Research on Volunteerism Revisited: What (Still) Needs to Be Done

In 1985, Susan J. Ellis published an article in the Journal of Voluntary Action Research (later republished by Energize in 2015) about the state of research on volunteerism and volunteer management entitled “Research on Volunteerism…What Needs to Be Done.” In her piece, Ellis pointed out many of the gaps that she saw in the research at that time. Since the inception of Volunteer Management as a profession and a subject of academic study, it has been the work of people like Ellis – the voices at the intersection of research and practice – that have helped to drive knowledge forward. While many gaps and questions remain, the conversations between researchers and practitioners continue to be of central importance for the field. In this Research to Practice, reviewer Allison Russell shares reflections from Volunteer Engagement Leaders Sue Carter Kahl, Ph.D., and Megan Paull, Ph.D., who are also embedded in the research world, on what they see as the current state of volunteerism research. Forty years after Ellis first wrote her article, Russell also asks these leaders to reflect on Ellis’ descriptions of “what needs to be done” in research on volunteerism.