Making Sense of Volunteering: Perspectives, principles and definitions

Abstract

While volunteering has played a prominent role in most societies throughout history, the current weight of expectation about the contribution it can make to individual development, social cohesion and addressing social need has never been greater -- at the global, European and national level. Volunteering and Society in the 21st Century has been designed to meet this unprecedented interest. While the main focus is on volunteering in the UK the book is informed by and, in turn, contributes to international perspectives on voluntary action. It provides an overview of the concepts and theories which explain the nature of volunteering; reviews the data on who volunteers and for what; examines key organizational issues for volunteer managers; and discusses the enduring challenges which volunteering continues to face in the 21st century -- the need to change its image; the push for an inclusive approach; the danger of formalization; and the threat to its independence.