How to engage people in a changing society

In traditional models, volunteering has been associated primarily with charitable relief—distributing aid, supporting local initiatives or assisting during crises. Yet modern nonprofit ecosystems increasingly recognise that volunteering also performs an important governance function.

When citizens participate directly in non-profit activities, they do more than donate time. They gain direct exposure to how social institutions operate and get to see and experience how projects are designed and resources allocated.

This interaction reduces the distance between institutions and society. In effect, volunteering becomes a form of participatory institutional literacy. Individuals begin to understand the complexities of social work, while organisations gain insight into community expectations and needs. Over time, this contributes to building mutual trust between citizens and institutions.

In many countries where the non-profit sector is still expanding, this trust-building function is particularly important.

Saudi Arabia is a case in point. The Kingdom has witnessed one of the fastest expansions of organised volunteering in the region. Under its Vision 2030 reform agenda, the country set a national target of reaching one million volunteers annually.

With four years still to go, the target has already been surpassed, and volunteer participation now exceeds 1.7 million individuals across sectors including social services, environmental initiatives, cultural heritage, education and humanitarian support.

This expansion has been supported by several structural developments:

• The establishment of the National Center for Non-Profit Sector (NCNP) to regulate and develop the ecosystem
• The creation of national digital infrastructure, including the National Volunteer Platform, connecting volunteers with opportunities
• Institutional partnerships between non-profits, government entities and the private sector

These changes have transformed volunteering from sporadic initiatives into a structured national system. But the significance of this transformation goes beyond participation numbers.

This growth is about more than scale. As the non-profit ecosystem expands, volunteering is increasingly functioning as a bridge between society and institutions.

Several dynamics underpin this role. First, volunteering increases institutional visibility, allowing individuals to see firsthand how organisations operate and deliver impact.

Second, it creates shared ownership of social initiatives, shifting projects from institutional programmes to collective efforts. Third, it fosters cross-sector collaboration, with volunteers moving between organisations, universities and companies, creating networks that strengthen the ecosystem.

Over time, these dynamics help cultivate a culture of citizen engagement grounded in trust rather than transaction.

In emerging non-profit sectors, institutional growth can outpace public familiarity with governance. Without trust, organisations may struggle to mobilise sustained participation.

Saudi Arabia’s experience suggests volunteering can help close this gap. Rather than viewing it purely as service delivery, policymakers can treat volunteering as social infrastructure connecting citizens with institutions.

When structured effectively, volunteering can:

• Improve transparency and institutional legitimacy
• Strengthen community engagement
• Create pathways for citizen participation in national development

These effects extend far beyond individual projects and reflect a broader global shift.

The year 2026 has been highlighted internationally as an opportunity to renew attention to volunteerism—not as an auxiliary activity, but as a core element of sustainable development.

Building on the legacy of the United Nations’ International Year of Volunteers (2001), this shift reflects a deeper change: volunteering is increasingly seen as part of the institutional fabric that sustains trust, co-operation and collective problem-solving.

What is at stake is not participation alone, but the relationship between citizens and institutions. Formal systems—regulation, funding, governance—can scale quickly. Trust cannot. It must be built through repeated, tangible interactions.

Volunteering, in this sense, becomes a point of connection—where abstract systems become visible, where policy meets lived experience and where individuals move from observers to co-creators of social value.

Saudi Arabia’s expanding ecosystem illustrates how this can be achieved at scale. Beyond mobilising large numbers, it is embedding a culture in which participation carries institutional meaning.

In rapidly transforming economies, this is critical. Financial capital can accelerate development, and policy can co-ordinate it. But without trust and shared ownership, systems remain fragile. In this context, volunteering is not peripheral—it is a form of social infrastructure underpinning resilient and trusted societies.