<p>For most of my career, I thought I knew exactly what volunteering meant.  </p><p>A clear definition. </p><p>A neat set of boundaries.</p><p>A shared understanding across our sector. </p><p>But the more I paid attention to how people <em>actually</em> show up for each other in community, the messier — and more interesting — the word became. </p><p> In this episode, I explore why volunteering has never had a single agreed definition — not in research, not in practice, and certainly not in everyday community life.</p><p>I dig into decades of debate, my own subconscious bias, the rise of consumer language in volunteer engagement, and the shift toward seeing volunteers as citizens rather than customers. </p><p> At its core, I’m realising volunteering is far less about programs, roles, and organisational pathways… and far more about belonging, identity, connection, and our deeply human desire to contribute to something that matters. And once you see volunteering as a human behaviour — not just a sector construct — the old definitions begin to unravel. </p><p> I don’t land on a neat answer in this episode. I’m not sure I want to.</p><p>Because the real question I’m sitting with now is:</p><p><strong>If volunteering lives in community, not just in organisations... then who gets to define what it means?</strong> </p><p> Join me in the messy middle as I rethink one of the most fundamental words in our field… and maybe invite you to rethink it too.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Mentioned:</strong></p><ul><li>Cnaan, Handy &amp; Wadsworth; <a href="https://ellisarchive.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Document_20190918_0006_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Defining Who is a Volunteer: Conceptual and Empirical Considerations </a>(1996)</li><li>D.J Cronin; <a href="https://djcronin.blogspot.com/2018/05/lets-not-kill-volunteering.html" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Let's Not Kill Volunteering</a> (2011)</li><li>Andrew Hoffman; <a href="https://medium.com/%40AndrewDewey/volunteers-are-consumers-part-2-7a766b8b65c4" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Volunteers ARE Consumers — Part 2</a> (2015)</li><li>Annette Maher; <a href="https://flex.flinders.edu.au/file/77f6339d-46f3-496e-a4a5-5ddfd01493d1/1/AMAHER_DIGITAL_SUB.pdf " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The Evolution of the Volunteering Infrastructure and Volunteering Australia</a> (2015)</li><li>Susan J. Ellis; <a href="https://ellisarchive.org/pesky-word-volunteer" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">That Pesky Word Volunteer</a> (2017)</li><li>Laurie Mook; <a href="https://engagejournal.org/volume-xxi-issue-1-october-2020/volunteer-consumer-marketing-perspective-understanding-volunteer" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Volunteer as 'Consumer:' A Marketing Perspective to Understanding Volunteer Choice</a> (2020)</li><li>Ruth Leonard; <a href="https://engagejournal.org/article/july-2024/ethical-considerations-framing-volunteers-consumers-or-citizens" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Ethical Considerations Framing Volunteers as Consumers or Citizens</a> (2024)</li></ul><p><strong>Connect:</strong></p><ul><li>Learn more: <a href="https://www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠</a></li><li>Join the conversation on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceyoneillcva/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠</a></li><li>Follow on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tracey.oneill.cva/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠@tracey.oneill.cva⁠</a></li><li>Follow on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578939917786" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting</a></li></ul><p><br /></p>

Making a Ruckus

Tracey O'Neill

How Do We Define Volunteering? I’m Not Sure Anymore.

NOV 25, 202531 MIN
Making a Ruckus

How Do We Define Volunteering? I’m Not Sure Anymore.

NOV 25, 202531 MIN

Description

<p>For most of my career, I thought I knew exactly what volunteering meant.  </p><p>A clear definition. </p><p>A neat set of boundaries.</p><p>A shared understanding across our sector. </p><p>But the more I paid attention to how people <em>actually</em> show up for each other in community, the messier — and more interesting — the word became. </p><p> In this episode, I explore why volunteering has never had a single agreed definition — not in research, not in practice, and certainly not in everyday community life.</p><p>I dig into decades of debate, my own subconscious bias, the rise of consumer language in volunteer engagement, and the shift toward seeing volunteers as citizens rather than customers. </p><p> At its core, I’m realising volunteering is far less about programs, roles, and organisational pathways… and far more about belonging, identity, connection, and our deeply human desire to contribute to something that matters. And once you see volunteering as a human behaviour — not just a sector construct — the old definitions begin to unravel. </p><p> I don’t land on a neat answer in this episode. I’m not sure I want to.</p><p>Because the real question I’m sitting with now is:</p><p><strong>If volunteering lives in community, not just in organisations... then who gets to define what it means?</strong> </p><p> Join me in the messy middle as I rethink one of the most fundamental words in our field… and maybe invite you to rethink it too.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Mentioned:</strong></p><ul><li>Cnaan, Handy &amp; Wadsworth; <a href="https://ellisarchive.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Document_20190918_0006_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Defining Who is a Volunteer: Conceptual and Empirical Considerations </a>(1996)</li><li>D.J Cronin; <a href="https://djcronin.blogspot.com/2018/05/lets-not-kill-volunteering.html" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Let's Not Kill Volunteering</a> (2011)</li><li>Andrew Hoffman; <a href="https://medium.com/%40AndrewDewey/volunteers-are-consumers-part-2-7a766b8b65c4" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Volunteers ARE Consumers — Part 2</a> (2015)</li><li>Annette Maher; <a href="https://flex.flinders.edu.au/file/77f6339d-46f3-496e-a4a5-5ddfd01493d1/1/AMAHER_DIGITAL_SUB.pdf " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The Evolution of the Volunteering Infrastructure and Volunteering Australia</a> (2015)</li><li>Susan J. Ellis; <a href="https://ellisarchive.org/pesky-word-volunteer" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">That Pesky Word Volunteer</a> (2017)</li><li>Laurie Mook; <a href="https://engagejournal.org/volume-xxi-issue-1-october-2020/volunteer-consumer-marketing-perspective-understanding-volunteer" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Volunteer as 'Consumer:' A Marketing Perspective to Understanding Volunteer Choice</a> (2020)</li><li>Ruth Leonard; <a href="https://engagejournal.org/article/july-2024/ethical-considerations-framing-volunteers-consumers-or-citizens" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Ethical Considerations Framing Volunteers as Consumers or Citizens</a> (2024)</li></ul><p><strong>Connect:</strong></p><ul><li>Learn more: <a href="https://www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠www.traceyoneillconsulting.com.au⁠</a></li><li>Join the conversation on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceyoneillcva/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠@traceyoneillcva⁠</a></li><li>Follow on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tracey.oneill.cva/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠@tracey.oneill.cva⁠</a></li><li>Follow on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578939917786" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠Tracey O'Neill Consulting</a></li></ul><p><br /></p>