Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Perspective of volunteering'

Volunteering has been widely accepted as potentially a very good means to engage older persons and to maximize their contribution to society. There is a need to understand the entire process of volunteering, the reasons that motivate older persons to participate in volunteer services and activities and to appreciate why committed elderly volunteers continue to involve themselves in volunteering. The present study attempts to explore the possible motivational and sustainable aspects in the process of volunteering guided by a social reinforcement perspective. It further aims to propose an explanatory model for the initiation and sustainability of volunteering involving older persons in Hong Kong. A theoretical framework of the study focuses on the social reinforcement perspective within the cognitive-behavioral approach in explaining the volunteering process in terms of antecedences, pre-conditions, actual experience and consequences of volunteering. A questionnaire was distributed to explore the different aspects of volunteering, including the patterns of volunteer services, volunteer involvement, reasons for and effects of volunteering and personal profile of the volunteers. The target of the study was hospital volunteers aged 60 or above. The research design was a mail questionnaire survey using self-administered procedures. A total of 287 elderly respondents, 63 men and 224 women aged 60 to 86 years, drawn from the database of the Hospital Authority were assessed. The response rate was 30.3% with 1,359 valid responses. The study showed that older volunteers satisfied the pre-conditions for volunteering, such as having good health, free time and financial stable. The present study revealed that a great majority (74%) of the older volunteer respondents was inspired by altruistic reasons of wanting to help and to feel contented and approximately half were initially motivated by the altruistic motive of social responsibility. Social motives of seeking social exposure, making new friends and sharing of experiences were other important initial reasons. These factors were sustained when respondents reported the reasons for their continued participation in volunteering. The respondents perceived obvious positive changes in physical, psychological, cognitive and social well-being and they were satisfied and gratified with the volunteering experiences. The research also revealed the positive changes in volunteer’s life satisfaction, exposure and experience, self-appraisal and confidence. The positive outcomes of volunteering, such as enhanced self-esteem, life satisfaction and personal exposure help to affirm the initial intention of volunteering, which in turn reinforces the continual participation in volunteer services with the evidence of consistent findings of both initial and continual participation in volunteering.

This thesis explores how the nature of engagement in formal volunteering by older adults is shaped by experiences across the lifecourse and into older age. It utilises the Total Social Organisation of Labour theoretical approach to situate volunteering within the wider work context, looking at how volunteering is undertaken alongside other work commitments - paid and unpaid - at different times across the lifecourse. This synthesis of TSOL and lifecourse approaches allows this research to take a holistic approach to understanding volunteering by older adults; rather than approached in isolation, the nature of volunteering in older age is considered in context. Analysis of this was undertaken through qualitative semi-structured interviews with 26 older volunteers who engage with voluntary and community organisations in England. This data was used to develop further a heuristic proposed by Davis Smith and Gay (2005), which presents three categories of older volunteer lifecourse; constant, serial and trigger volunteers. In doing so, the differences in lifecourse experiences between individuals in the three categories are explored, and differences examined. This allows for the impulses to engage in formal volunteering in older age to be explored in light of these differences, and this thesis looks at how internal and external impulses to engage in formal volunteering are shaped by previous life experiences. It concludes by arguing that, while all volunteers have unique pathways to engagement and unique reasons for engaging, in understanding the different categories of older volunteer we can better understand how previous life experiences affect the ways in which older adults engage in formal volunteering.

