One in every five people does some volunteer work for church, school, other organizations, according to the Current Population Survey. Older men and women, married persons, college graduates, and persons with higher incomes are among the most likely to volunteer. (Author)

Whether facing budget and staff cuts or event logistics, alumni associations can make good use of volunteers. Three important rules for volunteer program management include maintaining good volunteer relationships, knowing when to ask for help, and recruiting good veteran, novice, and even nonalumni volunteers. (MSE)

Examined theoretical and methodological difficulties of defining, coding, and analyzing data on older volunteers using findings from Minnesota Senior Study, a survey of needs and resources of elderly. Proposes new conceptual model for classifying volunteer roles, based on whether voluntary service is "formal" or "informal,"…

Rather than ignore older adults' wealth of talents and skills, society must recognize their lifetimes of experience and create new vehicles for senior participation in all aspects of life. (JOW)

Voices of Pioneers section features Margaret Harrison of United Kingdom who founded HOME-START movement in Leicester, England, in 1973. Notes that HOME-START now has 150 programs throughout United Kingdom and in other countries and that program trains volunteers to offer support, friendship, and practical help to young families under stress in…

Contends that, although volunteering is usually an activity that is done to satisfy one's intrinsic need to give of oneself to others, volunteers may not realize that they are fostering their own career development through their volunteer activities. Encourages educators, career counselors, parents, volunteer coordinators, and volunteers…

The volunteer pool of social services organizations often does not reflect the cultural diversity of their clientele. Cultural values and past experiences of discrimination are among the reasons for this limited diversity in volunteers. An Australian project found that refugees were reluctant to be clients of agencies whose volunteers did not…

Investigates the attitudes of volunteer counselors toward clients with alcohol problems and the counselors' commitment to their agencies. Results indicate the importance of role recognition by agencies in enhancing counselor attitudes toward their work; levels of experience also appears to be significant. (Author/MKA)

Results of a study of community service organizations (n=12) and their communities indicate that distribution of volunteer funds and time was unrelated to community needs as measured by objective indicators. The most important determinants of resource allocation are members' perceptions of the severity of problems and their willingness to work in…

The distribution of school-business and school-community organization partnerships was examined in the Houston Independent School District. The study found differences in the targeting to schools and students in the most need based on the scope of effort and the sponsorship. (JOW)

Study 1 examined required service learning for 371 undergraduate business students; study 2 compared 63 undergraduates in voluntary and required service. Only for students who felt externally controlled did required service diminish future volunteering intentions. Readiness to volunteer moderated the effects of requirement. (SK)

Service learning is an educational experience that provides students with the opportunity to participate in community-based activities and integrated classroom learning experiences. Presents service learning used in an intervention that builds on the inherent strengths of students with emotional and behavioral challenges. (Author)

A survey of 22 agency directors and 219 volunteer board members showed that 40% of members received 1-5 hours of training in the last 6 months, 47% none. Training needs included board roles and responsibilities, strategic planning, understanding the agency, and fundraising. Preferred methods were facilitated workshop/retreat or board-led training…

A study of 52 volunteer mentors of single parents found that 24 of the 30 successful mentors had higher education levels; 20 had social work or training background; 11 successful and 12 unsuccessful mentors had altruistic motives; 19 successful and 3 unsuccessful mentors had career motives; 6 who were motivated by personal experiences were…

Traces the history of volunteer literacy tutoring in Queensland. Addresses contemporary issues arising from national training initiatives: funding, changes in the volunteer population, ideology, and the attempt to link literacy skills to employment outcomes. (SK)