Volunt/ar/eer/ism: What's the Difference?
So many people ask me whether there is a distinction between "volunteerism"
and "voluntarism" that I have written up my answer. Here
it is:
"Voluntarism" (the older term) refers to everything voluntary.
In the United States this includes, for example, religion. It certainly
encompasses the entire "voluntary sector," but "voluntary"
in the "voluntarism" context means not mandated by law (as
government is). Many voluntary sector (nonprofit) agencies have a
volunteer board because that is a legal requirement, but may not utilize
volunteers in direct service in any way. There are subjects within
"voluntarism" that have nothing to do with volunteers: things
like UBIT legislation; proposal writing; compensation law.
"Volunteerism" was actually coined by Harriet Naylor and
used for the first time in an organizational name by Ivan Scheier
in the 1970's: The National Information Center for Volunteerism (NICOV).
Don't let the fact that we know who invented the term deter you from
taking it seriously. In the same time period someone, somewhere coined
words like cyberspace, byte, nerd, and maybe 1000 others!
At any rate, "volunteerism" is a more focused term that
speaks to anything relevant to volunteers and volunteering. Some people
say it refers to the activity, while voluntarism speaks to the nonprofit
setting. But the most important point, for me, is that "volunteerism"
encompasses volunteering regardless of setting. Therefore, it allows
government agencies at all levels to be included, and also covers
corporate employee volunteering. Since government-related volunteering
is so pervasive (think schools, libraries, parks, etc., etc.), this
is not an insignificant point.
The American military confuses us even more. I once told an audience
of generals at the US War College that they didn't MEAN a "Volunteer
Army," they meant a "Voluntary Army," as in "non-draft."
Just one more confusion in the fascinating world of volunteerism.
When we use "volunteerism," we can communicate that we are
speaking about issues relevant to our work: the actions necessary
to plan for, recruit, encourage, and generally support volunteers
in their important efforts. So it is an important distinction
and I therefore recommend that you use "volunteerism" in
your work.
3/17/07
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Volunt/ar/eer/ism: What's the Difference? by Susan J. Ellis
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