This study examines the key characteristics, social background, and motivational structure of informal volunteering in Hungary. It is based on a survey of 2,000 participants conducted by the Századvég Foundation as part of the "Volunteering in Hungary 2023" research project. Informal volunteering is – similar to Western societies – the most widespread form of volunteering in Hungary and is particularly characteristic among religious and older residents of small rural settlements who do not have a higher level of formal education. However, multivariate binary logistic regression analysis shows that informal volunteering is an autonomous, self-directed form of participation that relies less on institutional structures or external motivations and is more based on personal relationships and independent decision-making. According to the results, informal volunteering is not merely an 'incomplete' alternative to formal volunteering, but a form of participation with a specific social logic and motivational structure that reflects the particular influence of the historical and cultural characteristics of Hungarian society.

Keywords: volunteering, informal volunteering, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, regression analysis, participation.