During 1960s and 1970s, there were non-profit organizations that were “welfare” or “empowerment-oriented.” Welfare-oriented organizations provided relief after national disasters or wars. Empowerment-oriented organizations sought to inform and train communities to participate in governance as a means of reducing poverty and bringing social change. This trend continued into the 1980s and 1990s, as more groups were dissatisfied with the pace of development and hoped to increase awareness among the population. Subsequently, as the times changed, we had different expressions of volunteerism, which was manifested through technology, online, and addition of new players. The early periods of the year 2000, immediately following the opening of the Indian economy and subsequent interface between foreign and domestic companies, corporate volunteering took roots in a more structured fashion and today it serves as a major philanthropic initiative of a large number of Indian companies. The trend shows that such developments have not only redefined the manner in which people express their intent to do good, but have also given rise to new players that dot the volunteering landscape is encouraging to witness. The dissatisfaction with the lack of development is still the basis for many NGOs to participate or take action. There was an increasing perception that the government had been ineffective in spurring development, and this was especially acute in rural areas. Developmental NGOs worked to make up for the state’s deficiencies in diverse areas including health, education, livelihoods, water, sanitation, land reform, gender equality, and the environment. Largely, these NGOs worked with the population in order to raise social awareness and inspire civic action. Over the years, Indian society has always faced innumerable socio-political challenges. Many of these challenges have been systemic and are directly linked with some peculiar social and cultural practices. Governments have not been successful in addressing all of those challenges in its entirety. In this context, the volunteer efforts - individual and collective- have played an important role in addressing such challenges. These efforts continue to have a considerable impact when it comes to addressing the concerns of the needy and those on the fringes. Considering the importance of spirit and act of volunteerism, the UN declared the year 2001 as IYV (International Year of Volunteers). Since the IYV in 2001, governments, the UN system, civil society partners and other stakeholders have increasingly recognized that volunteerism makes significant contributions to peace and development. The UN General Assembly specifically noted the importance of legislative and fiscal frameworks for the growth and development of volunteerism, and encouraged governments to enact such measures. The role of the state has always been seen to be supportive, enabling and collaborative to be able to bring together all stakeholders at one platform; and unplug the creativity and innovative mechanisms in which gains and dividends of volunteerism could be maximized with enabling framework of rules, laws, legal mechanisms and policies that only aid processes and build commitments of those who are out to contribute meaningfully to the welfare. Volunteerism is “a universal human phenomenon” and contributes important social and economic benefits to society. Prior to IYV 2001, few governments had laws or policies that specifically addressed volunteerism in a unified or comprehensive manner. This lack of enabling laws and policies impeded the full realization of the social and economic benefits associated with volunteerism in many countries. For example, several countries’ employment and minimum wage laws failed to distinguish between
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