Need Volunteers? 93 Percent of Americans Are Willing to Drive Up to 50 Miles

What does a tire company know about charities? A new study produced by one of them says a majority of Americans are ready and willing to drive great distances to volunteer.

A survey by Hankook Tire found that 93 percent of people who said they drive on a regular basis are willing to travel up to 50 miles to volunteer. Twenty-eight percent said they were willing to have their volunteer work directly relate to driving, such as taking people places they need to go. The latest installment of the survey, conducted August 3 through 5, polled 1,514 Americans.

The study also said millennials may be more inclined to support nonprofits that have a more global impact, while Gen Xers said they preferred supporting local, community-based charities.

“It’s encouraging to see that people are willing to go the distance to volunteer,” said Jay Kim, vice president of corporate strategy at Hankook Tire America. “Seeing that millennials in particular are willing to drive further distances underscores the value and return they see in volunteer work. This can be beneficial for nonprofits as they look to plan upcoming events.”

Hankook Tire is an official partner of Disabled American Veterans, Kim said, which was one impetus for the report. “Our partnership is all about mobility —— bringing services to veterans where they live. We hope that nonprofit organizations across the country will find value in the results in this survey for their own volunteer outreach strategies.”