Volunteering is at the heart of what it means to be human.

When one thinks of volunteering today, it might conjure images of philanthropy, application forms, and criminal record checks. Most Albertan would probably associate the word "volunteerism" with working directly with social purpose organizations, supporting community programming in one way or another. This association though is often limited to thoughts of "formal volunteering" - when our history as humans as incorprated informal volunteerism much further back in our long history (See our blog for a deep dive!)

Research suggests that informal volunteering is partially instinctive among human beings, not learned behaviour present only in some cultures. Throughout human history, volunteering has largely been an activity predicated on an ethos of reciprocity and mutuality, as opposed to one-way, self-sacrificial giving. In recent history, we saw how the pandemic sparked new, informal ways for people to help each other, posing challenges for nonprofits that traditionally rely on formal volunteer roles. One narrative that has punctuated the nonprofit/voluntary sector since the COVID-19 pandemic declining rates of formal volunteerism. Despite a recent uptick in volunteering, the dominant narrative in Alberta is still that rates of formal volunteerism are dropping. People say volunteering is now in crisis. Current systems for managing volunteers often resemble professional work processes, potentially creating a further divide between formal and informal roles.

But, has something shifted so monumentally in the human condition that people don’t want to help other people anymore? Or are our motivations and preferences in volunteerism simply changing?