Trends and Issues

Newly emerging volunteer roles or other factors affecting the volunteer world that change how we do things. Another source of information about trends is the archive of Hot Topics.

I Really Want to Know: What’s Going on Out There?, Susan J. Ellis
"A New Era of Responsibility": An Open Letter to President Obama, Susan J. Ellis
Addressing Volunteerism Issues in the Blogosphere, Susan J. Ellis
AmeriCorps and Senior Corps Targeting Volunteer Management, Susan J. Ellis
Applied Futurism: Putting Trends to Work Today, Susan J. Ellis
The Big Merger: Many Unanswered Questions, Susan J. Ellis
Bribing volunteers: Should we be incentivising people for their time?, Rob Jackson (UK)
California Governor "Pumps Up" Volunteering, Susan J. Ellis
A Call to Action on Behalf of Our Profession, Susan J. Ellis
Challenges in the Contemporary Volunteering Environment, Jeni Warburton, pp. 27-29, Volunteering SA&NT
Charity Burnout? How to Cope with the Impact of Mother Nature in 2005, Susan J. Ellis
The Choice of the Citizen: Pay Taxes, Do Without, or Volunteer, Susan J. Ellis
The Confusing Talk about "Service", Susan J. Ellis
Days, Hours and Minutes of Service - Enough Is Enough, Susan J. Ellis
The Difference Between Needing and Wanting Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis
Don't Call Me a 'Senior'!, Susan J. Ellis
Don’t Forget Volunteers as Part of the Solution to 2017 Nonprofit Challenges, Susan J. Ellis
The Drive towards "Highly-skilled" and "Pro Bono" Volunteering, Susan J. Ellis
Education through Celebration on International Volunteer Managers Day, Susan J. Ellis
Energize Turns 40!, Susan J. Ellis
From Organizing Charity to Building Community, Susan J. Ellis
Global Connections - International Volunteerism, Susan J. Ellis
Good Intentions Going Nowhere -- Again, Susan J. Ellis
Good News: Today and Tomorrow for Energize, Inc., Susan J. Ellis
Government, Politicians, and the Use of the Word "Volunteer", Susan J. Ellis
The Hot Topic Is the Hot Topic, Susan J. Ellis
How Serving the Volunteer Field Has Changed after 35 Years -- Or Not?, Susan J. Ellis
How Volunteer Action in 2018 Can Focus Us for 2019, Susan J. Ellis
How Will the Economic Crisis Affect Volunteering?, Susan J. Ellis
Identifying Who Is and Is Not a “Volunteer”, Susan J. Ellis
If the Whole World is Changing, Can Volunteerism Stay the Same?, Susan J. Ellis
In the Exclusion Zone, Filiz Niyazi, pp. 3-4, The National Centre for Volunteering (England)
Is the challenge recruiting citizens to volunteer or making sure agencies are ready for volunteers?, Susan J. Ellis
Is the Corporation for National and Community Service on the Right Track for Volunteerism?, Paula J. Beugen
Is the Rising Cost of Gas a Crisis or an Opportunity for Volunteering?, Susan J. Ellis
Is Volunteering the Emperor's New Clothes?, Susan J. Ellis
Keeping an Eye on Things in the Year Ahead, Susan J. Ellis
Limiting Volunteers through Insurance Requirements, Susan J. Ellis
Making Ongoing Volunteering Valued and Visible, Susan J. Ellis
Making Volunteer Management Happen: A Proposal for AmeriCorps, Steve McCurley
Marking a Special Birthday, Susan J. Ellis
Media Blitz vs. Media Noise: What Are We Trying to Accomplish?, Susan J. Ellis
Mixed Messages from Government: Lessons from Minnesota, Susan J. Ellis
The More We're Different, the More We're the Same, Susan J. Ellis
Moving on from 2001, Susan J. Ellis
My Personal "State of the World's Volunteering" Report, Susan J. Ellis
Needed: A Multi-level Approach to Credentialing Volunteer Management, Susan J. Ellis
Online Information Overload -- and How to Cope, Susan J. Ellis
The Perfect Volunteer Storm, Susan J. Ellis
Philanthropy, Civic Engagement, and the Lessons of Volunteering, Susan J. Ellis
Political Campaigns: Epicenter of Volunteering, Susan J. Ellis
The Presidents' Summit One Year Later, Susan J. Ellis
A Proposal for Five Additional Goals after the Summit, Susan J. Ellis
Redirecting Corporate Volunteering, Susan J. Ellis
The Rise of the Knowledge Philanthropist, Colleen Kelly & Lynda Gerty, pp. 28-29, Vantage Point
Save a Life, Win a Car! When Do Incentives to Volunteer Cross the Line?, Susan J. Ellis
Seeking Funder Support for Volunteer Engagement? Assess Your Approach!, Betsy McFarland
The Self-Directed Volunteer, Susan J. Ellis
The Separation of Service-learning from Volunteering...and Does It Matter?, Susan J. Ellis
Short Attention Spans versus Long-term Causes, Susan J. Ellis
Statistics, Bikinis and Volunteers: The New Independent Sector Study on Giving and Volunteering, Susan J. Ellis
Still Tilting at Windmills, Susan J. Ellis
Tackling Causes Not Symptoms: New/Old Roles for Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis
Taking the Client's Perspective in Designing Volunteer Roles, Susan J. Ellis
Technology Acceleration: Grab Hold and Hang On, Susan J. Ellis
Three Great Days: Reflections after the Summit on Volunteer Engagement Leadership, Susan J. Ellis
Three Things Volunteer Managers Can Learn from the Social Media Revolution, Rob Jackson (UK)
The Times They Are a Changin’—Even for Volunteers, Rob Jackson (UK)
The Treasure Trove of Knowledge Philanthropists, Susan J. Ellis
Trend Watch: Are You Ready?, Susan J. Ellis
Turbulence at the State Level, Susan J. Ellis
Turning a Gift into a Powerful Tool: The Internet-related's Impact on the Volunteer Field, Susan J. Ellis
United Way is Not the Way for Volunteer Centers, Susan J. Ellis
Virtual Volunteering Revisited, Susan J. Ellis
Volunteering and Employability: Cause or Effect?, Susan J. Ellis
Volunteering in For-Profit Settings: Exploitation or Value Added?, Susan J. Ellis
Volunteering Trend Watch: What Can We Learn from Looking Back?, Cara Thenot
Volunteers Should Not Be Second-Class Taxpayers, Susan J. Ellis
Volunteers and the Quest for Innovation, Susan J. Ellis
Voluntourism - Pros, Cons, and Possibilities, Susan J. Ellis
Warning! We're about to Waste an Opportunity!, Susan J. Ellis
What's Ahead for 2009?, Susan J. Ellis
What's Gender Got to Do with It?, Susan J. Ellis
What's Hot, What's Not, Susan J. Ellis
When the Ax Falls: Budget Cutting and Volunteers, Susan J. Ellis
When Volunteers Resist Change, Susan J. Ellis
Why Social Media Is Not the Cure-All for Building Volunteer Engagement, Susan J. Ellis
The Word "Volunteer" Can Reveal, Conceal, or Confuse, Susan J. Ellis
Workplace Volunteerism: Have We Thought this Through?, Susan J. Ellis
"Youth Involvement" in Our Field, Susan J. Ellis
The “Social Compact” and Voluntary Action Are the Foundation of Democracy -- Even Today, Susan J. Ellis
Written by Dr. Cynthia Gibson and commissioned by the Case Foundation. Proposes a re-thinking of what civic engagement is (and how volunteering fits in). , 2006, pp. 31
By Eric Greenberg. Explores the emerging power of the Millennials, the largest generation in American history. Based on a 2,000-person survey and twelve focus groups in four different regions of the country, Greenberg's research provides insight into the subtle and nuanced political views of young people today. , 2009

