Volunteerism has been flat or slightly declining in recent years across society. However, it has been on the rise in the corporate sector. In reality, one of the few employee benefits that have expanded dramatically in recent years is paid time off for volunteering.

As the Covid-19 pandemic and global recession continue to unfold, it is unknown whether these tendencies will persist. Some crises appear to make people more aware of societal needs: in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, for example, volunteerism soared to its greatest level in two decades, a spike that persisted for years.