It's about being practical. Take ten pound coins, stack them on top of each other, you still have ten pounds. Bring ten volunteers together for an hour and you have a lot more than 10 hours work. You begin to create an 'active community'. But this isn't always easy to achieve.
Some organisations are new and exciting.
A major 'one off' project generates a real feeling of being part of an 'event'. New initiatives like the 'Carers' programme, promoted by Business in the Community and the Home Office, shows how to make volunteering a social activity. That's great but many organisations need help just to keep going. Scouts and Guides don't lack young people, but they do need more leaders. Work with the elderly can look unexciting.