culp, III, Ph.D.

Principal Specialist for Volunteerism

Department of 4-H Youth Development

Volunteers make an impactful difference in the lives of people, communities, and Cooperative Extension. Volunteers serve with the intent to help others. But volunteering can benefit the health of the individual as well. These health benefits were never more important than during “the year of COVID”.  Researchers have measured the benefits that volunteers receive including their positive feelings (referred to as “helper’s high”), increased trust in others, and increased social interaction.

In addition to lowering stress and boosting self-confidence, research has shown that volunteering offers many health benefits.   These health benefits are especially important for older adults.  These health benefits, realized from volunteering, include:

1. Volunteering decreases the risk of depression. Research has shown that volunteering leads to lower rates of depression, especially for individuals 65 and older. Volunteering increases social interaction and helps build a support system based on common interests — both of which have been shown to decrease depression.
2. Volunteering gives a sense of purpose and teaches valuable skills. Volunteers, perform critical roles in assisting program participants, target audiences, clients, patients, families, and staff. They serve in a variety of roles including club leaders, coaches, instructors, chaperones, judges, event and activity coordinators, fund raisers, casual volunteers, and serve in leadership roles throughout the organization. The work that volunteers provide is essential to everyday processes and to the operation of the organization, which gives volunteers a sense of purpose.
3. Volunteering helps people stay physically and mentally active. Volunteer activities get you moving and thinking at the same time. One study found that volunteering among adults age 60 and over provided benefits to their physical and mental health. Another study found that, in general, volunteers report better physical health as compared to non-volunteers. Older volunteers experience greater increases in life satisfaction and greater positive changes in their perceived health as a result of volunteer service.
4. Volunteering reduces stress levels. Volunteering enhances a person’s social networks to buffer stress and reduce risk of disease. By savoring time spent in service to others, volunteers feel a sense of meaning and appreciation, both given and received, which has a stress-reducing effect.
5. Volunteering may help you live longer. An analysis of data from the Longitudinal Study of Aging found that individuals who volunteer have lower mortality rates than those who do not, even when controlling for age, gender, and physical health. In addition, several studies have shown that volunteers with chronic or serious illness experience reductions in pain intensity and depression when serving as peer volunteers for others also suffering from chronic pain.
6. Volunteer service fosters connectivity, facilitating meeting others and developing new relationships. One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to participate in shared activities.  Volunteering is a great way to meet new people who share common interests. Dedicating time as a volunteer also helps expand personal networks and practice social skills with others.

Volunteers in Cooperative Extension come from a wide variety of backgrounds but share the common desires of helping others and serving the organization. They are men, women, parents, retirees, teenagers, former 4-H members, professionals, homemakers, and students. They volunteer for different reasons: to provide benefits to their children and other youth, to explore careers, sharpen workforce, communications, and leadership skills, to improve their standard of living, improve their community, stay active during retirement, and put their free time to good use.

In the 2019-2020 program year, 8,410 adult and 3,452 teen volunteers served the Kentucky 4-H program alone.  Collectively, these 11,862 volunteers delivered the 4-H program to 244,103 youth in the commonwealth.  Of these 244,103 4-H participants, 103,515 were members of organized clubs, 48,829 were enrolled in special interest programs, and 61,684 participated in school enrichment programs.  In the 2019-2020 program year, 10,747 adults participated in Extension Homemakers.   Additionally, for the same time period, there were 735 active Master Gardeners and 376 newly certified Master Gardeners, for a total of 1,111, with 38 counties reporting.

Volunteers deliver Extension programs to audiences that would otherwise not be served or reached by staff.  Volunteers provide skills and services that the organization would otherwise not be able to afford or provide.  Volunteers extend the outreach of the organization and multiply staff efforts.   Volunteers enable Extension to function fully, effectively, and efficiently.

In addition to health benefits, volunteers receive a sense of self-satisfaction from working with and helping people, teaching skills, serving their communities, sharing their talents, skills, interests, and passions, and developing personal leadership, interest, and job skills.   The fact that volunteer service actually promotes good health and well-being of volunteers and may also extend their life expectancy is a tremendous bonus that should also be utilized by Extension professionals when marketing and promoting service opportunities and recruiting potential volunteers.