Is there an accepted definition of the word volunteer?
There is no legal definition of what a ‘volunteer’ is, as the word is used by different people in different sectors to mean different things. For example, government schemes where people have to work for charities in return for benefits are sometimes described as ‘voluntary’, but many people would argue that since people taking part have to do the work, they are not volunteers. There is also this definition from the 1997 National Survey of Volunteering: ‘any activity which involves spending time, unpaid, doing something which aims to benefit someone (individuals or groups) other than or in addition to close relatives, or to benefit the environment’. References are a useful selection tool when recruiting volunteers. They can identify strengths and weaknesses and could alert you to any serious problems. Usually references are required from someone’s current or last employer, but often people have not worked for some time. You could ask a GP, Teacher, Tutor, Probation Officer, etc; or any
