2008 Economic Impact of Arkansas Volunteers
Methodology and Response Rate
The population for this study was comprised of sixteen groups: state agencies, counties, cities, public school districts, United Ways, veterans groups, civic clubs, national service organizations, senior organizations, libraries, private/parochial schools, private colleges and universities, faith-based and community organizations, youth organizations, hospitals and corporations. A total of 1,620 cover letters and questionnaires were mailed to these sixteen groups.
Each organization was requested to report the number of volunteers and hours worked for the calendar year of 2007, with the exception of school districts, which were requested to report for the 2006-2007 school year. A sample form of the questionnaire is printed on the inside back cover of this publication. A total of 877 questionnaires were completed and returned for an overall response rate of 54.1 percent. The return rate for each group is shown in Table 1. Tables 2 through 17 itemize totals for each of the four volunteer service areas as reported by the sixteen organization types.Eighteen groups comprised the population
for this 2008 study. These groups are listed
in Table 1 along with the return rate of each.
Churches and political parties are new groups
to this 2008 study. A total of 2,069 cover
letters and questionnaires were mailed to
these eighteen groups. Each organization was
requested to report the number of volunteers
and hours worked for the calendar year of
2008, with the exception of school districts,
which were requested to report volunteer
contributions for the 2007-2008 school year.
A sample form of the questionnaire is printed
on the inside back cover of this publication.
A total of 854 questionnaires were completed
and returned for an overall response rate of
41 percent. Tables 2 through 19 itemize totals
for each of the four volunteer service areas as
reported by the eighteen organization types.
The rosters for these groups are reported on
pages 12 through 42.
| Return Rate |
GROUPS PERCENT |
| Public Schools |
75 |
| State Agencies |
71 |
| Private Colleges & Universities |
50 |
| Senior Organizations |
50 |
| Counties |
48 |
| United Ways |
46 |
| National Service Groups |
45 |
| Private/Parochial Schools |
44 |
| Hospitals/Healthcare Organizations |
43 |
| Libraries |
42 |
| Civic Clubs |
36 |
| Faith-Based & Community Organizations |
36 |
| Youth Organizations |
32 |
| Veterans |
27 |
| Churches |
25 |
| Cities |
24 |
| Political Parties/Senators/Representatives |
22 |
| Corporations |
10 |
| Total Return Rate |
41 |
