The Functional Approach to Volunteerism

Every year, millions of people volunteer substantial amounts of their time and energy to helping others in a committed and long-term way. Among other services, volunteers provide companionship to the lonely, tutoring to the illiterate, counseling to the troubled, and health care to the sick. The efforts of volunteers can be seen in activities as diverse as participating in a walk-a-thon, working weekends at a soup kitchen, and organizing a neighborhood group to help those in need. According to one estimate, 89.2 million adults in the United States engaged in some form of volunteerism during 1993, with 23.6 million of them giving 5 or more hours per week to their volunteer service, often doing so for periods of months and years at a time (Independent Sector, 1994). Moreover, volunteerism is not simply a phe-nomenon of the United States; in fact, it is an activity that can be found in many other parts of the world (Curtis, Grabb, & Baer, 1992).