Recently we were asked how has volunteering changed over the decades? In addition, they were curious about possible motivations for individuals to volunteer. In a quick reply we thought of this: 
I. Social media has allowed an individual to find information on almost everything pertaining to volunteering. Typically with increased access to information a prospective volunteer can potentially locate an organization or cause more effectively. 
II. The motivation of volunteers now and before. Again, volunteering today or two hundred years ago meant providing your time, for a cause, without compensation. Let us look at possible motivations for volunteers: 1. A student volunteers in a dentist office to learn more about dental hygiene. 2. A high school student volunteers in a hospital to learn more about healthcare. 3. A senior citizen volunteers at a civic center, since most of her friends work there. She can serve a purpose and spend time with her friends. 4. An environmental tragedy has just struck your country. You want to help your people in any way possible. Thus, you volunteer to help them. 5. A university student wants to find a great job upon graduation. Thus, they try and find internships or volunteer opportunities with a Fortune 500 company. 6. Someone's parents were killed by an intoxicated driver. Thus, the offspring dedicates their spare time volunteering at the local nonprofit MADD-Mother's Against Drunk Drivers. 7. A person commits some injustice, and the punishment is to volunteer their time(community service) to a nonprofit organization. 8. An epidemic is killing thousands! Healthcare professionals desire to help control the spread of the plague. 9. A parent is concerned that their child doesn't understand the benefits of residing in an "exclusive" Beverly Hills zip code. They persuade their child to volunteer at the local soup kitchen on Crenshaw for the homeless or attend a medical mission to a third world country so that the child can understand the complexity of the human condition. 
Happy National Volunteer Week! VolunteerMatch Volunteers VolunteeringThe Olympic Games TORONTO 2015 2015 Pan American Games Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) World Health Organization (WHO) ‪#‎nvw2015‬