Highlights of a study by the UnitedHealth Group, the Optimum Institute, and Mashable finding a link between volunteering and better physical, mental, and emotional health.
By Stephan Meier and Alois Stutzer; academic research study from the Institute of Empirical Research in Economics at the University of Zurich
, 2004, pp. 34
By Petra Cook and Nicky Jackson. Explores how volunteering can help to develop the critical professional management skills of working with people who have different timeframes, values and interests. It assesses the personal experiences of senior managers and also their views on volunteering in their capacity as employers. The study also examines the views and actual experiences of returned VSO (UK) volunteers.
, 2006, pp. 24
by Renaissance London, report of a 3-year project at the largest archaeological archive in Europe designed to test volunteering as a form of social inclusion by recruiting volunteers from diverse backgrounds
, 2010, pp. 18
There is lots of anecdotal evidence that volunteering has a positive impact on health but a 2008 research review commissioned by Volunteering England seeks to determine what impact it really has. Site has full report and 4 page summary.
This area of the idealist.org website includes information on the benefits of family volunteering and a list of articles on the topic. Contains information useful to families who want to volunteer and volunteer coordinators who work with family volunteers.
"ServiceSpace was conceived by volunteers, was built by volunteers, and is run by volunteers -- all for the benefit of volunteers. Our projects range from a daily positive news service, to an acts-of-kindness portal, to a gift-economy restaurant." The blog is an exchange of reflections among volunteers about inspiration and service.
CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) and their colleagues have developed and tested various measures of young adults’ “civic engagement” (including their political participation; their community service and local civic work; and their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values). These measures are available for anyone to use.
Blog for anyone considering volunteering internationally, with advice for how to choose the right program and other issues. "A handy resource for gap year students, schoolies and travelers who are thinking to volunteer abroad."
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Archived Infocast from the AICPA Young CPA Network - Original run date, Jan. 23, 2013 - 90 minutes
Three young CPAs share their experiences in volunteerism that has led to personal development of skills transferable to many aspects of their lives, including the workplace.
Video of a 2014 TEDxUOttawa talk (11 minutes) by Tuan Nguyen, a young Canadian philanthropist and entrepreneur. Surviving death during his escape after the fall of Viet Nam in 1975, he sees the world from a lens of gratitude and has been the foundation for all his hopes, dreams, and vision. His stories demonstrates how volunteerism (mainly fundraising events) is the best platform for professional and personal development.
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Volunt/ar/eer/ism: What's the DIfference?
From Susan J. Ellis, President, Energize, Inc.
So many people ask me whether there is a distinction between the English words "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 involve volunteers in direct service in any way. There are subjects within "voluntarism" that have nothing to do with volunteers: things like rules of accounting; proposal writing; compensation law.
"Volunteerism" was actually coined by Harriet Naylor while she was with the old Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 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 volunteering with 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 U.S. War College that they didn't have a "Volunteer Army," they have 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.
There is quite a bit of controversy about terminology in our field, which we've tried to document in the subject area Definitions of "Volunteer" in our online resource library. Take a look.
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