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Volunteers fit new windows at The Sumac Centre in Nottingham, UK

A volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so. The word comes from Latin, and can be translated as "will" (as in doing something out of ones own free will). Many serve through a non-profit organization – sometimes referred to as formal volunteering, but a significant number also serve less formally, either individually or as part of a group.

A volunteer may or may not get paid or receive compensation for services rendered. ^[1] General Andrew Jackson's Tennessee Volunteers were paid by the General personally, although he did seek reimbursement at Washington for his expenditures.

Volunteering comes in many forms: serving food at the local homeless shelter, providing computer technical support to a non-profit organization, acting in a leadership capacity on a charitable organization's board of directors or coordinating the emergency response in the case of a disaster. Around the world volunteer centers exist to support the voluntary sector and make a difference in the communities that they serve.

Volunteer management

Many organizations (hospitals, food banks, etc.) have a continual need for volunteers. Other high-profile events, such as a marathon, require hundreds or thousands of volunteers for a one-time or annual need. There are many companies who organise volunteer programs in other countries. The success of such events has a significant economic impact on the local economy. Thus, there is increasing awareness of the economic importance of volunteers.^{citation needed}

This, in turn, has elevated the importance of the volunteer manager for such events, people who formerly may have managed volunteers in addition to other duties but now may be viewed as professionals in the field.^{citation needed} This has also increased the need for volunteer management software, e-mail broadcasts, texting and other technological tools, allowing the volunteer manager to register and communicate with large numbers of people who otherwise have no connection to each other.^{citation needed}

See also

• Community organization
• Ikando - Volunteers for Africa
• Hiwi
• Hospital volunteer
• Non-governmental organization
• Private voluntary organization
• Pro bono
• Service club
• Virtual volunteering
• Volunteer fire department

Notes

External links