Anonymous wrote:OP, why do you want to set specific hour goals? I volunteer with several organizations in different ways, some times more, some times less, depending on what the organizations' needs are and what else is going on. If I can do it, I do it, and if I can't, I say no.
Because I know myself, and it is very easy for me to have reasons why I can't in the moment. Then I feel bad looking back when I didn't get as involved as I intended to. The volunteering I'm doing has shifts you sign up for online, and if I can break the over all goal down into monthly goals, I'm much more likely to stay on top of it and feel satisfied at the end of the quarter/month/year.
I did some research and saw about 25% of Americans volunteer in a year time span and the average is 32 hours per year. I'm sure it's people at both ends of the spectrum.
I also came across something interesting that said 100 hours per year is kind of the peak of happiness - not overly committed, but get the exact same personal satisfaction benefits as if you volunteered up to 800 hours. Kind of interesting.
I think I'm going to shoot for 72 hours in the next year, which is one 6 hour shift a month. I can then ramp it up the next year if that was manageable. I do work full time and travel for work, but I think I can do one day a month.