Organizational, Motivational, and Cultural Contexts of Volunteering

Thisopen accessbook offers a comprehensive view ofthe phenomenon of volunteer work: itexaminesmotivationalfactors andquestionsof corporate organization and the socialenvironment. In particular,thisis the first book to present volunteerwork in detail as a psychosocial resource and a source of well-being thatshould not beoverused or abused. The bookis based on the authors' 15years of research into volunteer work in Europe. Itprovides clear instructions on designing volunteerwork tasks,andonwhereboundariesmust berespected.The findings includeinsights into cultural and national differences,andoffer practicaladviceonthe organization of volunteerwork.This book answers questions like: How do we understand voluntary work? Howessential is it that this kind of work remains unpaid and carried out byso-calledlaypersons with special motives? And what follows from this for theinteraction between voluntary work and professionalized, paid employment? Theanalysis draws onperspectives from wellbeing research, organizational andindustrial studies, social work,andrelated social sciences.