By Caroline Preston

Americans are far more likely to donate big sums to charity if they volunteer, says a new study.

On average, people donate 10 times more money if they have volunteered in the past year, according to the study. Two-thirds of volunteers said they give money to the same groups to which they donate time.

Over all, the study found that 40 percent of Americans volunteered in the past year. Twenty-eight percent said they have never volunteered.

The study of more than 1,000 people was conducted in October by Harris Interactive, for the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund.

It found that about a third of Americans said they are more likely to volunteer as a result of the recession. Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed said they recently lost a job and plan to volunteer more.

Critical Views

Despite their willingness to lend time to charities, Americans are skeptical about nonprofit groups and their impact.

Nearly 60 percent of survey respondents said they think charities are too much like big businesses. Roughly one half said that charities are disorganized.

The survey also asked people how they would define “true philanthropy.” Two-thirds said that the concept includes giving both time and money.

One in five said they believe Americans should be required to give a certain percentage of time and money each year to nonprofit organizations.

A lack of time was the most frequently cited reason for not volunteering more, but a third of survey respondents said they could not find a charity that matched their interests or needs.

One third said they want to see immediate results from their volunteer efforts, while 44 percent said that if a charity cannot take advantage of their specific skills, they will seek out another group instead.