In recent decades numerous nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are undergoing the process of professionalization characterized by increased attention to efficiency, accountability, and the adoption of “business-like” tools and practices. At the same time, the majority of NPOs rely on volunteer labor. Most nonprofit scholars focus on traditional volunteering in which one volunteers doing something other than their professional work. These studies see volunteerism and professionalism as two completely separate systems. Meanwhile, the subset of skills-based volunteers, i.e., volunteers who provide professionally-related skills or services in nonprofit settings is understudied and their views of NPOs' professionalization are generally unknown. The present thesis aims to help fill this gap by exploring how skills-based volunteers perceive their roles and increasing the professionalization of nonprofit organizations. The study is guided by two research questions: (1) how do skills-based volunteers react to the rise of NPOs' professionalization? and (2) how do they navigate possible tensions between professionalism and volunteerism? The study is an ethnographic case study of skills-based volunteers at Engineers WithoutBorders Sweden. The data is collected through 14 semi-structured interviews with working and retired volunteers complemented by my participatory observations as a part-time employee at the organization. To analyze and interpret the study findings, the thesis employs a boundary work framework. The empirical findings indicate that, contrary to traditional volunteers, skills-based volunteers react to NPOs’ professionalization positively. The professionalization helps them to integrate their roles as volunteers and professionals, thus, facilitating boundary blurring. At the same time, working and retired skills-based volunteers perceive student volunteers as a barrier to professionalization, consequently, emphasizing differences in competencies and reliability between themself and students and performing demarcation work.

Diploma thesis is focused on research of employee's motivation to participate in corporate volunteering programs. Theoretical chapters summarize contemporary knowledge of corporate volunteerism phenomenon and its roots - corporate social responsibility on one side and volunteering on the other. Thesis is also dealing with specific, still not very well examined area of skills-based volunteering and with use of particular examples from Czech environment it presents its actual form. Thesis deals with various theories for volunteer motivation. Theoretical part of thesis is followed by empirical research focused on motives of corporate volunteers for participation in this type of volunteerism, their attitudes toward skills-based volunteering and also perceived differences between corporate and noncorporate (civic) volunteering. Key words Volunteering, volunteer, corporate volunteering, corporate volunteer, skills-based volunteering, motivation for volunteering, corporate social responsibility (CSR)