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NVPC Joins Global Effort to Develop a Groundbreaking Volunteer Index

  • 20 August 2025
  • Written by NVPC Singapore
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The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) was invited to take part in a milestone initiative — the creation of the Global Volunteer Index (GVI), by the University of Pretoria in collaboration with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) in July 2025. This invitation reflects the growing recognition of NVPC’s research work by international counterparts and scholars.

Quantifying the Impact of Volunteering

The Global Volunteer Index (GVI) is a first-of-its-kind tool, developed by a UN agency, dedicated to systematically measuring and showcasing the contributions of volunteers to sustainable development worldwide.

Despite the challenges in measuring volunteering and limited data, the UNV is committed to developing a global volunteer index to provide supportive evidence for the contributions of volunteers to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Rather than ranking countries, the index data aim to help:

  • Encourage well-informed government investment, targeted policy support and increased funding
  • Educate the media, public, private, and non-profit sectors about the wide-ranging benefits of volunteering
  • Inspire more participation across sectors

According to UNV report for 2022, approximately 862 million individuals aged 15 and older engaged in volunteer activities globally — a powerful force for change that is often under-measured and undervalued.

A Collaborative, Global Process

The project is led by the University of Pretoria and UN Volunteers, with strong support from Northumbria University and the International Labour Organization (ILO). This initiative renews earlier efforts and builds on past recommendations from the UNV and ILO to better understand and quantify the impact of volunteering [1].

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Leaders and experts from across Asia exchanging ideas and insights

Key Discussions and Insights

One of the most interesting discussions centred on the definition of volunteering. NVPC’s Dr. Ma Sirui shared that volunteering is a culturally dependent concept. Recognising informal giving — contributions that occur outside formal organisations — is critical but also challenging to measure consistently across cultures.

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Dr Ma Sirui (center) sharing at the Asia Regional Workshop in Seoul, Korea

“Our goal is to continue improving our research, engage actively in both local and international conversations, and be a credible and inspiring voice in this space,” Dr. Ma said.

The Global Volunteer Index is still in development, but its promise is significant — a tool that could not only highlight the value of volunteerism worldwide but also inspire greater participation, investment, and recognition for the millions who give their time to make a difference.

[1] The main guidelines in the past include: 2001 Toolkit for national volunteer surveys; 2011 ILO guiding manual on measuring volunteer; 2018 The Scope and Scale of Global Volunteering; 2020 Measuring Volunteering for the 2030 Agenda