Volunteering for All: national framework - literature review

Abstract

This report outlines a systematic review of the research literature on volunteering. The purpose of this review is to inform the development of a Volunteering Outcomes Framework to support the critical role that volunteering plays in Scotland for volunteers, beneficiaries and wider communities. This literature review is the first element in a programme of analytical and policy research in support of the development of the Volunteering Outcomes Framework by the Scottish Government. The scoping work for the literature review identified that there was a significant body of evidence on volunteering, but that this had not been brought together and applied to the Scottish context. The review has a broad remit: to include evidence on volunteer characteristics; motivations; activities; benefits; outcomes; barriers; and policies in other countries. It considers research quality, and identifies areas where there are knowledge gaps. In this review we first provide an overview of the coverage of the papers included in the review. We then describe the papers that were reviewed in more detail in a thematic structure that firstly examines literature that gives insight into the complexity of volunteering with specific attention to different groups, activities and organisations linked to volunteering.