More than 20,000 supposedly time-pressed Australians applied to spend upwards of 100 hours volunteering to help run a third rate sporting event while non-profit social services can’t get enough volunteers to assist people who are homeless, elderly and  infirm. "Is this the right cause?" asks writer Mirko Bagaric.  Read article

Volunteers have been serving Jamaican communities for ages. With the upcoming Cricket World Cup in 2007, Jamaicans are getting ready to work hard, play hard and volunteer.   Read article

Toronto journalist Catherine Mulroney argues that mandatory volunteering simply does not work. "Institutionalizing something that was once voluntary, there is a risk of turning off future volunteers, teaching them only that helping out is a chore to be crossed off a to-do list rather than a valuable experience for both volunteer and recipient," she writes.  Read article

Money follows involvement, says volunteer expert Thomas McKee. Studies show that majority of Americans give to charities and at least one volunteer in that household. McKee suggests that charities should also provide volunteers to contribute financially -- and they might reply, "what took you so long?'  Read article

Gone are the days when managing volunteers was a "relaxed and casual affair" writes volunteer management expert Andy Fryar. He noted how much change volunteering work has gone through over the past 20 years, bringing in so many answers. But now the question is: Where it will end and where will it lead us?  Read article