Nonprofit Tools
Volunteer Time Value Calculator
Put a defensible dollar value on volunteer hours for grant applications, annual reports and board decks — using the latest Independent Sector estimate of $36.14 per hour.
Your volunteers
$36.14 is the 2025 national value from Independent Sector & the Do Good Institute. Your state’s figure may be higher or lower — replace it if you use a state rate, or a market wage for specialized skills (see below).
Skilled hours (optional)
Lawyers, accountants, designers, nurses: value pro-bono professional work at its market rate, not the general rate.
The value
Where the $36.14 figure comes from
Each year Independent Sector, with the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland, publishes the estimated value of a volunteer hour, derived from Bureau of Labor Statistics average earnings for non-managerial private-sector workers plus a benefits load. The 2025 value is $36.14 per hour (released April 2026), up 3.9% from $34.79 the year before. State-level values are published alongside the national number and can differ substantially — check the Independent Sector site for yours.
How organizations use this number
- Grant applications: volunteer time can often be counted as in-kind match — many federal and foundation grants accept it, valued at a documented, consistent rate.
- Annual reports & board decks: “our 50 volunteers contributed time worth $90,000” communicates community support in a currency everyone understands.
- Financial statements: under GAAP, only donated services that create assets or require specialized skills are recorded — general volunteer time usually is not. The Independent Sector figure is for communication and grants, not your audit.
- Skilled services: value a lawyer’s pro-bono contract review at legal market rates. It is both accurate and, in that narrow case, potentially bookable — ask your auditor.
Keep timesheets or sign-in logs behind any number you publish or put in a grant — funders can and do ask for documentation.