title: Trends in Volunteer Mentoring in the United States: Analysis of a Decade of Census Survey Data.
abstract: Over the past decade, considerable resources have been devoted to recruiting volunteer mentors and expanding mentoring programs. It is unclear whether these efforts have helped to counter the broader national trends of declining volunteer rates. The current study uses data from the Volunteering Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to explore population-level trends in mentoring over the past decade. Results suggest that mentoring rates have remained relatively stable over the past decade, but that the population of mentors has changed somewhat in terms of age, ethnicity, educational background, and region of the United States. In addition, certain sectors of the mentor population show higher rates of attrition from 1 year to the next. Findings have important implications for the development of recruitment, training, and mentor support practices within mentoring organizations, as well as policies designed to meet the needs of at-risk youth in the U.S.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Raposa
authors.affiliation: Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Urban Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Jean E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rhodes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019352:Censuses; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D000071252:Mentoring / Q000639:trends*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014838:Volunteers; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Census; Mentoring; Population trends; United States