Styles of volunteering in voluntary organizations in Germany and Russia: comparative analysis

<p style="text-align: justify;">Present graduation qualification work offers the results of comparing styles of volunteering in the modern German and Russian voluntary organizations of the social sphere. The main theoretical tool of the research is analytical framework for exploring styles of volunteering constructed by Lesley Hustinx and Frans Lammertyn.<br />The work presents systematic description of the theories and explorations which influence to formation of the analytical framework for exploring styles of volunteering, carries out a reconstruction of this analytical framework and its adaptation to examine styles of volunteering in voluntary organizations.<br />The empirical database is presented by 25 semistructured interviews with young volunteers of Russia and Germany. On the basis of collected data reconstruction and comparing styles of volunteering in voluntary organization of Munich and St. Petersburg are carried out on the criteria, such as characteristics of typical volunteer, rules of recruitment of volunteers in the voluntary organization, rules and regulations of voluntary organization, considered through the set of prepared and reconstructed categories. The aim of the research is achieved by means of qualitative sociological methods of data analysis.<br />Comparison of styles of volunteering shows that the typical volunteer in German voluntary organizations reproduces some characteristics of reflexive style: his voluntary biography is characterized by discontinuity and unpredictability, decision-making about participation in volunteering activities is caused by personal choice, pragmatic motives and focused on self-centered attitudes. The typical volunteer in Russian voluntary organization reflects characteristics of the collective style: biographical course is continuous and permanent, monitoring by heteronomous sources of determination, decision to join voluntary action is influenced by &quot;idealistic&quot; motives.<br />The German voluntary organizations are bureaucratically, all their rules and regulations are formalized. Employment of each volunteer is accompanied by obligatory passing of several stages and signing of a activity agreement, what characterize reflexive style of volunteering.<br />The Russian voluntary organizations differ lack of bureaucracy and formality of internal processes. Some interviews show, that organization are oriented toward unprofessional volunteers type &laquo;well-meaning amateur&raquo;, what reflects collective style of volunteering.<br />In the voluntary organizations of both countries similar features such as for example officiality of intraorganizational communication and horizontal structure of management (absence of hierarchy), lack of core leader are found. These features refer to reflexive style of volunteering.</p>