Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy
As volunteering and its benefits gain global recognition, social policymakers can sustain and increase volunteering through social policy, legislation and other types of involvement. A key performance practice is to measure the rate of volunteering based on the percentage of the population that volu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
2017
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP140100528 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67066 |
| _version_ | 1848761465827229696 |
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| author | Haski-Leventhal, D. Meijs, L. Lockstone-Binney, L. Holmes, Kirsten Oppenheimer, M. |
| author_facet | Haski-Leventhal, D. Meijs, L. Lockstone-Binney, L. Holmes, Kirsten Oppenheimer, M. |
| author_sort | Haski-Leventhal, D. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | As volunteering and its benefits gain global recognition, social policymakers can sustain and increase volunteering through social policy, legislation and other types of involvement. A key performance practice is to measure the rate of volunteering based on the percentage of the population that volunteer or the number of hours donated. The focus of this article, however, is on the capacity to volunteer by non‐volunteers as well as by volunteers. The concept and theory of volunteerability (an individual's ability to overcome related obstacles and volunteer, based on his or her willingness, capability and availability) offers a richer understanding of how people can be assisted to overcome barriers to maximize their volunteer potential and thus increase volunteering. The article details the definitions and benefits of volunteering and covers examples of related social policy, as well as explaining the concept of volunteerability and how it can be measured using existing and new scales. Based on a mixed methods study in Australia, the article offers specific measures to examine the concept of volunteerability and reveals important differences between volunteers and non‐volunteers. The article also details major barriers to volunteering and how social policies can be developed to overcome them. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:32:07Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-67066 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:32:07Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-670662023-03-16T03:59:49Z Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy Haski-Leventhal, D. Meijs, L. Lockstone-Binney, L. Holmes, Kirsten Oppenheimer, M. As volunteering and its benefits gain global recognition, social policymakers can sustain and increase volunteering through social policy, legislation and other types of involvement. A key performance practice is to measure the rate of volunteering based on the percentage of the population that volunteer or the number of hours donated. The focus of this article, however, is on the capacity to volunteer by non‐volunteers as well as by volunteers. The concept and theory of volunteerability (an individual's ability to overcome related obstacles and volunteer, based on his or her willingness, capability and availability) offers a richer understanding of how people can be assisted to overcome barriers to maximize their volunteer potential and thus increase volunteering. The article details the definitions and benefits of volunteering and covers examples of related social policy, as well as explaining the concept of volunteerability and how it can be measured using existing and new scales. Based on a mixed methods study in Australia, the article offers specific measures to examine the concept of volunteerability and reveals important differences between volunteers and non‐volunteers. The article also details major barriers to volunteering and how social policies can be developed to overcome them. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67066 10.111/spol.12342 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP140100528 Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Haski-Leventhal, D. Meijs, L. Lockstone-Binney, L. Holmes, Kirsten Oppenheimer, M. Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy |
| title | Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy |
| title_full | Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy |
| title_fullStr | Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy |
| title_short | Measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy |
| title_sort | measuring volunteerability and the capacity to volunteer among non-volunteers: implications for social policy |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP140100528 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/67066 |