This thesis explores the lives of a group of fifteen exceptional women who were dedicated to the cause of advancing girls and women in sport and physical activity. Over several decades, they worked in a voluntary capacity to transform women in sport through practice and policy development. Moreover, they aligned such unpaid work with personal and local experiences of volunteering that eventually led to their participation in international sport circles and policies. The key settings for their voluntary service came from their roles in the emergence and maintenance of two international women‘s sport organisations – International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESGW) and WomenSport International (WSI). In addition, their voluntary roles were so substantial that they were inextricably interwoven within all aspects of their lives. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the participants‘ relationships with sport volunteering, in the particular settings of IAPESGW and WSI, whilst analysing the role of volunteering in their lives. The study utilised a holistic framework to gain an in-depth understanding about the women‘s commitment to the cause and how volunteering fits into their lifestyle. As there were no models from the sport volunteering field that were appropriate for this study, the research drew upon and developed Hustinx and Lammertyn‘s (2003) non-sport model called the Collective and Reflexive Styles of Volunteering (SOV). The SOV was valuable because it offered a multi-dimensional approach to explain how, why, and when the participants got involved with advancing women‘s sport and physical activity, and how their involvement related to and influenced their wider lifestyles. A critical realist and social constructionist philosophy was employed to have a greater understanding of the women‘s realities, and life history interviews were conducted to gain a greater understanding about how they constructed their knowledge about themselves, sport, and the world around them. The study illustrated the complexity of the women‘s volunteer participation. The findings suggested that their sport passion and identity guided many of their actions and activities throughout their life, such as choices for higher education and within professional work. In addition, the findings showed that it was their personal experiences and gained knowledge about gender disadvantages in sport that initially stimulated and then repeatedly reinforced their interests and commitment. Although these had strong impacts on the women‘s entrance into and commitment to the cause, the findings highlighted that the women had to identify the conditions of their relationships, family, and types of paid work to be compatible with levels of volunteering. The study concluded that sport researchers can benefit from examining volunteers from a holistic perspective to gain a better understanding of the conditions under which individuals make such an extreme, voluntary contribution to sport.

The background for this thesis is found in the patterns of gender inequality in civil society organizations. Existing research provide little comprehensive knowledge of the conditions for women and men in civil society organizations. To help fill this gap in knowledge the purpose of this thesis is to explore the conditions for women and men as volunteers in a male dominated civil society organization with a gender perspective and make any eventual inequalities visible. The thesis explores the conditions women and men face in their volunteering, what gender differences can be found and how the male dominance can be understood. The study is based on data from a self-administrated survey conducted among volunteers in a Swedish male dominated civil society organization. Questions concerned their volunteer work and their experience of the situation as female and male volunteers in the organization. Empirical patterns were identified and gender theories were used as a basis for the interpretation of the results. The findings from this case illustrate that women and men do not face equal conditions in their volunteer work. Most volunteers were happy with their work as volunteers. However, male volunteers typically held positions of more power, influence and higher status than women. Female volunteers were in a token position and in many ways had to prove themselves as well as adapt to conditions formed to suit men, by men, as representatives of the norm. The male dominance could be related to perceptions of the ideal volunteer; a competent man loyal to the organization and without inconvenient responsibilities elsewhere. Another aspect which could be related to the male dominance was patterns of social interactions that favour male volunteers, in this case homosocial relations, which are created in the interaction between the ambiguities of unstructured processes and gendered expectations.

My central research question is to study the intrinsic changes to American students using narrative analysis to better understand how personal and spiritual growth may have occurred as a result of volunteering abroad. For my Institute of Education International EdD Thesis, I conducted in-depth interviews with 25 alumni spanning two decades from the Seattle University volunteer program that places students in Mother Teresa's hospices in Calcutta/Kolkata. I was the first Seattle University student to serve in India in 1985 and nearly 150 have participated in the program since then. Drawing on these interviews, I then analyze the internal changes experienced by these alumni as a result of volunteering abroad, using a formula of codes which I designed. The study does not evaluate the extrinsic value of volunteer programs (e.g. impact on the community, quality of health care delivery, etc.), but is focused on better understanding the personal and spiritual growth encountered as a result of working with the "poorest of the poor" in Calcutta. The methodology I used to conduct and analyze the interviews builds upon the methodology applied in my International EdD Institution-Focused Study. There exist two primary goals of this study, both of which are of equal importance: 1. To better understand the more immediate impact on one's interior life due to caring for the sick and dying in the hospices of Calcutta. 2. To explore the spiritual questioning and spiritual development of volunteers as a result of their working with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.

