In The News: Volunteering More Popular Than Ever

Volunteering has become a popular theme here lately at the JobMonkey blog. The New York Times reported earlier this week on the burgeoning ranks of volunteers in New York City.

Laid-off workers are turning in droves to volunteer organizations to help them fill their time and contribute to people in need, while still aggressively looking for a new job.

Remember this post from last week about how to volunteer your way into a new job? I’m thinking some of those New York volunteers might be hoping to network, too, while serving up soup or rescuing stray animals. Nothing wrong with that!

Interestingly, all of the volunteers interviewed for the article were women. Which got me wondering if the apparent article’s gender imbalance was a coincidental slip of the article — or if there’s something more to it? I went to the Corporation for National and Community Service, which in 2006 found that 32.4 percent of women volunteer, compared with 25 percent of men. The difference occurs across the board, in every state of the Union. Hmmm, do I smell a challenge to men? Time to get out there and volunteer!

If you want to combine adventure with volunteerism (maybe that’s an angle that will appeal to men?!), check out JobMonkey’s section on overseas volunteer jobs.