The Values of Volunteering pp 19-34 | Cite as
All in the Eyes of the Beholder?
Abstract
Volunteers are the cornerstone of the voluntary sector. While we are accustomed to this assumption, too little systematic work has been carried out to define the term “volunteer.” Often too many different activities and situations are aggregated into this concept (Lyons, Wijkstrom, & Clary, 1998; Cnaan, Handy, & Wadsworth, 1996; Scheier, 1980; Smith, 1995; Tremper, Seidman & Tufts, 1994; Vineyard, 1993). People presented with seemingly similar examples of volunteering perceive them differently as volunteering, for unknown reasons. The same people may perceive volunteer activities differently depending on their own context or reference. Especially for international comparative studies, a better understanding of the definition and even more important perception of volunteering is needed.
Keywords
Public Perception Unpaid Work Voluntary Sector Personal Connection International Comparative StudyPreview
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