A côté des grandes ONG qui bénéficient d'une visibilité dans l'espace public national, de nombreux citoyens décident, suite à une expérience vécue dans ou avec le Sud (voyage, résidence, adoption, etc.), de « faire quelque chose » pour améliorer les conditions de vie des populations rencontrées et, avec le concours de quelques amis, créent leur propre association de solidarité internationale. Dans un contexte marqué par la recherche d'une meilleure efficacité des interventions menées dans les pays du Sud, leitmotiv de l'injonction à plus de professionnalisme de la part des acteurs, cette thèse étudie les discours et les pratiques de ces citoyens « ordinaires » afin de mettre en lumière le rôle qu'ils jouent dans le champ du développement à travers l'animation de ces « initiatives populaires de solidarité internationale » (IPSI). Plus précisément, dans la tradition interactionniste de la sociologie des groupes professionnels, nous nous intéressons au processus dialectique par lequel les responsables salariés des ONG et les responsables bénévoles des IPSl construisent et définissent leur légitimité d'amateur et de professionnel, en tant qu'acteur de développement. La sociologie de l'action publique nous invite également à étudier l'influence que les pouvoirs publics, par leurs instruments, ont sur la responsabilité et la légitimité des acteurs, sur leurs interactions, sur leur reconnaissance mutuelle. L'injonction externe au professionnalisme provenant également des exigences formulées par les partenaires du Sud, nous nous intéressons enfin, de manière transversale, aux perceptions de ces derniers, dans le cas de projets soutenus au Sénégal
Alongside established, high-profile non-governmental organisations (NGOs), many individuals decide that they need to "do something" to improve the lives of the people they have met (while travelling, living in another country or adopting a child, etc.). These people join forces with a small group of friends to set up their own development organisations (referred, to hereafter as "popular development initiatives", or PDIs). At present, one of the major concerns in international development cooperation is to make development workers more professional in the interest of better aid effectiveness. This thesis therefore looks at the discourses and practices of these "ordinary" citizens, in order to highlight their role and to identify key issues for this sector. More specifically, we study the dialectic process by which NGO staff and PDI volunteers build and define their professional and amateur legitimacy as development actors, through the prism of the interactionist perspective of the sociology of professional groups. We also draw on the sociology of public action to consider how public authorities, through their policy tools, influence the responsibility and legitimacy of these actors, the interactions between them, and their mutual recognition. The need for professionalism also stems from demands by local partners in the developing world, so we have taken an interest in their perceptions in the case of Senegal

The staging of many sport events ranging from small to mega-events, increasingly rely on the availability of a workforce of unpaid helpers. Whilst much research has been carried out in the past regarding the reason why people decide to volunteer at sport events, little is known about how this type of volunteering is experienced by the individual. Adopting an experiential focus, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge and enhances the understanding of this particular form of volunteering by exploring the question ―What it is like to be a sport event volunteer?‖ Using different strands of the concept and theory of role to serve as parameters for this study, the lived experiences of volunteers who assisted at the World Firefighters Games 2008 are analysed and discussed. The research approach that was adopted for this study draws from the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer in form of hermeneutic phenomenology which is an interpretative approach towards collecting and analysing data about a specific phenomenon. Incorporating the hermeneutic circle that advocates the idea that understanding of a phenomenon is co-created by both the researcher and the research participants, hermeneutic phenomenology is concerned with exploring rather than merely describing contextual aspects and structures of lived experiences. A total of eighteen semi-structured interviews involving volunteers who helped with the World Firefighters Games 2008 in Liverpool, were conducted. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using the approach of Van Manen towards analysing the collected data, a number of themes and subthemes emerged which are presented in the thesis in manner that reflects the nature of the hermeneutic circle. Besides providing a working definition of the term ―sport event volunteering‖, the findings of the study critically evaluate the meaning that the volunteers attach to the role and how they make sense of their role as helpers involved in staging large sporting events. The interpretation of the collected data suggests that the enactment of the volunteer role is informed by individuals expectations and needs, e.g. with regards to role allocation, trust, recognition and reciprocity, and the experience of anti-climax and loss after their volunteer engagement has come to an end. Furthermore, the critical synthesis of how the individual manages his/her volunteer role suggests that sport event volunteers can be understood as ―bricoleurs‖ who craft rather than merely take and perform this particular role. Beside contributing to existing research on sport event volunteering with these findings and by identifying further research avenues relating to sport event volunteering that can be explored in future, the findings of these studies might inform the work of practitioners in the respective research fields.

