Edinburgh, Scotland: How often do you do it? As much as you’d like to, or can you just not get round to it with everything else going on in your life? Well, as Judy Vickers found out, for hundreds of Edinburgh people volunteering is a major part of their lives, be it working in a charity shop, feeding the animals or guiding visitors around a heritage centre.  Read article

The world of volunteering needs help--but not the kind you think. The problem is that too many nonprofits cling to their old ways, asking volunteers to do little more than stuff envelopes and make fund-raising calls.  Read article

Victoria, Australia: Joy Little began her formal volunteering at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. Five decades later, she is still going strong as a manager of 285 community volunteers.  Read article

With expertise and time in their hands, most retirees refuse to slow down and "fall prey to the rocking chair." Here are some tips from a "hipster" on what to consider when recruiting senior volunteers.   Read article

Newcastle, UK: A new report into volunteering in later life was launched today at the House of Commons by Age Concern Newcastle and Newcastle University, UK. The research fills the gaps in understanding of the huge contribution older people make to volunteer organizations.  Read article

Canberra, Australia: Australian Prime Minister John Howard is considering a plan to pay retired volunteers for their efforts and to give tax breaks to volunteers still in the workforce. Under the proposed plan, volunteers in employment would be entitled to a personal income-tax deduction for the out-of-pocket expenses incurred in their volunteering. Elderly volunteers on limited incomes and those who were pensioners should be considered for some direct monetary return for their efforts.   Read article

Kinston, North Carolina, USA: Volunteering at a local nursing home at the age of 86 has helped Sammy Oliver to overcome the grief and depression after the death of his wife. His determination and tenderness in turn help the patients recover with a smile.  Read article

Cardiff, Wales, UK: A huge renaissance in the popularity of the Scouts and Guides is causing a shortage of leaders in Wales, with too few leaders for the numbers of youngsters wanting to join up. Busy lifestyle and apathy are being blamed by officials.  Read article

London, UK: Delaying the retirement age will prevent people from volunteering in later life, potentially robbing the voluntary movement of a huge army of retired volunteers and leaving many public and community services unstaffed, says a new YouGov survey for Volunteering England to mark the launch of Volunteers’ Week.  Read article

Australian retirees look forward to 'freedom' and are keen to volunteer, according to a new international survey into retirement by French insurance group AXA. British and US pensioners love to travel abroad, Germans plunge into sport, Canadians into charity work and the French go for gardening. Italians and Spanish are more prone to do nothing when they retire.  Read article