Volunteering
In Romania a very small minority of people undertake volunteer work on a regular basis (at least once a year).
Like in other countries from Eastern Europe, volunteerism has been perceived as associated with Communism and, as a result, it has remained weak. There is still widespread memory of the communist era’s “forced volunteering” which keeps people away from engaging in volunteer activities.
The study conducted by the Association for Community Relations (ARC) confirms this perception. Only 8% of those interviewed declared they had ever volunteered in an organized manner (ARC 2003).
The CSDF/ISRA survey also showed that around 7% of citizens do voluntary work regularly. An additional 25% indicated that they did voluntary work sometimes or rarely.
The public attitude towards volunteering is consistent with these data.
In November 2000, the Institute of Marketing and Surveys in Romania (IMAS) conducted a study “Opinions and Perceptions about NGOs in Romania”, IMAS, November 2000), where, when asked whether they had ever considered volunteering with an NGO, only 8.3% of those interviewed answered affirmatively.
However, over the last years there has been growing interest in volunteering, especially among young people, particularly among students, who regard it as an opportunity to get professional experience, to connect with other people or to use it as a stepping stone for a permanent job. Of those interviewed in a study from 2003, 55% consider volunteering in an NGO, association and/or organization is an effective participatory act.
Civil Society Organisations membership.
According to the World Value Survey (WVS 1999 – 2002 wave), less than a quarter of CSO members belong to more than one organization, indicating that even among CSO members, engagement in multiple CSOs in not common.
The Civicus Report also estimated that only 7% of Romanians were members of an NGO, compared to 41% who belonged to condominium associations or 36% to labor unions.
