Each year on 5 December, the world pauses to recognise volunteers. In 2022, the United Nations Volunteers programme framed the day around solidarity, with the call Together, Act Now. The message was that the great challenges of our time, from public health to climate change, can only be met collectively.
I have always found the word solidarity more demanding than it first appears. It is easy to admire; it is harder to organise.
Solidarity requires structure
Goodwill is abundant. What is often missing is the structure that turns individual goodwill into collective action. A thousand people willing to help are not, by themselves, a movement. They become one when there are clear roles, shared goals, reliable communication and someone responsible for bringing them together.
This is why I have come to regard volunteer coordination as one of the most underrated disciplines in the nonprofit world. The coordinator who matches people to tasks, prepares them well and thanks them sincerely is performing an act of solidarity every bit as meaningful as the volunteering itself.
“Now” is the harder word
The second half of the theme — act now — carries its own challenge. Many organisations struggle to accept volunteers quickly. Applications wait for weeks; screening processes, while necessary, stretch on; enthusiastic people lose interest before they are ever placed.
Speed and safety need not be opposed. Simple online applications, clear criteria and efficient screening for sensitive roles allow organisations to honour a volunteer’s impulse while it is still fresh.
Three commitments worth making
- Respond to every volunteer enquiry within days, even if only to explain next steps.
- Offer at least one role that can begin immediately, such as a one-time event or remote task.
- Tell volunteers what their effort achieved, so that solidarity is felt, not merely declared.
International days come and go. Their value lies in the habits they inspire long after the date has passed.
This article is commentary and personal reflection, not news reporting. Facts and figures are drawn from the publicly available sources listed below; the views expressed are the author’s own.
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