Volunteering overseas has become a popular activity among individuals from developed countries. Governments in these countries often provide volunteer opportunities as part of their aid programs. In Australia, the Australian Government’s Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program offers opportunities for hundreds of skilled Australians to volunteer overseas every year in a range of sectors, organisations and roles. The program and its assignments aim to build the capacity of host organisations in priority fields identified by Australian and partner governments. This thesis seeks to understand how the experience of volunteering is represented by AVID, as well as the range of experiences had by current and former volunteers. The study draws on discourses of development, in particular colonial discourses and the role of volunteers in development. Content and discourse analysis is applied to 10 texts produced by AVID to understand how these representations construct and contribute to discourses of development and power relations. In addition, perspectives of volunteers collected via a survey and interviews are analysed to understand the views and experiences of AVID participants. The findings are compared, revealing both alignment and disconnect between the stories being told about volunteering and the broader realities of the volunteer experience.

The disparity in test scores, known as the achievement gap, between African American and European American students has persisted despite research and reforms. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine what African American community members in a North Carolina school district perceived as the causes of the local achievement gap and what support they believed they could offer to close the gap. The theories of cultural-historical psychology, social cognition, learned helplessness, social disorganization, and the funds of knowledge concept, guided the data collection from the 3 focus groups from the local community. Each focus group contained 6 to 7 people who were below, at, or above median income. They included members of the local African American community such as business people, parents, educators, and clergy. Open and selective data coding procedures organized data into major themes. The major themes were past school experience, parental role, and community involvement. All focus groups identified the lack of support from the African American community as the primary cause of the achievement gap. They suggested that the local African American community would develop an academic community support system. These findings informed the design of The Village Builder's Project to establish a collaborative community mentoring system that offers a team of business people mentors, academic supervisors, and elderly advisors for each student. When assigned to low performing K-12 African American students, this network of mentors has the potential to reduce the achievement gap and produce positive social change in terms of improved academic achievement of African American students in a local community.

This qualitative study explores the perceived impacts of volunteering in a service learning platform from the perspective of immigrants, who are also adult learners of English as an Additional Language (EAL), or English as a Second Language (ESL). This study recognizes that the goal of learning English for immigrants is to be able to converse, connect, and contribute as a valued community member. The hegemonic practice of sequestering newcomers and immigrants into language training classes can further their linguistic and social isolation and marginalization by restricting their access to authentically engage with English speakers in their community. This study investigates how adult immigrant English Language Learners (ELLs) invested in a service learning experience of volunteering for a small non-profit food service business at a local community college can facilitate a connection to the community whereby increasing perceived language skills and confidence. For this study, 10 adult immigrants who speak ESL or EAL participated. The data was collected from a questionnaire, an individual interview, and a focus group. The results revealed three themes pertaining to the social, personal, and transformational realms of learning. The social realm aligned with a sociocultural perspective in which social and cultural capital, bridging and bonding capital, communities of practice, and communities of contribution are highlighted. The personal realm reveals the significance of the affective-emotional aspects of language learning alongside agency and positive identity construction. Finally, this study reveals a connection between service learning and transformational learning. The overall conclusion of this study determines that service learning can be a meaningful endeavour for adult immigrants because it has the potential to transform marginalized voices into valued voices as they connect and contribute community.
Education, Faculty of (Okanagan)
Graduate

