Der Weg in die nächste Bibliothek ist weit, in das nächste Museum oder auch nur in die nächste Schule mit langen Busfahrten und, besonders für Kinder, erheblichem Stress verbunden. Ein Ausflug in die Bücherei ist eher ein Highlight als alltägliches Geschehen.

Die HALLE 14 ist ein gemeinnütziges Kunstzentrum auf der Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei. Die öffentliche Kunstbibliothek der HALLE 14 mit einem Gesamtbestand von 36.000 Büchern und Medien zur zeitgenössischen Kunst ist seit Januar 2009 im Herzen des ehemaligen Industriegebäudes, dem Besucherzentrum öffentlich zugänglich. Nach und nach wird hier der jährlich um circa 3000 Medien wachsende Bestand der Bibliothek erschlossen. Kathrin Winkler, Fachangestellte für Medien- und Informationsdienste, bringt sich seit November 2010 ehrenamtlich in der Bibliothek der HALLE 14 ein. In einem Gespräch haben Monique Erlitz, die Projektleiterin der Kunstbibliothek der HALLE 14, und Kathrin Winkler Gründe sowie Probleme und Chancen des Ehrenamts erörtert.

Der Einsatz der Ehrenamtlichen in den Städtischen Bibliotheken ist in verschiedenen Projekten möglich, je nach Interesse, Fähigkeiten und natürlich nach dem aktuellen Bedarf innerhalb der Projekte. So können sich Interessierte in den Projekten Bibliotheksgeschichte, Soziale Bibliotheksarbeit/Bücherhausdienst, Medienpflege/Hilfsarbeiten oder als Vorlesepate engagieren. Außerdem gibt es seit 2010 in einer Stadtteilbibliothek einen ehrenamtlich geleiteten Lesezirkel.

The objective of the study is to examine psychological needs of individuals working as volunteers. The needs can then be understood in relation to the structure of the organisation they are a part of. The results of the empirical study are based on twelve qualitative interviews, where three individuals per organisation were chosen from four different organisations in the south of Sweden.  The result shows three important motives. The first one is the identification of the interviewees’ psychological position, and what factors were expressed as essential. The second motive presents a description of the needs, and the character profiles. The third motive describes the organizational structure’s impact on the individuals’ dedication to their commitment. Based on the analysis of the empirical results, the interviewees working as volunteers have a similar conception of needs. The analysis also shows that a majority of them have similar character traits. The volunteers in this study value the characteristics and values of non-profit commitment. They also value how their primary and secondary needs become satisfied through their volunteering, which they bring forward as something that their paid work does not provide. The choice of organisation, to which they are committed, has been of prime importance. The analysis shows that the non-profit commitment fulfils the purpose of self-realization. However, in order to satisfy the needs of volunteers, the form and structure of the organisation have to function properly. External factors that are not maintained may influence the motivation, which can lead to a lack of drive force and abandonment of the commitment.   Keywords: Volunteering, non-profit organisations, needs, motivation, organisational structures, leadership.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study investigates the philanthropic practices of same-sex couples, including their motivations for giving and how they make philanthropic decisions. Existing research has focused almost exclusively on heterosexual couples and assumes that all households are the same. Using the frameworks of the eight mechanisms of giving and social identification theory, this study investigates the role of identity in philanthropic behavior and how gender differences may be amplified among same-sex couples. Drawing on 19 semi-structured joint interviews with gay and lesbian couples in Indiana, the research uses a qualitative method to "give voice" to a marginalized population's philanthropic experiences that are little studied. The study finds participants are highly engaged in nonprofit organizations and participate in a diverse array of philanthropic behaviors. While many couples support at least one LGBT-affiliated nonprofit, giving to LGBT causes does not constitute the majority of most couples' philanthropy. Still, sexual orientation plays a significant role in motivating support for the LGBT community, for public policy changes and equal rights initiatives, and to HIV/AIDS-service organizations. Sexual orientation also determines which organizations many donors would not support. Same-sex couples also use their philanthropy as a way to support their communities at-large and be recognized by mainstream society. In terms of financial management, a majority of participant couples maintained independent financial accounts or partial pooling systems of household income, leading to more opportunities for charitable giving; at the same time, couples expressed low conflict over making giving decisions and supported one another's interests. This study provides scholars and practitioners insights into the complex interactions of motivations, identity, and financial arrangements that underscore charitable giving, and it offers implications for nonprofit organizations and fundraisers who work with diverse populations of donors.

