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Definitions of "Volunteer"
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Articles and guides discussing definitions:
- See how we define
volunteer here on the Energize site and for
what is not
"volunteering" despite the use of that word.
- Also see our "Dimensions of Volunteering and Service" - 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)
- "Citizen Sector" proposal from Ashoka
- Definition of a Volunteer by Mary Lynn Perry on Volunteer Today (2004)
- Definitions of Volunteering from Volunteering England, 2009
- Definitions and Principles of Volunteering from Volunteer Australia
- A Leisure-Based, Theoretic Typology of Volunteers and Volunteering, by Robert A. Stebbins -- and the Serious Leisure Perspective Diagram on his site
- In Search of a Contemporary Definition of Volunteerism by Mary Merrill, 2000
- Section on Volunteer in Wikipedia
- "The Volunteer Economy" Johnnie Moore's Weblog, February 20, 2007
- "What's in a Name?" -- handout on vocabulary, Energize, 2011
- “When Is a Volunteer a Volunteer?” by Barry VanderKelen (2008).
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
Special Situations:
- In
American Sign Language - This site shows 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 (!):
- 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. "
"Volunteerism"
Hot Topics that discuss vocabulary:
- The Confusing Talk about "Service"- Oct '08
- So, What Do You Do? - Jan '08
- What’s in a Name…or a Title? - Sept '06
- Interns: The "Acceptable" Volunteers? - Nov '04
- Government, Politicians, and the Use of the Word “Volunteer” - Feb '04
- The Limits of the "V" Word - Oct '98
For information on this topic specifically relating to the Australasian region please visit our friends at OzVPM :
http://www.ozvpm.com/resourcebank/resource_definitions.htm
3/7/11
For books on this topic in our bookstore, click the link(s) below:
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Found in the Energize website library at: http://www.energizeinc.com/art.html
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