December 5: International Volunteer Day

A December 5 is approaching, everything changes. You feel the rhythm, the tension sometimes, behind the doors of a room too full, too lively for the season. This day is certainly marked on the calendar, you know it or maybe you don’t. Yet, the International Volunteer Day on December 5 asserts itself, year after year, in social news. Yes, eyes are massively turning towards the actors of mutual aid. The occasion is not forgotten, you notice it: beyond words, it is action that shapes the world at this precise moment.

The recognition of International Volunteer Day on December 5 and its anchoring in solidarity

No one expects the International Volunteer Day on December 5 to be just a formal appointment. Do you see the gap? In 1985, the UN decided to inscribe this moment in collective memory, seeking to give civic initiatives the place they deserve. Associations, institutions, everywhere they engage. They seize this opportunity to change the game, to mediatize and federate all types of community engagement. The vocation? To make visible the voices that have long remained in the shadows.

In 2001, a new step. The General Assembly pushes even harder, the year becomes the year of international volunteers. The media follows, as do public authorities. Do you remember those local campaigns, those big cities draped in the colors of volunteering? It’s tangible, it’s concrete, it’s amplified. Solidarity no longer floats, it anchors, it structures intergenerational links, social cohesion.

Elsewhere, other dates relay the same spirit, in other forms, with other objectives.

International Volunteer Day on December 5 transcends borders, it sheds light on discreet gestures. Not a day goes by without an association thinking about it already.

The objectives highlighted during International Volunteer Day on December 5

Behind the ceremonies and speeches, there are those who act freely, frankly. Volunteers expect nothing, do not try to count their hours, and you feel it yourself. The International Volunteer Day on December 5 seeks to bring these citizens out of the shadows. The goal? To value, publicly recognize, and open wide the door to all. An act, a presence, a ripple effect. It is a lever for social progress, for justice, for collective dynamics.

Some mayors, some associations, multiply appointments. You pass by a decorated town hall, a gymnasium open to all, and you understand: volunteering takes flight, comes out of a too-confidential framework. Every year across France, collectives move heaven and earth to encourage participation, all along the month as well.

The realities and international recognition of forms of volunteer engagement

You sometimes hesitate, the word volunteering circulates everywhere but what does it exactly evoke? Definitions change from one country to another, yet the principle endures. Engagement without compensation, without check or promise of employment, just for the impact. In France, the distinction is made with volunteering — the latter involves a contract, a specific mission, a limited allowance. There are other ways to get involved as well, skills sponsorship is gaining ground in companies. The idea of social recognition does not weaken, quite the opposite. You feel that something is really moving, year after year. The Economic, Social and Environmental Council in France publishes an annual report praising the utility of this engagement, a living pillar of modern democracy.

The plurality of these forms everywhere in Europe, everywhere in the world, illustrates the strength of a movement that never freezes. Unions, NGOs, citizen platforms everywhere are shaping new ways to lend a hand. Whether they are called France Bénévolat, International Volunteer Day, they open doors, they build bridges where there were none.

The types of volunteer engagement observed daily

There are so many ways to help. In the neighborhood, the cultural center, the local charity association, or the international movement, no one is alike, no one judges. Academic support? Essential in isolated areas. Food aid or listening? A driving force. Then everything accelerates during a sporting event, during a disaster, during a health emergency. Crises reveal what we already suspected: volunteering is not improvised, it responds, it traverses all situations. Recently, digital engagement breaks solitude, it multiplies contacts and opportunities, without even leaving home.

You see the same energy spreading on social networks or in a community hall. Sometimes, a rallying cry, sometimes an isolated initiative. Engagement innovates, it sticks to current events, it adapts to every challenge that arises.

The figures and trends of volunteering in 2025 worldwide

22 million people, that’s the figure launched by France Bénévolat in France almost every year. In 2025, the global dynamic asserts itself, driven by the international. One billion individuals, the UN assures, actively participate in planetary solidarity. Emerging countries are pushing hard — digital transformation breaks distances, shapes a new space for those who did not live near a large organization. The progression? Very real, often even unexpected.

