Volunteer tourism is often criticised for focusing on profit and volunteer experience. But improving monitoring and evaluation and putting host communities in charge can make it more sustainable.
Far from being a public-relations gimmick, corporate volunteering can present a strategic tool for companies to better cope with the ongoing demographic shifts and manage their talent.
Research shows social enterprises employ more people with disabilities, female managers and long-term unemployed than regular businesses. This will be key to a more inclusive economy.
The US could help solve a global security problem and boost its image abroad by helping willing experts share their cybersecurity knowledge around the country and the globe.
The AIDS crisis arrived in Australia in 1982 and triggered an enormous (and successful) public health response, largely driven by volunteers. These people, often from marginalised communities in their own right, deserve recognition in Australia’s proud volunteer tradition.
David Campbell, Binghamton University, State University of New York and Kristina Marty, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Trump’s budget director singled out Meals on Wheels as a waste of federal dollars. But identifying bad ways to spend taxpayer money is harder than it sounds.
How could green groups attract more diverse volunteers? Maybe they could put more time and energy into outreach toward the people most affected by environmental injustices.
Susan Appe, Binghamton University, State University of New York
With steep budget cuts looming, a growing number of tiny volunteer-driven organizations are delivering aid on their own. Will the Trump administration inspire even more small-scale global giving?
A new training course designed to help volunteers feel like a key part of the team could help to reduce attrition rates among Australia’s estimated 240,000 volunteer emergency service workers.
Australian sport will never have the commercial clout to bring the economy out of recession or solve a regional unemployment problem. But it is more than a fringe player in the economic game.
Volunteers in Australia are essential to the provision of a range of services. Yet Western countries – including Australia – have recently reported a decline in volunteer rates.
Professor of Volunteering, Civil Society and Businesses and Professor of Strategic Philanthropy, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam