The development of community volunteer services reflects the process of moving from community participation to the realization of community welfare, and volunteers are cooperating in environmental conservation in China. Photo: TUCHONG

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Volunteer service is an essential component of the social work undertakings of the Communist Party of China, playing a significant role in national governance and social development. The community serves as a key field for volunteer activities, and the development of community volunteer services reflects the process of moving from community participation to the realization of community welfare.

Community as a field

Volunteer service spans a range of participation scopes, from individual and neighborhood efforts to broader societal engagement, with communities serving as the central field. From the outset, volunteer services in China have been closely aligned with national strategies and social development. As the basic unit of social governance, the community plays a crucial role in serving national policy implementation and the activation of social vitality.

Communities are people’s homes, and a better life is their collective aspiration. In modern civilized society, volunteer service has become a way of life, reflecting individuals’ concern for their immediate surroundings and society at large. Communities are spaces where diverse groups reside, and vulnerable populations in middle-income and low-income neighborhoods especially require social care and assistance. The core principle of community volunteer service is to start with what is closest to you. Volunteer service embodies an individual’s responsibility to society, a virtue that also contributes to personal development. Through volunteering, one can acquire relevant skills, improve social interaction abilities, and enhance overall personal capabilities.

Communities are the basic units of China’s social services and the “last mile” for implementing national livelihood policies. Safeguarding and improving people’s livelihoods is part of China’s deepening reform, with various public services implemented to achieve this goal. However, basic public services often fail to cover all groups, making tertiary distribution channels, such as public welfare and charity, essential for bridging the gap. In this process, volunteer services play a vital role by helping to accumulate social resources and address community needs. Their involvement is particularly valuable in tackling challenges such as the deterioration of aging facilities, where different volunteer service groups can drive meaningful improvements. 

Participation & empowerment

Volunteer services are a manifestation of social vitality. A strong volunteer service atmosphere can foster harmonious relationships within society. Through volunteer services, community residents can unite, actively engaging in various public affairs. Community participation serves as a vital channel for volunteer services.

The degree of volunteer participation in community affairs mirrors “A Ladder of Citizen Participation” proposed by Sherry R. Aronstein (1929-1997), which ranges from manipulation, to citizen control. At present, with increasing population mobility, the sense of community participation is weakening in urban and rural communities with high population heterogeneity. This has led to varying levels of volunteer participation.

The lowest level of volunteer participation typically involves specific administrative tasks or simple volunteer duties, where volunteers focus primarily on completing tasks, resulting in limited engagement. The next level involves moderate participation, particularly in activities that directly affect the interests of residents, such as parent-child volunteer services, volunteer opportunities for primary and secondary students, and property management-related volunteer services. The highest level of participation is substantive. Residents actively engage in solving community problems and take part in community public affairs. The impact of different levels of the volunteer service on community identity varies. Higher levels of participation not only contribute to building a more public-oriented community but also foster a better volunteer atmosphere.

Across various cities, both urban and rural communities are seeking to elevate volunteer engagement and foster a strong sense of community through volunteer services. For instance, Xiamen City in southeast China’s Fujian Province has explored a model known as the “Close Neighbors” approach, where governance is promoted by the Party building work and volunteer efforts are central. During a field visit to Ruijing Community on Lianqian Street in Siming District, Xiamen, the author found that the community was recognized as one of the “Four 100” advanced models of the National Learning from Lei Feng Volunteer Services selection campaign. The community’s strategy centers on forming a vanguard team of volunteers comprising community Party committee members, volunteer team leaders, and heads of local co-construction entities in the jurisdiction. This collaborative effort, led by the community Party committee and supported by active participation from local institutions and residents, has established a robust volunteer atmosphere. Moreover, a dedicated team of “good governance pioneers” noted for their political awareness, strategic vision, dedication, and administrative prowess—has emerged. The initiative also emphasizes integration with grid services, allowing these volunteer leaders to play an active role in grid-based governance.