Report from BoardSource  on its survey of more than 1700 board chairs and executives of nonprofit organizations sharing data and insights about their boards’ composition, practices, performance, and culture. Of special interest for its data on lack of diversity. See a review of the study published in Nonprofit Quarterly on 9/6/17.

, 2017, pp. 64

Researched by UK consulting firm nfpSynergy, this free, 7-part research report covers: the political and social landscape for volunteering; volunteering trends over the last decade; harnessing volunteer motivations; the changing mechanics of volunteering; engaging the young, the old and the family to volunteer; how do we manage the 21st Century Volunteer? -- with conclusions and recommendations.

, 2015, pp. 91
By Charles Leadbeater and Paul Miller, UK. Presents the concept of "Pro-Am" (professional/amateur) relationships as a way to add extra expertise to work on social needs. , 2004, pp. 70

By  Mai Moua, Ph.D. for the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA). Results of a 3-year study of the attitudes of immigrants (especially  the Hmong, Latino, and Somali communities of Minnesota) about volunteering and those of organizations about recruiting these populations. 

, 2010, pp. 40

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the United Nations-declared "International Year of Volunteers," United Nations Volunteers (UNV) conducted an extensive research project to produce this unique overview of volunteering in 80 countries around the world. Sub-titled "Universal Values for Global Well-being," the report examines the important contributions of volunteers in diverse fields such as sustainable livelihoods, social inclusion, social cohesion and disaster risk reduction. By suggesting how volunteerism can be taken forward, the SWVR also provides an alternative vision of a better society.

Download chapter by chapter or the entire document.

, 2011, pp. 148
By Nora McClintock for the Canadian Centre on Philanthropy. The manual "is primarily intended for those who are new to the field of volunteer resource management." , 2004, pp. 42
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
by Kathryn Montgomery, Barbara Gottlieb-Robles, and Gary O. Larson, a report from American University's Center for Social Media about how an online youth civic culture, largely unnoticed by the general public, has taken root on the Internet and is fostering Generation Y's participation in U.S. politics and community affairs , 2004, pp. 158
Leveling the Path to Participation: Volunteering and Civic Engagement Among Youth From Disadvantaged Circumstances from the Corporation for National and Community Service. , 2007, pp. 32
Ashoka - Innovators for the Public

Network of social entrepreneurs worldwide. 

