Being asked personally to give money and time continued to be the most effective way to recruit donors and volunteers. Being asked by a friend or family member, or through an institution, such as a church, synagogue or mosque, greatly influenced whether an individual gave and volunteered.

Since 1990, respondents who reported that they were asked by someone to volunteer or that they learned about their volunteer activities through an organization were asked some further questions. Those respondents who were asked by someone to volunteer most frequently reported being asked by:

·	a friend (50%)
·	someone at their religious establishment (32%)
·	a family member or relative (19%)
·	someone at work (12%).

Respondents who reported they learned about their volunteer activity through participation in an organization most frequently cited:

·	their place of worship (56%)
·	their workplace or employer (24%)
·	their school or college (15%)
·	through membership in a service club or professional association (13%)
·	another voluntary organization (13%).

The 1998 responses were quite similar to previous surveys with one exception. Learning about volunteering opportunities through a religious institution declined by 4 percentage points from 60% in 1995 to 56% in 1998. The responses to these questions consistently have demonstrated just how much volunteering is dependent upon personal relationships.

A new method of being asked to volunteer is via the Internet. A new question on the 1999 survey asked whether respondents learned about volunteering opportunities on the Internet. Approximately 1% said they had learned about volunteering opportunities this way.

These findings were further confirmed through two other questions that were asked in the last four surveys. In 1998, more people (49% versus 43%) had been asked to volunteer than in 1995. Approximately an equal number of respondents were asked or not asked to volunteer. The number of respondents who volunteered after being asked was astonishing. Ninety percent (90%) of those asked actually did volunteer in 1998, but only 22% of respondents did so when not asked. Comparable results were found in previous surveys. The volunteer rate among respondents who were asked to volunteer was nearly four times greater than among those who were not asked.

Asking for Contributions

Eighty-one percent (81%) of households contributed when asked. In each of the six surveys, respondents who were asked to give by someone they knew well were twice as likely to contribute if they were asked than if they were not.

Telephone and Mail Solicitation

Non profits also use telephone and direct mail to ask for contributions. In 1999, 47% of respondents reported an increase in being asked by phone for contributions, up from 43% in 1994, the last year in which this question was asked. Almost the same number of respondents (almost 40%) reported increased mail solicitations compared to 1994; less than 3% reported a decline in either sort of solicitation.