Introduction

In this chapter, we offer insights into understanding individual pathways to volunteering. As we noted in Chapter One, volunteering can be undertaken through a formal organisation or it can be a more informal activity. It is, therefore, extremely diverse. That said, it is an activity that people freely choose to do, without remuneration, to help or benefit non-household members. Every day, millions of people around the world make an important formal commitment to others by giving time to undertake unpaid voluntary work via a voluntary organisation. The types of voluntary activities undertaken are extremely varied (administration/office duties; service delivery; managerial roles and as trustees; and representing VCSOs on partnerships as diverse as crime reduction, health improvement and urban regeneration) as are the volunteers themselves, and the value of their efforts to communities and society are immense.

In England, volunteers account for 1.1 million full-time equivalent (FTE) paid employees in the VCS and 72% of VCSOs depend on a volunteer labour force with no paid staff (Wilding et al, 2006). In a study in the US, Brown (1999) found that volunteers play a key role in the US VCS, accounting for more than 10% of total working hours in these organisations. In 2006, Anheier and Salamon studied the VCS across 24 countries and concluded that over 40% of FTE VCS jobs were held by volunteers; the equivalent of 16.8 million workers.

Since the onset of the world economic crisis in 2008, there has been a reported increase in interest in volunteering from people laid off because of the recession. In a recent survey in England by the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) of volunteer centres (IVR, 2009), 90% reported an increase in the number of volunteers, with 75% of those looking at volunteering to improve their chances of getting another job; most people enquiring were in their thirties or forties. In this chapter, we focus on understanding individual pathways to volunteering, what motivates and moves people to action, to search out and apply to help others through supporting the work of a voluntary organisation.