ABSTRACT
According to the National Centre for Volunteering, volunteering is any activity which involves spending unpaid time doing something which aims to benefit individuals or groups (other than, or in addition to, close relatives) or to benefit the environment. Recent research shows that nearly 50 per cent of the adult population are involved in volunteering of some kind, men and women equally. These volunteers contribute, on average, four hours a week of their own time. They are involved in a range of activities of both a formal kind, through voluntary and other agencies, and informal volunteering carried out on a one-to-one basis. People’s motives for volunteering vary and can include the desire to learn new skills and capabilities. This does not mean that they are only motivated by self-interest though. For most people there is a balance of motives in responding to a need in the community, both altruistic and self-interested, including the meeting of their own needs and those of family and friends.
