State of the World's Volunteerism Report: Universal Values for Global Well-being

The focus of this report is on the universal values that motivate people the world over to volunteer for the common good and on the impact of volunteer action on societies and individuals. The authors advocate the power of volunteering to promote cooperation, encourage participation and contribute to the well-being of individuals and of society as a whole

The Third-party Model: Enhancing Volunteering through Governments, Corporations and Educational Institutes

Volunteering is perceived as important for creating social capital and civil society, and therefore has become a fundamental part of social policies across most Western countries. In this article, we examine the involvement of governments, corporations and educational institutes in encouraging volunteering, and pinpoint their role in developing volunteering circles. Based on essential concepts presented here (volunteerability and recruitability), we develop the third-party model, and show how third parties get involved. We identify new ways in which these parties can enhance volunteering, and discuss their impact on volunteerability and recruitability. The potential negative impacts of volunteerism and ways in which these can be ameliorated are also acknowledged. Finally, issues that arise due to such involvement are also discussed, thereby offering an important contribution to social policy research in the area of volunteerism

Student Volunteering in Zagreb in a Comparative Perspective

U ovom su radu analizirani rezultati istraživanja volontiranja studenata Sveučilišta u Zagrebu te Tehničkog i Društvenog veleučilišta u Zagrebu, provedenoga 2006.-2007. godine, a u sklopu međunarodnoga komparativnog istraživanja studenata u 14 zemalja svijeta. Cilj istraživanja bio je prikupiti podatke o različitim vidovima volontiranja (iskustvo, osnovni oblici, razlozi i koristi volontiranja, vrijednosti povezanih s volontiranjem), a posebice dobiti uvid u međunarodne razlike. S obzirom da su u ovom radu posebno fokusirani hrvatski rezultati, oni su pokazali da se hrvatski studenti, zajedno s japanskima, nalaze na začelju analiziranih zemalja. Kada volontiraju, studenti to čine uglavnom neredovito i neformalno, a najviše volontiraju za gradsku četvrt/lokalnu aktivističku grupu, u domovima za starije i nemoćne, prenoćištima i sličnim organizacijama. Intrinzični razlozi volontiranja su najviše naglašeni, ali njima komplementarni su i oni instrumentalni. Analizirane su i koristi od volontiranja. Istraživanje je također pokazalo da se volontiranje uglavnom ne promiče kroz obrazovni sustav, a da studenti smatraju takve inicijative korisnima. Rezultati istraživanja uspoređeni su s rezultatima dosadašnjih istraživanja volontiranja u Hrvatskoj, a interpretirani su u okviru analize razvoja civilnog društva u Hrvatskoj i drugim postkomunističkim zemljama te su komentirane dobivene razlike među zemljama.The paper presents an analysis of the results of the research of volunteering of students of the University of Zagreb and Technical and Social Sciences Polytechnics in Zagreb conducted between 2006-2007 within the international comparative research of students in 14 countries of the world. The aim of the research was to collect the data on various aspects of volunteering (experience, basic forms, motivations and benefits of volunteering, values connected with volunteering), and especially to gain insight into international differences. Considering the fact that the paper in particular focuses on the Croatian results, they have shown that the Croatian students, alongside with the Japanese students, are trailing behind all analysed countries. When they volunteer, students in general do it irregularly and informally, and they do most volunteer work for neighbourhood group or local activist organization, in homes for the elderly and the infirm, shelters and similar organisations. Intrinsic reasons for volunteering are emphasised the most, but the instrumental ones complement them. The research has also shown that volunteering is mostly not promoted through the system of education, and that the students consider such initiatives to be useful. The research results are compared with the results of research of volunteering in Croatia to date, and are interpreted within the analysis of civil society development in Croatia and other post-communist countries, and the differences between the countries are commented

Book review : 'Leading the way to successful volunteer involvement : practical tools for busy executives'

Book review of book by Betty Stallings, Susan J. Ellis, ‘Leading the Way to Successful Volunteer Involvement : Practical Tools for Busy Executives’, Energize, Philadelphia, 2010, 226 pp., ISBN : 97809405766122 page(s

Book review : 'Doing good well : what does (and does not) make sense in the nonprofit world

Book review of Cheng, W. (2009). 'Doing Good Well: What Does (and Does Not) Make Sense in the Nonprofit World'. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.3 page(s

Editorial : business and peace : motivations and benefits

3 page(s

Editorial : From CSR and CSV to business and peace

4 page(s

Elderly volunteering and well-being : a cross-European comparison based on SHARE data

This paper, based on Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) data, analyzes the relation between volunteering and well-being among 30,023 Europeans aged 50 and above in 12 countries. There is an overall positive correlation between volunteering and perceived health, life satisfaction, and self-life expectancy and a negative correlation to depression. However, in some countries the correlation is much stronger than in others.17 page(s