Volunteers for NPOs in Welfare Services in Iceland: A Diminishing Resource?

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• 作者：Steinunn Hrafnsdóttir ; Ómar H. Kristmundsson
• 关键词：Volunteers ; Non ; profit organizations ; Welfare services ; Third sector
• 刊名：VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：28
• 期：1
• 页码：204-222
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Humanities, Social Sciences and Law
• 刊物主题：Social Sciences, general; Political Science; Social Policy;
• 出版者：Springer US
• ISSN：1573-7888
• 卷排序：28

文摘

The question of declining membership of non-profit organizations (NPOs) has been central in academic discussion and research has indicated changes in the way people volunteer. Less emphasis has been on the functions of volunteers as a resource for NPOs and how changes such as increased reliance on professionals in their operations can influence the volume and type of volunteering. This paper examines the value of volunteers as a resource for Icelandic NPOs in the field of welfare services. It is based on a study of the majority of active Icelandic NPOs in the welfare field, as well as an analysis of their respective websites. The findings show that volunteer contributions do not constitute a significant part of the activities of most Icelandic NPOs in welfare services. Apart from membership of boards, volunteers seem to be used primarily as a means of supplementing other resources, such as temporary fundraising efforts. However, the level of volunteering varies according to the size and operational type of organization.