The Complexities of Volunteer Data

Millions of Americans volunteer at nonprofit organizations every year, and nonprofits are increasingly making up a substantial portion of US economic activity. Given the significant value that volunteers contribute, it is imperative for nonprofits to track volunteer data to identify trends, guide strategic decisions, and enhance stakeholder engagement. However, volunteer tracking is more complex than it seems. Focusing on the context of the state of Ohio, we review local nonprofits and present data from Form 990 documents (an annual document all tax-exempt organizations must fill out for the IRS) to demonstrate that Ohio nonprofits often fail to capture granular volunteer data. We then dive into why nonprofits are not tracking this data precisely by comparing nonprofits with schools and businesses, arguing that the current solutions to tracking volunteer data are cost and time prohibitive despite their potential benefits. Finally, a potential solution is proposed that aims to alleviate the limitations that often coincide with tracking volunteers, which could allow nonprofits to have a cost-effective, time-efficient method of recording clean volunteer data.