What does it mean to “volunteer?”

Recently I was looking at research on volunteering. I have to admit, I love reading research on volunteering and service-learning. I see it as “fun”. There is research out there that shows that when volunteers feel more attached to their community through indicators like homeownership, they are more likely to volunteer. There is also a discussion in this same piece on the connection between socio-economic status and rates of volunteering. Simply put, if you aren’t worried about where you are going to find food to feed your family, then you have the luxury of volunteering. Hmmm.

That’s what the research says, but is it reality?

I grew up in Indiana in a small town of about 10,000 people. The main industries at that time were agriculture and factory work. Now this small burg had no volunteer center. We did not have a bustling non-profit sector, but had some of the regular players; Big Brothers Big Sisters, the United Fund, and the American Red Cross, for example. Social services were provided through churches, city government, and neighbors.

In my hometown… When someone passes away, the cooking starts; casseroles, desserts, and the like descend upon a family. Are the cooks volunteering?

When someone needs a ride to a doctor’s appointment, there isn’t necessarily a formal nonprofit that makes the connection. Neighbors step up. Is that volunteering?

I babysat for a friend’s two girls last night. We played Monopoly to pass the time. At 34, I am not a typical babysitter. I do not have a “fee” for such an evening. I wanted to help out my friend and enjoyed spending some time with their amazing daughters. Was that volunteering?

I define “volunteer” as one who is willingly fulfilling a community need. Typically there is no compensation, but there are exceptions to that rule. AmeriCorps is one example. I think the service or kindness needs to be for someone else’s benefit and that someone else is ideally involved in defining that need or the volunteer is part of the community being served.

So, in my mind, the examples ARE volunteering. That does not bode well for the world of research as we need to start knocking on each and every door to get the true story of volunteering.

What does it mean to “volunteer?”


Total Volunteer Hours as of 3/14/08: 52.5

Coming up:
- Photography at a reunion
- Continued Reading on Tuesday afternoons
- A homelessness immersion
- An Alums board meeting in Denver
- An evening with the Cascade AIDS Project
- And I'm looking for interesting new opportunities!