Volunteering is important for numerous reasons that benefit both the community and the volunteer themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volunteering has been identified as a critical component of social capital development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It helps to build social capital by bringing people together from different backgrounds and promoting shared values and goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volunteerism delivers impressive social benefits. Through voluntary action people create groupings that can cement social norms and inculcate a sense of civic responsibility and belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The participatory aspect of volunteerism can contribute to a heightened understanding of the forces which shape governments and societies, leading to greater transparency, accountability and improved governance. Volunteerism also has an important economic impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On an individual level, volunteerism contributes to capacity building processes by helping the individual volunteer to develop marketable skills, providing access to workplace networks and boosting confidence and self-esteem (ATD Fourth World. \u2018Volunteering & Social Inclusion\u2019, 2000.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volunteering rates among young people are generally higher than they are among adults 26 and older. However, measuring volunteer rates among all adults is a difficult task (\u201cMeasurement of Volunteering: A Methodological Study Using Indiana as a Test Case\u201d in the Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Volume 31, issue 4, 2002 by Kathryn Steinberg, Patrick Rooney, and William Chin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People increasingly feel that if they look hard enough or wait long enough, something that more exactly suits their needs and desires will appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volunteers now expect a lot more from charities in terms of being given meaningful work, having a say in how the organisation is run and receiving appropriate training, support and recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volunteers now want to know exactly what it is that they are getting into and how it compares with what others are offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Volunteers\u2019 indication that they are primarily motivated by a belief in the cause and a desire to make a difference would suggest that if it is made clear to them that their role (no matter how mundane) contributes to the greater cause of the organisation, they will remain engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other key motivations that are frequently mentioned both by volunteers and volunteer managers are training and skills, social opportunities, and the desire for an experience or insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too often in most of the society, volunteering is conceptualised as a generous gift of time from the empowered and virtuous volunteer to the helpless recipient.<\/p>\n