As membership in civic organizations declines in the United States, could volunteering for nonprofit organizations be an alternative source of social capital formation? After theoretically connecting volunteering with social capital using a household production framework, the authors then use a unique data set from Vermont to estimate the determinants of the probability of receiving a social capital benefit and the level of such a benefit. The probability of receiving a social capital benefit from one's most important nonprofit organization is increased: (a) if it is a religious or social service organization, (b) if one increases their volunteering for the organization, and (c) if one is female, college educated, or in a two-parent family. However, the relative magnitude of volunteering is similar, or relatively small, compared to the other significant determinants. An increase of volunteer hours does increase levels of social capital; however, the magnitude of this effect is also relatively small.
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