碩士
南華大學
非營利事業管理學系
102
Since the enactment of Regulations on Encouragement of Volunteering the local governments have been assessing the performance of the volunteering in order to promote its quality. Due to the fact that such assessment systems are not mandatory, there exist two situations. First, few local governments are willing to participate in the assessments. Second, if they do so, they will get awarded. It’s doubtful whether the purposes of these assessments or the ability to distinguish the volunteering can be achieved. 　 　　With an eye to analyzing the phenomena mentioned above, the research hypothesizes three research questions: 1. What are the factors which influence the local governments to make assessments? 2. Do the methods and contents about the assessments match the practical performance of volunteering? 3. Are there any appropriate mechanisms or measures which can be taken to enhance the quality of volunteer services? This research uses such qualitative research methods as in-depth interviews, field observations and data collections to explore the real problems of the current assessments of volunteering.There are two major results: 1. The factors influencing the local governments to assess the volunteering include the scale of the organization, the human resources, the finance, the ability, their attitude towards the assessments and the recognition of assessments. 2. Due to the facts that the assessment is the paperwork based on the quantitative data collected in a very short period of time and that the neglecting of qualitative performances, the practical performances of the institutions which utilize the volunteering services fail to be manifested. 　 　　According to the research results, the researcher suggests the relevant institutions return to the basic spirit of Regulations on Encouragement of Volunteering namely, more autonomy and less management. Furthermore, the complicated assessment methods and contents applied currently should be replaced with field examinations or itinerant counseling methods to indicate more qualitative performances of volunteering Only by this way can the good mind of Regulations on Encouragement of Volunteering be fulfilled.

博士
東海大學
社會工作學系
98
Abstract Most people consider, volunteering to be an aid providing and altruistic action derived from “altruism”, which is a behavior worthy of affirmation and encouragement, and the public also gives volunteers the positive images of passionately helping others, selfless dedication, and respect. However, the researcher has discovered that volunteers are not completely based on the “altruistic” motive from practical experience of participating in volunteering and in use of volunteers. There are certainly selfless dedicating volunteers in different volunteering organizations, however, there are also self-regard volunteers, who focus on “what I can get” more than “what I can give” in their services. In view of this, the “social exchange theories” are used as the study perspective to explore the implied exchange definition and purpose from the interaction between the volunteers and organizations. The study is processed using the qualitative research method, and the two items of the purposeful sampling are used as the sampling reference. It mainly applies “maximum sampling”- which tries to interview various respondents in a limited sample, and is coupled with “snowball or chain sampling” – which looks for new respondents through the organization or the introduction of volunteers in the interview process. The study has interviewed 18 volunteers. The researcher tries to classify the volunteer participation exchange type. The “initial exchange” includes: mission embraced, social relationship, self-efficacy, and fate, etc. motives, and the study found that the exchange content is not in a single dimension. The exchange process has its turning point, which can be categorized in the following types: helping others and benefiting oneself, enriching experience, social support, diligent participation, enhancing a mission, deep reflection, and life story, etc. The concept of “dynamic exchange” is proposed according to the study findings, which refers to the participation process of volunteers, is dynamic, and full of changes. In the participating process of volunteers, they will experience different units, people, and affairs, and their internal minds and demands can also change at any time, and cause internal and external interactions. The study further applied the “laundry ball model” to discuss dynamic exchange. The volunteer participation situation is just like the washer, and the volunteer himself/herself is just like a laundry ball; the laundry will impact with different clothes, and further create a variety of changing rolls. In these interactions, volunteers will exchange some “motivation factors” (praise, affirmation, support, etc.) that promote further participation, but they may exchange “inhibiting factors” (such as encountering setbacks, being unhealthy, family not providing support, etc.) that stop further participation. The “exchange account” of volunteers is the sum of participation “motivation” (positive) or “inhibiting” (negative) factors. However, the ratio between the factors are not the same, volunteers will go through “meaningful” process to “give value” to each factor. Due to the individual difference of volunteers, they will also attach different importance to various factors, and give different weights to various factors. When the “exchange account” is often positive, then the participation behavior of volunteers will be more sustainable; on the contrary, if it is negative, with the rational consideration of social exchange, volunteers will very possibly “stop” and no longer participate. According to the argument established by the study, to apply it in the management practices, and promote volunteers to sustain participation, the study recommendations are as follows: 1. Guide the volunteers with positive attribution: Assist volunteers to have positive thoughts and attribution of their participation experience. 2. Meaningful: Focus on the process of why volunteers participate in the service, and process inner self conversation, convince oneself to form a concept, and then further make the move; it is a key process. 3. Create the feeling of “success”: Allow the participation of volunteers to be tortuous. Smooth participation will deplete the passion of volunteers; however, an experience full of setbacks will also make it difficult for volunteers to continue. Therefore, “balance” needs to be created to allow volunteers to have the joy and achievement of success. 4. Satisfy the “sense of being needed” of volunteers: Seeing one self’s value is the motivation to continue the participation. 5. Provide the stage for volunteers to create value: Enhance volunteers’ various tangible and intangible values through various methods to create a rational exchange niche. Key Word: volunteering, volunteer, altruism, dynamic exchange, exchange account

