Mixed-interest volunteering

Many volunteer activities bridge two or more of

the types described in this chapter. One exam-

ple would be pro bono legal service, which

deals with both ideas and people. Volunteer

consultants also work with ideas and people,

as do zoo and museum guides and volunteer

teachers and instructors.

Missionary work invariably centers on both

ideas and people and may also involve mate-

rial work, such as building a school, church, or

hospital. Conceivably, missionary work could

extend across four kinds of interest: people,

ideas, things, and the natural environment. In

this situation a missionary would work with

local people to establish safe water practices

and resources, which would require cleaning

up the surrounding environment.

Membership in certain nonprofit groups

brings with it many different types of activities.

Examples include Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts,

in which youth are instructed in such diverse

endeavors as knot tying, leadership skills,

outdoor survival, and identifying plants and

animals.