Volunteering is important for numerous reasons that benefit both the community and the volunteer themselves and creates a meaningful, positive impact on the community. Evaluations, such as Blue Zones measure volunteerism as an indicator for success. Volunteering can benefit the physical and mental health of the population, as well as creating a more interconnected community. Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.

View research, best practices, and examples of the collective impact logic model related to Education.

Call to Action: What We Can Do to Improve Community Involvement?

Creating tools and training, and websites with valuable information, can encourage persons with questions or doubts about abilities to research volunteer opportunities, and help retain volunteers.

Engaging underrepresented groups in volunteering introduces a diverse range of new participants to service, expands the number of members who can gain the benefits provided by service, and creates a broader pool of talents and skills to draw upon. Communities benefit when those most familiar with a local community’s needs are engaged in providing needed volunteer services.

Senior volunteer programs, such as You Are Not Alone (YANA), Senior Volunteer Patrol (SVP), and Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), benefit sponsor organizations, volunteers, and the communities they serve. Positive outcomes include the following.

• Relief to understaffed/overburdened organizations
• Enrich the lives of volunteers, become more engaged in the community, and promote better health & quality of life
• Provide valuable services to help meet needs in the community
• Conduct wellness checks and intervention services to elderly, disabled & homebound individuals living alone

Also look for opportunities to incorporate into service those groups currently underrepresented, such as at-risk youth, immigrants, the disabled, rural residents, and veterans.

Contributed to Arts/Culture Organizations

In 2025, 4.8% of the population made a contribution to an arts/cultural organization.

Definition: Percent of population who contributed to arts/cultural organizations in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Contributed to Political Organizations

In 2025, 6.6% of the population made a contribution to a political organization.

Definition: Percent of population who contributed to political organizations in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Contributed to Educational Organizations

In 2025, 7.8% of the population made a contribution to an educational organization.

Definition: Percent of population who contributed to educational organizations in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Contributed to Environmental Organizations

In 2025, 5.2% of the population made a contribution to an environmental organization.

Definition: Percent of population who contributed to environmental organizations in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Contributed to Health Organizations

In 2025, 7.0% of the population made a contribution to a health organization.

Definition: Percent of population who contributed to health organizations in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Contributed to Religious Organizations

In 2025, 19.9% of the population made a contribution to a religious organization.

Definition: Percent of population who contributed to religious organizations in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Contributed to Social Organizations

In 2025, 5.9% of the population made a contribution to a social organization.

Definition: Percent of population who contributed to social organizations in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Voted in Federal/State/Local Election

In 2025, 5.9% of the population voted in a federal, state, or a local election.

Definition: Percent of the population who voted in federal/state/local election in the last 12 months.

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2025. Source: ESRI Community Analyst, Vintage 2025.

Voted in Last Presidential Election

In 2024, 75.8% of the population voted in the last presidential election.

Definition: Percent of those registered who voted in the last presidential election (2024).

Data Source(s)

• Data year: 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Presidential Election Voting and Registration Tables. California Secretary of State, Voter Participation Statistics by County.

The reports below show the trend in Community Involvement-related expanded indicators over time in San Diego County. Tracking these expanded indicators across multiple years helps us understand long-term patterns and progress toward improving population health.