[pt] Esta tese aborda o tema do voluntariado social como ação coletiva e tem como objeto empírico de estudo a experiência particular de uma organização civil não-formal, o Projeto Social Casa Reviver. Trata-se de uma iniciativa local, que atende moradores da favela Morro do Estado, localizada em Niterói, cidade que faz parte da Região Metropolitana do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. O estudo procurou demonstrar que esse tipo de experiência associativa, reconhecida pela categoria projeto social, apresenta elementos significantes que permitem situá-la no campo de formação da sociedade civil brasileira. O formato associativo e de participação se enquadra no perfil das redes de ações solidárias que foram surgindo no país a partir dos anos 1990, período marcado pelo protagonismo de novos atores coletivos, como as ONGs e de movimentos cívicos como a Campanha Contra a Fome, criada por Betinho (GOHN,2005; SCHERER-WARREN,1994). As mudanças decorridas dos processos de democratização, na Europa e na América Latina, levaram ao ressurgimento do conceito de sociedade civil contemporâneo em uma versão tripartite (Estado, mercado e sociedade) (KEANE, 1988; WOLFE, 1992, COHEN e ARATO, 1994; AVRITZER, 1994 etc.). O modelo tripartite é empregado como referencial de análise para o estudo do problema relacionado ao tema e ao objeto deste trabalho. Atribui-se à emergência de novos atores da sociedade civil brasileira, o surgimento do fenômeno do novo voluntariado social (SILVIA, 2004; CUNHA, 2010), objeto de intenso debate crítico, em boa parte polarizado, nos meios acadêmicos, na militância política e na esfera pública, no auge dos anos 1990 até, pelo menos, a primeira década do século XXI. Os valores sociais e cívicos, como solidariedade e cidadania, que formam o campo de sentido das novas redes de ações sociais voluntárias, indicam uma relação de afinidade eletiva com o processo de secularização das tradicionais práticas da caridade cristã e a formação de uma filantropia engajada e politizada, a partir da segunda metade do século XX (LIMA NETO, 2013). Estes antecedentes históricos, assim como o movimento Ação da Cidadania, e o contexto de reformas neoliberais, se relacionam ao processo de formação do novo voluntariado social, que redefiniu o perfil de participação da sociedade civil e contribuiu para uma mudança na cultura cívica do país. / [en] This thesis addresses the theme of volunteering as collective action and its empirical object of study is the particular experience of an non formal civil organization, the Social Project Casa Reviver. This is a local initiative which serves residents of Morro do Estado slum, settled in Niterói, a city part of the Metropolitan Region of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The study aims to demonstrate that this type of associative experience, recognized by the category social project, presents significant elements that allow it to be placed in the field of formation of Brazilian civil society. The associative and participative format conform to the profile of the solidarity action networks that have emerged in the country since the 1990s, a period marked by the protagonism of new collective actors, known as NPOs and civic movements such as The Campaign Against Hunger created by Betinho (GOHN, 2005; SCHERER-WARREN, 1994). The changes resulting from the democratization processes, in Europe and Latin America, led to the resurgence of the concept of contemporary civil society in a tripartite version (State, market and society) (KEANE, 1988; WOLFE, 1992, COHEN and ARATO, 1994; AVRITZER, 1994 etc.). The tripartite model is applied as an analytical reference for the study of the problem related to the theme and object of this work. It is regarded to the emergence of the new social volunteering phenomenon (SILVIA, 2004; CUNHA, 2010), aim of intense critical debate, largely polarized, in academic circles, in political militancy and in the public sphere, from the height of the 1990s until, at least, the first decade of the 21st Century. Social and civic values, such as solidarity and citizenship, which form the field of meaning of the new networks of voluntary social actions, indicate a relationship of elective affinity as a process of secularization of the traditional practices of Christian charity and the formation of an engaged and politicized philanthropy, based on second half o the 20th Century (LIMA NETO, 2013). These historical antecedents, as well as the Citizenship Action movement, and the context of neoliberal reforms, are related to the process of forming the new social volunteering, which redefined the profile of civil society participation and contributed to a change in the civic culture of the country.

Volunteers examines as a social community and social institution. The study reveals the problems of volunteer’s social community and identifies the shortcomings of institutional context. Master's thesis gives recommendations for the development of the volunteer’s social community in the institutional context, proposes measures to optimize the financial support of non-profit organizations and volunteers’ initiatives as one of the factors in the development of volunteer’s social community. / В рамках магистерской диссертации волонтерство рассматривается как социальная общность и социальный институт. Эмпирическое исследование позволило выявить проблемы социальной общности волонтеров и недостатки институциональных условий функционирования данной общности. В рамках магистерской диссертации предложены рекомендации по совершенствованию институциональных условий функционирования социальной общности волонтеров. Предложены меры по оптимизации системы финансовой поддержки некоммерческих организаций и инициатив волонтеров в качестве одного из факторов развития социальной общности волонтеров.

