Definitions of "Volunteer"

There is no agreement on how to define "volunteer," but there are lots of opinions!

articles  |  dictionary  | legal |  special

Articles and guides discussing definitions:

• One of the best discussions!: Volunteering and Mandatory Community Service: Choice – Incentive – Coercion – Obligation; A Discussion Paper by Volunteer Canada (2006)- See pages 11-16.
• A Better Word than "Volunteer"? by Bill Kinnon on Achievable Ends (faith-based)
• “Definition of a Volunteer” by Mary Lynn Perry on Volunteer Today (2004)
• “Definitions and Principles of Volunteering” from Volunteer Australia
• “In Search of a Contemporary Definition of Volunteerism” by Mary Merrill, 2000
• “The New Volunteer,” essay on Benevon
• Section on “Volunteer” in Wikipedia
• “Volunteer: Still A Rose by Any Other Name” by Michael Stills on CharityChannel (2003)
• “The Volunteer Economy,” Johnnie Moore’s Weblog, February 20, 2007

Sample of Online Dictionary Definitions:  (note the types of volunteering examples these reference sites offer)

• Allwords:  (shows other languages)
• Answers.com  (see their traditional examples!)
• Brainy Quote 
• DieNet 
• The Free Dictionary 
• Merriam-Webster Online
• YourDictionary 

Sample of Explanations of "Legal" Definitions:

• From the Bulgarian Legislature 

• Definitions for "Construction," "Contract," and "Public Building or Public Work," as Contained in the Department of Labor Standards Provisions Applicable to Contracts Covering Federally Financed and Assisted Construction (Title 29, Subpart 5.2, Code of Federal Regulations).  (Fish & Wildlife Service)
• “DOL Clarifies Definition of Volunteer Under FLSA” (US Department of Labor/Fair Labor Standards Act) from Jenner & Block
• Memorandum on “Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Response: Legal Protections for VHPs in Texas and Oklahoma” from the Center for the Law and the Public’s Health at Johns Hopkins University
• In the Nonprofit FAQ on Idealist.org 
• Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act (US)  

• Chapter 4 in the Volunteer Legal Handbook
• Volunteering England Q&A

Special Situations:

• In American Sign Language  - This site shows an animation of how to "say" the word in sign.  They give two versions – the first is based on :  tug on the lapel; the second is related to heart.

• As used in gardening (!): 
  • Dave’s Garden site: 
  • Wikipedia (botany) 

 

• Anyone from Tennessee -- including their sports teams, are Volunteers.

• For the military, the term "volunteer" means non-draft.

• The Tax Registrar in Travis County says (just a neat example): 

By definition, a volunteer is a person who enters into something of his own free will with no promise of compensation. However, there are those who believe that it is by spending ourselves that we become rich.

3/9/2007

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