During the 2006 and 2010 survey years (and in 2012 and 2014 for those not interviewed in 2010), NLSY79 respondents provided information about the time they spent volunteering for causes or organizations, as well as the type of organization. In 2006, approximately 22.6% of respondents reported engaging in volunteer activities during the previous calendar year, a figure that increased to 24.6% in 2010.

As can be seen in Table 1, the pick list of causes/organizations changed in wording between 2006 and 2010.

During the 2010 survey year, respondents also answered questions about any volunteer work organized through their regular workplace, including questions about whether any coworkers volunteered with the respondent and if the respondent got time off from work to volunteer. Respondents were also asked if any of these volunteer activities utilized skills acquired or used at work and if any of the activities helped the respondent learn about job openings or job-related opportunities.

In addition, respondents reported whether they made any philanthropic donations to various types of nonprofit organizations, including the following:

• Religious or spiritual organizations
• Organizations that serve a combination of purposes
• Organizations that serve people in need
• Health care organizations
• Educational organizations
• Youth, neighborhood or community organizations
• Organizations for arts and culture
• Environmental organizations
• Organizations for international aid or to promote world peace