ABSTRACT
The concept of volunteering can be described by three basic criteria published in the decree of the United Nations (UN) in 2001. According to which a volunteer is a person: who voluntarily, driven by his/her inner initiative; without any compensation; carries out activities to the benefit of other persons, groups, communities or the whole society. James Wilson complements the above three criteria with a fourth: volunteering must be carried out within an organized framework. These criteria serve as the basis of a general definition that uses to describe volunteering in this chapter. The distinction between volunteering and social work in Hungary is a challenging one. It also shows the different event management skills, abilities and competences of volunteers deemed essential by the volunteer receiving organizations. Finally, the chapter demonstrates the differences between the recruitment and selection policies targeting volunteers and the traditional recruitment policies of professionals.
