Volunteer Hour Value
Might seem a bit crass to monetize volunteer time, but volunteer hour values are used to calculate contributions and outputs for budgets and grants during blue skies. For disaster response, volunteer hour contributions are used by FEMA to calculate (offset) the non-federal share of public assistance.[1] For hours to be creditable, at a minimum, the applicant organization (e.g. hypothetically PBEM or Friends of Portland NET) must record on a sign-in sheet each individual volunteer's:
- Name
- Title and function (required for professional services)
- Days and hours worked
- Location of work and work performed.
A volunteer supervisor must verify that each sign in sheet is accurate.
Each hour of volunteered service may be counted as matching share if the service is an integral and necessary part of an approved project.[2]
Independent Sector, an organization that conducts research on nonprofit organizations, is widely considered the authority on the value of a volunteer hour. They publish their methodology HERE. The rates in the table below reflect volunteer hour values for Oregon, not the national rate. Until 2022, the Oregon rate came in a hair under the national rate.
| Year | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|
| 2012 | $21.14 |
| 2013 | $21.35 |
| 2014 | $21.99 |
| 2015 | $22.75 |
| 2016 | $24.15 |
| 2017 | $24.89 |
| 2018 | $25.40 |
| 2019 | $26.39 |
| 2020 | $28.22 |
| 2021 | $29.75 |
| 2022 | $32.37 |
| 2023 | |
| 2024 |
- ↑ That's an oversimplification, but basically, volunteer hours during a disaster response result in more assistance dollars at the local level. See more at Donated Resources Can Help Offset Public Assistance Project Costs.
- ↑ Candidly, at this time, what an "approved project" is remains a bit vague but we interpret it to mean a project in support of a declared emergency.
