Volunteerism

Collective and Reflexive Styles of Volunteering: A Sociological Modernization Perspective
Hustinx Lesley and Lammertyn Frans
Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 14 (2)p.167-187 June 2003
This paper presents a theory-guided examination of the (changing) nature of volunteering through the lens of sociological modernization theories. Existing accounts of qualitative changes in motivational bases and patterns of volunteering are interpreted against the background of broader, modernization-driven social-structural transformations. It is argued that volunteer involvement should be qualified as a biographically embedded reality, and a new analytical framework of collective and reflexive styles of volunteering is constructed along the lines of the ideal-typical biographical models that are delineated by modernization theorists. Styles of volunteering are understood as essentially multidimensional, multiform, and multilevel in nature. Both structural-behavioral and motivational-attitudinal volunteering features are explored along the lines of six different dimensions: the biographical frame of reference, the motivational structure, the course and intensity of commitment, the organizational environment, the choice of (field of) activity, and the relation to paid work. 2003.

Corporate Volunteer Program as a Strategic Resource: The Link Grows Stronger
Points of Light Foundation
executive summary
This 1999 follow-up study from to the 1992 Benefits to Business indicates that companies are responding to their environment by strategically developing and strengthening their community programs and aligning with overall business goals. 1999.

Corporate Volunteer Programs: Benefits to Business
Points of Light Foundation
executive summary
A study to examine the strategic applications and benefits of volunteer programs. 1992.

John Roundtree Foundation
http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/SP110.asp
"The value of volunteering is widely recognised and promoted, but its economic value has rarely been explored. Nor has its cost, although organisations have argued for some time that recruiting, managing and supporting volunteers all require time and money. This study was designed to develop and pilot a method to measure economic value of volunteering. It focused on twelve small voluntary organisations providing social welfare services, and produced estimates of their total expenditure on volunteers and the market value of their volunteers' work." 1997.

• The Economic Equation of Volunteering: A Pilot Study
  by Katharine Gaskin and Barbara Dobson. This study was designed to develop and pilot a method to measure these aspects of volunteering. 1997.

e-Volunteerism
Listed in the index for the Research subject listing.

• About This Feature Area
• Changing the Focus on Volunteering: An Investigation of Volunteers' Multiple Contributions for a Charitable Organization
• Emerging Trends and Issues in Volunteerism and Volunteer Program Management
• The Home Office's Research on the Active Community in England and Wales
• Highlights from "Flying Under the Radar: The Significant Work of All-Volunteer Organizations
• Investing in Volunteerism: The Impact of Service Initiatives in Selected Texas State Agencies"
• Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America (Book Review)
• Race and Formal Volunteering: The Differential Effects of Class and Religion
• Researching Volunteering in England: The Institute for Volunteering Research
• Surveys and Data
• Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey
• Valuing Volunteer Time
• Volunteer Vacationers and What Research Can Tell Us about Them
• Volunteering as a Lifestyle Choice: Negotiating Self-Identities in Japan
• World Leisure Volunteerism Commission

Evaluation Report: Engaging Persons with Disabilities
Points of Light Foundation
Describes the outcomes of a year-long initiative, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, to engage more people with disabilities in volunteer service. 2000.

Family Volunteering: An Exploratory Study of the Impact on Families
Points of Light Foundation
Presents the results of exploratory research that has been conducted to inform the conceptual framework of a study of the impact of family volunteering on families. 2003.

Measuring the Institutional Determinants of Volunteering by Older Adults
Center for Social Development, St. Louis, Missouri,
USA Principal Investigator: Nancy Morrow-Howell. April 2002.
Consent Form
Survey Questionnaire

Measuring Volunteering: A Practical Toolkit
February 2001, A joint project of INDEPENDENT SECTOR and United Nations Volunteers features background information and suggestions empowering researchers, especially those in developing countries, to produce empirical data to underpin policy measures related to volunteering. 2001.

National Service in America: Policy (Dis)Connections Over Time
A CIRCLE Working Paper by Melissa Bass traces the development of three civilian national service programs; AmeriCorps, VISTA, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The paper gives reasons why to-date no permanent policy exists supporting national service in the United States. For quick facts on youth volunteering see Volunteering Among Young People. 2003.

Organizational Culture and Volunteer Programs
from the book At the Heart: The New Volunteer Challenges to Community Agencies; Nora Silver. 1989.
Research on Volunteerism...What Needs to Be Done
By Susan J. Ellis, From Journal of Voluntary Action Research, Volume 14, Number 2-3, April-September 1985, pages 11-14. Originally presented at the Symposium at the 1984 AVAS Conference. 1985.

Volunteerism and Development
The Evaluation Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) November 2003 issue of "Essentials" is concerned with "Volunteerism and Development." It focuses on these lessons learned:

• Volunteerism can reduce dependency and promote empowerment
• Volunteers are valuable knowledge brokers, linking know-how with community needs (includes references to online volunteering)
• Thinking about volunteers in terms of their cost reduces their value
• Harnessing volunteerism to fight HIV/AIDS is critical in mitigating the spread and the effect of the pandemic
• Volunteerism in post-conflict and crisis situations offers a powerful way to aid the building of trust within and between communities

Each lesson learned includes examples and a "what to do" list of suggestions.

To download this or other issues of "Essentials", visit: http://www.undp.org/eo/essentials.htm

Volunteer Impact Initiative
A 1998 nationwide survey on volunteerism conducted by UPS.

Volume and Economic Value of Volunteering
Paper highlights how the tools from economic theory can increase our insight on volunteering behavior. The aim is to develop a deep and thorough understanding of the economic intuition and dynamics underlying the decision to volunteer and to incorporate that in developing a sound conceptual and methodological framework to measure the societal contribution of volunteer labor. 2002.

Volunteer Participation and Life Satisfaction Among People with Disabilities: A pilot study
Katherine Caldwell and Michael Wiegand, 2001- From the author (MW): "... remember that this was more of an academic exercise rather than professional research, but I think you will appreciate the results..." (6/28/02) Edited for this site from the original, 7/8/02.

Volunteerism: The Outlook for Tomorrow,
by Susan J. Ellis and Katherine H. Noyes
From By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers, rev.ed. 1990. (out of print)

Volunteerism, Social Capital and Philanthropy in the Not-for-Profit Sector: a Research Study
This study shows the common traits shared by programs effectively using volunteers to carry out their mission, and reflects the key issues that must be considered by any non-profit organization seeking to build a stronger volunteer program. It also analyzes best practices, program supports and other internal structors to show which are considered vital to a program, and which are not. January 2002.