Young adults are trying it out, seniors are returning, sometimes time is lacking, yet volunteering is more than ever part of daily life. Change of profile in 2020 with the pandemic, rise in occasional gestures, rapid actions as current events unfold. The age shifts, the context disrupts the map of solidarity, INSEE places in 2025 volunteer engagement as a priority integration lever for those under 30.

The significant trends of volunteering in the digital society

Everything is accelerating, you surely notice it. Since 2021, digital has exploded barriers. Micro-engagements attract those who do not stay, those who nibble at action when they can. A few hours, a day, a challenge met, sometimes without even crossing a face. Platforms are chaining, offers are opening. Online mentoring creates new links, virtual collections shake up traditional donations, academic support adapts to video conferencing. And then there is information: it circulates, it makes action visible, solid, reliable. Without physical borders, engagement shows new faces, attracts a generation eager to sign up, but why not also different.

The stakes for society and the individual benefits linked to volunteering

One Saturday morning, Charles arrives, coat on his arm, a bit lost. He doesn’t know what to do. A smile, a handshake, and he is reassured. In the room, energy circulates. Isolation fades in a few moments. Yes, volunteering binds, distrust melts in the face of the desire to share, especially when institutions struggle to convince. Nothing stops the desire to act, especially when people in difficulty seek a reference. The benefits of volunteering, ultimately, go far beyond just giving time. You feel that thrill of the first time, that desire to dare.

Public bodies, ministries, repeat the message: without volunteers, society trembles on its foundations, it withers, it lacks alarms, it becomes bland. It’s collective, the energy passes, it circulates, it even contaminates sometimes the most skeptical.

The personal benefits of volunteering highlighted during December 5

After an experience, few leave without anything. Engagement gives, shapes, surprises. Encounters cleanse, skills sharpen, and employability sometimes gets restored. Changing paths, discovering the field, reshuffling the cards of a tired routine, all this becomes possible. Charles’ testimony, this destabilized executive turned actor, often comes back.

"I learned to listen, to step out of my role, to understand the strength of a group. The bonds woven remain, the experience follows me, I expected nothing, I received everything"

These words circulate, they reassure those who hesitate.

A study signed by Research & Solidarity affirms: 95 percent of volunteers see their confidence soar. Those who dare discover, open up, leave more confident, ready for other adventures, personal or professional.

The initiatives and concrete ways to get involved on December 5 for International Volunteer Day

This December 5, events arise at every street corner, in town halls, on the web, in neighborhood structures. Volunteers receive a spotlight, everywhere their tenacity is praised. Major associations deploy open forums, conferences, you are invited to try the adventure. Challenges circulate on networks, accessible to all, no registration required, no closed doors for those who hesitate. Digital campaigns take over, everyone has the opportunity to try a new mission, short or remote.

To act, frankly nothing is simpler today. On France Bénévolat, JeVeuxAider.gouv.fr, or InternationalVolunteerDay.org, hundreds of proposals circulate, all open without unreasonable expectations. Associations welcome spontaneity, even encourage express engagement, the essential remaining the will to move the lines. Social networks loop around unexpected, sometimes revolutionary initiatives, at the reach of a click or a validated email address. You don’t know if time is lacking? No one checks. Dare, test, adopt the spirit of December 5, without constraint, without badge, just to see, or to change the society around you.

• Join a one-day mission
• Participate in a virtual collection
• Support beneficiaries remotely
• Speak out to share a lived experience

So, the next time the door of an association opens before you, know this: it’s not a formality, it’s the beginning of something else. The International Volunteer Day on December 5 opens wide the window to a collective energy that, decidedly, refuses to be silent. Ready to transmit, to receive, to modify what you thought was immutable? Yes, sometimes it just takes a gesture, a word, to reinvent everything around you.