Twenty years later – successful volunteer programs 2005 – 2025

Rita Galambos

Abstract

In 2005, the Volunteer Center Foundation (Önkéntes Központ Alapítvány) published a book entitled "Successful Volunteer Programs in Practice" in which 15 organizations are studied. The selection was made based on the organizations responding the call, and on ÖKA's decision. 11 organizations out of 15 were selected (leaving out of the study the local branches of the large relief organizations), and structured interviews were conducted with one of the employees of each organization who have been working there for a longer period (let alone from 2005), and who have a clear understanding of what has happenned in all those years. The study also looked at their websites and the social media activities documenting their volunteer programmes. The majority of the organizations have had a tough time throughout the past 20 years, only three out of the 11 keep functioning the same way as they did 20 years ago, two ceased to exist, and, in most cases, they do not include volunteers in their activities. The primary cause being that they do not have the organizational capacity to recruite, prepare, and acknowledge volunteers. To the question concerning the state of volunteerism in Hungary, the majority of the respondents answered that with the rapidly growing number of social problems the willingness to help amplifies regardless of the organization's success in the area of volunteer management.

Keywords: volunteer programs, success, interview test, organizational capacity, Volunteer Center Foundation