Volunteering: What Is It?

Abstract

The volitional and economic conceptions of volunteering are reviewed. The serious leisure perspective is then discussed, including its three forms: casual leisure, project-based leisure, and the serious pursuits (its two subforms being serious leisure and devotee work). A diagram of the serious leisure perspective is presented, as are the six distinguishing qualities of the serious pursuits. Despite the reigning economic conception of volunteering, making a case for it as leisure is logically simple. If the word “volunteering” is to remain consistent with its French and Latin roots, it can only be seen, as all leisure is, as un-coerced activity. Moreover, as with all leisure, leisure volunteering can only be understood as a basically satisfying or rewarding experience, for otherwise we are forced to posit that so-called volunteers of this kind are somehow pushed into performing their roles by circumstances they would prefer to avoid — a stark contradiction of terms.