Citizens at the Center

Case Foundation's site proposing new approaches to civic engagement.

Civil Society section of Citizendium

Civil society is the "arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values." This new wiki (2007) is being compiled by academic Roger A. Lohmann.

Clictivist

"A place to discuss and dissect the successes, failures, and practices of online activism." Micro-volunteering actions for "digital campaigning, one click at a time."

Collective Impact Forum

"Collective impact" is an emerging form of community collaboration. This site expains the concept and offers many free articles about it.

Corporate Institute Blog

Posts about corporate social responsibility and tools for engaging companies in volunteering, from Points of Light..

Diversity Trends free articles

Trainer/consultant Tracy Brown (often speaks at volunteering conferences) offers practical information for dealing with diversity, as well as a free weekly e-mail *diversity toolkit tune up.*

DoSomething.org Blog

All about young people (teens and 20-somethings) and social change.

Engaging Volunteers (blog)

Excellent blog written by members of the VolunteerMatch team and third-party experts in the volunteering and technology community. Great source for trends in the field.

Exploring Volunteering (blog)

By Patrick Daniels, UK-based volunteer and international activist. The blog's tag line: "Notes on thinking and research about the development of volunteering."

Focus on the Economic Crisis

Site from the Foundation Center established to share many perspectives on how nonprofits and funders are behaving during the economic crisis.

Generation We

Site devoted to explaining the perspective of Millennials and mobilizing them to service.

Guardian Newpaper

This newspaper web site devotes a full section to the topic of volunteering, with many provocative articles challenging the value and role of British volunteers.

Hot Topics by Susan J. Ellis

Every month since April 1997, Energize President Susan J. Ellis has written an opinion piece on a volunteerism subject that concerns her -- and welcomes responses from readers.  The most current one is featured on the Energize home page and the full archive is online here.

The Huffington Post section on Volunteerism (blogs)

With the tag line "Some News Is So Big It Needs Its Own Page," the popular daily news site has aggregated its volunteer-related stories in a special section. Many are postings from blogs on the site.

InnoVate Blog

From JFFixler Group, consultants in volunteer engagement and board developement

Jayne Cravens Blog

One of the field's first blogs run by Jayne Cravens, expert in online volunteering, that offers great information and insight on volunteerism as well as nonprofit, development, and women's issues.

Kindness: New Ways We Give and Volunteer

USA Today's "daily source of inspiration and guide to making a difference in fresh and exciting ways," giving individuals the chance to share the volunteer service they do on a Kindness forum.

Management4Volunteers Blog

By Sue Hine in New Zealand, with the tag line: "Great volunteer programmes do not fall out of the sky: it is good management practice that makes them even better."

NCVO Blog Posts on "Volunteering"

NCVO in the UK regularly publishes insightful blog posts on the subject of volunteering written by a variety of knowledgeable staff members (many of whom were with Volunteering England when it merged into NCVO). 

Pro Bono Australia News (blog)

News items focused on volunteering by business people and professionals in Australia as pro bono service.

Pro Bono Junkie's Blog

A blog for those interested in integrating the pro bono ethic into their careers — giving their time and talent to strengthen nonprofit organizations. Part of the Taproot Foundation site.

Realizing Your Worth (blog)

Thoughts on corporate social responsibility and corporate volunteering by Chris Jarvis in Canada, through his consulting firm, Realized Worth. Has some cogent and valuable resources in the blog's archives.

Rob Jackson Consulting, Ltd. Blog

Read the informed musings of UK colleague Rob Jackson on volunteer management and trends in the field. Also read his monthly "Voice of Volunteering" posting to the Third Sector (UK) site.

Social Citizens Blog - Glossary 2.0

Site utilizing the most innovative online technology for "social citizenship" offers this page defining blogs, wikis, and other tools (includes videos).

Social ROI: A Social Entrepreneurship Blog

"A blog about how social entrepreneurship is making this world a better place."

Time Banks USA

Founded by Edgar Kahn, describes how to set up service exchanges that give barter "value" to each hour of volunteer work contributed by participants.

Vantage Point Blog

This community blog from Vancouver, BC focuses on voluntary sector issues, leadership, organizations, and people engagement.

Volunteer NOW - Developing Volunteering

Free downloadable publications, checklists, and tools for volunteer management from this Northern Ireland peak body.

Volunteer Today

Nancy Macduff’s Web site with monthly current material and links for volunteer resources managers.

World Volunteer Web - UN Volunteers

As a follow up to the International Year of Volunteers 2001, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) has created a comprehensive Web site offering continuing news of worldwide volunteer efforts, including government actions, research reports, and links to international volunteer resources.