The problem of volunteer self-identification as a feature of the development of the volunteer movement in Russia

This article presents the results of a study dedicated to the self-identification of volunteers. The author examines the issue of participants in the volunteer movement refusing to perceive and represent themselves as volunteers. Based on an expert survey of leaders from various volunteer organizations - social, environmental, patriotic, and tourism-oriented - the author identifies several reasons for this phenomenon. The reluctance to identify as volunteers may be linked to internal value systems (mentality, religiosity, upbringing), contradictions of true and declared volunteering, a desire to avoid time-consuming reporting, and potential reputational risks. Additionally, the indistinct separation of volunteering from other socially significant activities - such as charity, good neighborliness, and civic activism - is highlighted as a contributing factor. The author also considers the ambiguity in the use of the terms “volunteer” and “voluntarist” as a probable cause.