碩士
中國文化大學
生活應用科學系碩士在職專班
104
The aim of this study is to investigate the leisure benefits and social support of the elderly’s volunteering service participation toward quality of life in serious leisure perspective, in order to understand the status, differences, correlation and predictability for these items. The sampling method applied in this study is purposive sampling. The participants of this study are the elderly volunteers between 65-75 years old in Taipei City, The study was conducted by a questionnaire survey. A total of 260 questionnaires were returned with 245 valid questionnaires, are the valid rate 94.23%. The results indicated that. There are significant differences between the spouse or cohabiting and celibacy, the spouse or cohabiting are higher than celibacy on recreational benefit obtained. There are significant differences between participate in 1-3 years and one year or less, the elderly volunteers to participate in 1-3 years above significantly higher than one year or less on recreational benefits gained. There are significant differences between participate in 1-3 years and one year or less, the elderly volunteers to participate in 1-3 years significantly higher than one year or less on social support and quality of life benefits. Among leisure benefits, social support and quality of life are highly significant correlation. The regression analysis showing significant positive correlation among the predictability of leisure benefits, social support and quality of life. The study found: Seniors liked living with their spouses and children. More female were more actively involved in volunteer service than male did. Elderly volunteers had high willingness to participate and select the service organization in the neighborhood. The serving time about 3 to 5 hours per week were (41.6%) the majority. The volunteers who had continually participated can obtain higher efficiency and leisure, social support, also help to enhance the quality of life were confirmed. Based on these conclusions and findings, several suggestions for government units, social welfare organizations and future studies are proposed. Key Words: volunteer, leisure benefits, serious leisure, social support, quality of life

The objective of this work is to survey the media picture of volunteering as provided to the public by the two Czech media - the most read quality paper in the Czech Republic Mladá fronta DNES and the professional electronic monthly Svět neziskovek. The survey consists of analysis of articles published in the respective media in 2011 for which the framing method (also called frame analysis) was used. With regard to the complexity of the phenomenon of volunteering, this work uses the theoretical concept of three paradigms (perspectives) as established by C. Rochester. These three paradigms (civil society paradigm, non-profit paradigm, volunteering as serious leisure) are identified in the articles, surveyed and mutually compared and subsequently the overall picture of volunteering as provided by the media is compiled. Quantitative evaluation of certain parameters related to volunteering within the articles (the field of voluntary activities, organizational context, age of volunteers and so forth) is also a part of this work.

Volunteering - one of the topics which are still present in the society, as it can be perceived as a unique instrument to solve social challenges or organizing society with its specific conditions. The topic of my diploma thesis, based on the grounded theory method, is the process of building and maintaining the relationship of the volunteer to their voluntary work from the volunteers' perspective. I was curious as to what circumstances or limits accompany the forming of such a relationship in the social context and if certain "prototypes" can be found, which would differ in negotiating their role to their surroundings. In my thesis, I focus exclusively on those volunteers who have been given the "Křesadlo" award for the volunteer of the year, which provides the framework of this relationship. I would like to use my results to enrich the knowledge of volunteering's image, which could be used both on the academic field and when working with volunteers. Keywords: civic sector, volunteering, self-perspective, role, identity, "looking-glass self", norm, defence mechanisms, information management, Křesadlo.

While the study of volunteer tourism has been growing over the past decade, there is limited literature that takes a global approach, whereby one explores the perspective of a number of stakeholder groups in such experiences. The aim of this project was to fill this gap by looking at the volunteer tourism experience from four perspectives, namely the volunteer, the organization, the host family, and the community at large. The focus in this case was on the experiences and expectations of these groups. The research was qualitative; based primarily upon interviews. The research for this project took place in Ghana. It was found that the three local stakeholders (the organization members, the host family members and people from the broader community) generally viewed the experience similarly. Volunteers often expressed views that set them apart from the other groups. Main themes for the groups generally revolved around cultural differences, communication and progression through stages of the experience. The stages of the experience showed three main stages, those referring to the time before the volunteer, during the volunteer???s stay and the time after the volunteer???s departure. Cultural differences included discussions of culture shock, stereotypes, and mis-communications in cross-cultural dialogue. Communication was a major issue, and was to be found lacking between all groups. In regards to communication there was also a suggestion for continuing contact and relationships between the locals and volunteers beyond the volunteer???s time in the community.