aus Reflexion und praktische Implikationen: Das Forschungsprojekt soll die Herausforderungen beleuchten, die sich im digitalen Engagement für den Aufbau und Erhalt von Verbundenheits- und Zugehörigkeitsgefühlen von Freiwilligen mit ihrer Organisation ergeben, unterstützende Maßnahmen erarbeiten und ihre Wirksamkeit evaluieren. Als erster Schritt der Problemdiagnose wurde eine Fokusgruppe durchgeführt, deren Ergebnisse zur Entwicklung von organisationsspezifischen Maßnahmen im nächsten Schritt genutzt werden.... Praktischen Nutzen liefert unser Beitrag in zweierlei Hinsicht. Einerseits zeigen die sechs Cluster relevante Herausforderungen im digitalen Engagement auf und können von anderen gemeinnützigen Organisationen als Leitfaden für die eigene Reflexion und Verbesserung der Zusammenarbeit verwendet werden. Aus der methodischen Perspektive hat sich weiterhin die Integration der Concept Mapping Methode in die Fokusgruppe als sehr nützlich erwiesen. Die Kombination beider Ansätze bietet den Vorteil, dass Ideen zu einem Thema sehr individuell und unbeeinflusst von der Gruppe erarbeitet und strukturiert werden, dann im zweiten Schritt aber in der Gruppe diskutiert werden können.

This thesis aims at exploring the role of organizations in asylum seekers' access to volunteering in Wallonia, Belgium. In Belgium, volunteering has been allowed for asylum seekers since 2014. Studies made after 2014 in Wallonia have shown that volunteering can benefit asylum seekers. However, research on volunteering in other contexts has found that, while volunteering is often depicted as an inclusive practice, valuable for volunteers and society, inequalities restrict access to volunteering. Research on volunteering tended to focus on the individual characteristics and resources that make certain groups less likely to volunteer, but at the meso level, organizations also have a role in determining who can access volunteering. Based on semi-structured interviews with members of organizations, the analysis examines the management of volunteering for asylum seekers in Wallonia to understand how the organizations' practices facilitate or restrict access to volunteering. Findings show that a network of sending and receiving organizations, reception centers and volunteering organizations, shapes access to volunteering for asylum seekers. This network aims at creating links between asylum seekers and other parts of the population through volunteering. Throughout the promotion of volunteering and the selection of volunteers and volunteering opportunities, organizations adopt strategies to enhance asylum seekers' participation in volunteering and to lift obstacles restricting access to volunteering. However, some organizational practices, including this selection, lead to the exclusion of asylum seekers from volunteering.

<p>This thesis studies the impacts of three government policy interventions in Canada on individuals' behaviour and attempts to bound structural coefficients implied by economics theories using the estimated treatment effects. While the last chapter is on the healthcare market, the first three chapters focus on individuals' charitable behaviour, especially volunteer behaviour. A compulsory volunteer policy in Ontario is investigated from theoretical and empirical perspectives in chapters one and two respectively. In a theoretical overlapping generation model with social capital accumulation, we find that such a policy likely increases total public good provision and the social capital level. However, whether it increases long-run volunteering by those no longer subject to the policy depends crucially on the size of a public good demand elasticity. Chapter two empirically examines the impact of a “compulsory volunteerism” policy for adolescents on subsequent behaviour in Ontario, which mandates 40-hours of community service for high school students as a requirement for graduation. We estimate that: 1) the compulsory volunteer policy increased volunteer participation during high school; 2) those affected by the policy likely volunteered less than they otherwise would have after high school completion; 3) young people in Ontario who were not directly affected by the policy volunteered less after its introduction.</p> <p>The third chapter examines the impact of tax policy changes on individuals' volunteer behaviour and attempts to analyze the relationship between donations of time and money. We develop a model where individuals are heterogeneous in their labour market and volunteer productivities, and in their tastes, which shows that positive cross sectional correlation between donations of money and time may occur because of individual-specific effects even though each individual would regard such donations as substitutes. Exploiting the exogenous variation in the tax price introduced by a series of tax policy changes in Canada, we find that individuals make more time donations as the tax price of charitable donations increases, which casts doubt on earlier findings in cross sectional data that monetary and time donations are complements and suggests that they may be substitutes as most theories would imply.</p> <p>The last chapter exploits changes in Canadian public health insurers' reimbursement schedules regarding chiropractic services to identify the impacts of subsidies for providers and patients. Over the past two decades, fiscal pressures have seen these services partly or completely “delisted” from public health insurance programs. Despite a large sample of individuals, there are challenges for inference in this situation where the source of exogenous variation derives from a small number of jurisdiction-level policy changes. To address them, we employ aggregation, a wild cluster bootstrap that provides asymptotic refinement, and other approaches. The results show appreciable decreases in providers’ incomes and in utilization with the latter concentrated among low and middle income patients. But, chiropractors also augment their labour supply, perhaps increasing administration, marketing/promotion, or time per patient visit.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)