Volunteering a Top Resolution for 2010

Lose weight? Exercise more? Finally get out of debt? All very valid (and commonly voiced) resolutions for the new year. But volunteering more? It's not something I typically hear, but that might just be changing this year.

A survey conducted Nov. 18-23 by Kelton Research, a New York-based organization, revealed that 59 percent of Americans are resolving to volunteer in 2010. According to the survey, whose results were released this week, more women (62 percent) than men (54 percent) set volunteering as a goal for the coming year, while more parents (68 percent) than single adults (55 percent) did the same. In addition, 41 percent of the respondents would rather help others than do something for themselves.

The study, sponsored by Disney Parks and HandsOn Network, ties in with the Disney Parks' "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" initiative that we covered back in October. The program, which starts January 1, gives people the chance to sign up at DisneyParks.com for one day of volunteering and in return will get a free one-day admission to a Disney park.

Maybe this has to do with President Obama's push to get everyone involved, or maybe because Americans are well aware of the struggles this past year has brought, but whatever the reason, it's certainly inspiring to know how motivated people are to help others. And if you want to find a good volunteering match, here's a place to start.

Photo courtesy of yuan2003, via Flickr