O voluntariado empresarial (VE) surge actualmente como uma componente cada vez mais importante da responsabilidade social das organizações. A implementação de programas de voluntariado tem vindo a constituir uma opção estratégica das empresas no contexto actual, e Portugal não é excepção. Discute-se hoje que o envolvimento nestas actividades pode trazer um valor acrescido para a comunidade, para a empresa e para os próprios colaboradores nelas envolvidos. No presente estudo, define-se o conceito e explicitam-se as principais diferenças face ao voluntariado no seu sentido mais comum, enquanto prática individual. Apresentam-se ainda as principais características dos programas de voluntariado, ao nível do seu planeamento, implementação e avaliação. Analisam-se também os principais motivos que os colaboradores, as empresas e a comunidade apresentam para se envolverem com este tipo de práticas, assim como os benefícios que daí advêm. Por fim, discute-se a realidade portuguesa. Porém, o principal objectivo deste estudo é compreender em que é que as práticas de voluntariado empresarial influenciam os colaboradores que nelas participam, nomeadamente ao nível da participação em acções de voluntariado no seu tempo livre. Para este efeito, foi aplicado um questionário aos colaboradores de duas instituições portuguesas com práticas de VE, que também permitiu conhecer as suas opiniões relativamente a um conjunto alargado de questões centradas neste âmbito.
Employee volunteering (EV) appears today as an increasingly important component of corporate social responsibility. The implementation of volunteer programs has increasingly been a strategic choice of companies in the current context, and Portugal is no exception. It is argued today that the involvement in these activities can bring added value to the community, to the company and to the employees involved. In this study, we define the concept and explain the main differences between EV and volunteering as an individual practice. The main characteristics of EV programs are also presented, regarding their planning, implementation and evaluation. Also analyzed are the main reasons why employees, businesses and the community get involved in such practices, as well as the benefits obtained. Finally, we discuss the situation in Portugal. However, the main purpose of this study is to understand in what ways the practices of corporate volunteering influence the employees who participate, especially at the level of individual volunteering. Thus, a questionnaire was administered to employees of two Portuguese institutions that implement EV, which also allowed us to know what their opinions on a wide range of issues focused in this theme are.

The purpose of this study was to examine formal volunteering among retirees in order to explore whether their volunteer experiences represent an extension of their career in the paid workforce or whether their volunteer activities represent a completely new direction, and how this influences their career self-concept, as interpreted through Donald Super’s life-span, life-space theory of career development. This study employed a developmental mixed-method design. In Phase 1, qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 participants to better understand retirees’ volunteer experiences. Phase 1 informed the design of an instrument for the Phase 2 survey which examined the issues among a larger sample of 214 retirees. The Phase 2 results supported the Phase 1 findings and indicated that many retirees sought an extension of career in volunteer activities in that they used similar skills and knowledge. Study participants also displayed a desire for lifelong learning. Retirees relinquished their paid-work career, took on the retiree and volunteer roles, and integrated these roles within their career self-concept to create a new sense of self. These results indicated that the retirees had entered a new stage of life, qualitatively different from ‘retirement’. To better reflect the experiences of these retirees, it was proposed that Donald Super’s life-span, life-space theory of career development be extended to include Redirection. This theorizing is consistent with the finding that retirees both wanted to and are able to integrate previous paid work elements as well as seek out lifelong learning opportunities within their volunteer activities. This study demonstrates that the volunteer role in the lives of retirees can lead to personal renewal and reshaping of the career self-concept, or what is labeled as the stage of Redirection. This study also has implications for volunteer management, retirement planning and social policy, and may be of interest to volunteer managers, nonprofit organizations, career counsellors, financial planners, retirement planning consultants, life coaches and policy planners.