To further promote community volunteer services, it is essential to empower communities. From the perspective of volunteers (subjects of services), more opportunities for training and supervision are needed to enhance their skills and improve service quality. For volunteer service teams, it is crucial to focus on increasing the project-based and regular nature of services and ensuring their long-term sustainability. This requires offering more training and guidance to community committee staff, social workers, and key volunteers. On a broader level, forming a complete governance structure for volunteer service organizations and improving their operational capabilities are vital for the high-quality development of volunteer services. At the community level, a network of volunteers, service teams, and organizations should be established in coordination with community committees and sub-district offices, creating a systematic, hierarchical service framework that addresses community needs and enhances well-being. Against the backdrop of the establishment of the Society Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and society work departments of the provincial, regional and municipal Party committees, the creation of social work and volunteer colleges raises the standards for the platform-oriented development of volunteer services, which contributes to the empowerment of community volunteer services.

Community well-being

The fundamental goal of China’s social development is to enhance people’s well-being, and the ultimate aim of community volunteer services is to promote community well-being, using the community as the platform for delivery.

Conceptually, well-being emphasizes the process of “living better,” extending beyond the mere provision of welfare. It is a dynamic process. Community well-being emphasizes the mobilization and empowerment of community members, ensuring that social services are delivered through the community and improving the quality of life for service recipients.

First, community volunteer services must be guided by a timely response to people’s needs. On the demand side, a key question is how to address the most immediate and pressing concerns of community members, particularly vulnerable groups, and achieve the goal of “you call, I respond.” The starting point is understanding what residents need—an essential first step in delivering community volunteer services. The community serves as the primary venue for volunteer service delivery, with a focus on meeting the needs of both elderly residents and children, especially vulnerable groups. Precision in service provision is achieved through volunteer service models. 

For example, Ruijing Community’s New Era Civilization Practice Station and its 10 neighborhood grids have adopted a service model of “residents placing orders, stations dispatching orders, volunteers accepting orders, and residents evaluating orders.” This model enables tailored services such as home haircuts for elderly residents with mobility challenges. Additionally, free services—including drinking water, rest areas, heating, cooling, and phone charging—are provided for delivery workers, ride-hailing drivers, and sanitation workers. Another initiative, the “Mobile Kitchen in the Community, Neighbors Helping the Elderly” project launched by Binhai Street in Siming District, addresses dining difficulties for over 400 elderly residents living alone, highlighting the effective alignment of service demand and supply in the community.

Second, community participation should guide service design, ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive approach. The logic of addressing needs and designing services should be project-based, standardized, and professionalized. Community volunteer services are not isolated acts but rather a process of aligning the needs and offerings of various social groups. Initiatives such as younger elderly residents helping senior elderly residents or teenagers assisting senior citizens exemplify intergroup and intergenerational mutual aid within the community. Time bank programs for public welfare, such as those implemented in Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Shanghai, further demonstrate the concept of intergenerational support and have achieved positive outcomes. Through community volunteer service platforms, the alignment of needs and services across different social groups is effectively facilitated.

Finally, community volunteer services must prioritize evaluation, with a central focus on community well-being. Volunteer services aim to enhance not only individual welfare but also the collective well-being of the community. Community well-being involves building a better living environment and improving residents’ overall happiness. 

Evaluating the effectiveness of volunteer services requires assessing both outcomes and processes. Outcome effectiveness measures how well services meet the needs of various groups, particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, and whether public issues in the community are effectively addressed. Process effectiveness, on the other hand, focuses on whether volunteer services foster more harmonious community relationships. Communities with a relatively strong volunteer culture are often more cohesive, promoting both peaceful and prosperous living and a deeper sense of warmth and solidarity among residents.

Huang Xiaoxing is a professor from the School of Sociology and Anthropology at Xiamen University.

Edited by ZHAO YUAN