Background

Volunteerism is a key driver of national development, social cohesion, and active citizenship. Across Africa, individuals and communities continue to contribute their time, skills, and expertise to address social challenges and advance collective wellbeing. This tradition of voluntary action is deeply rooted in African societies, where mutual support, communal labour, and civic responsibility have long been part of community life. Reflecting this culture, the 2024 Global Giving Report ranks five African countries among the top ten globally for volunteering, including Liberia (2nd), Nigeria (3rd), Kenya (4th), The Gambia (7th), and Guinea (8th).

In Ghana, volunteerism is increasingly being recognized and utilized as a mechanism for promoting civic engagement and community-led development. According to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) country profile, volunteering activities in Ghana are concentrated in sectors such as education, health, environmental conservation, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and skills development. At the national level, the establishment of a structured volunteer programme in recent years reflects the growing recognition of volunteerism not only as a social good but also as a complementary pathway to employment, social inclusion, and local economic development. Notably, the launch of the National Youth Volunteers Programme in 2022 marked a significant milestone, with projections estimating volunteerism’s potential contribution to Ghana’s GDP[1] at approximately 2.4%.

This paper explores how STAR-Ghana Foundation is leveraging volunteering to address key community challenges and positioning local organizations to better deliver their mandates.

Advancing Volunteerism: The STAR-Ghana Foundation Approach

STAR-Ghana Foundation mobilizes, catalyzes and support an informed, active and engaged citizenry for inclusive development. The Foundation has since 2018, continued to advance its Active Citizenship[2] agenda, recognizing that informed and engaged citizens are essential to national transformation.

To deepen this agenda, the Foundation launched an Active Citizenship Strategy that focused on three pillars of work: promoting local and national volunteerism, enhancing civic engagement and democratic participation, and supporting social movements. Together, these pillars aim to inspire and enable citizens to take action on issues that matter to them, contributing to a more just, inclusive, and prosperous Ghana.

Further to this, a volunteerism strategy was developed to operationalize the pillar on ‘promoting local and national volunteerism’. The Volunteerism strategy is built around four components: i. STAR-Ghana Foundation hosted Volunteerism Initiatives, ii. Private Sector Volunteerism (PSV), iii. Promoting an Enabling Environment for Volunteerism iv. Facilitating Partner-Hosted Initiatives. The fourth component focuses on enhancing the capacity of civil society organizations, particularly smaller and less formalized groups, to integrate volunteerism into their programming as a driver of active citizenship and sustainable community development. Through this component, the Foundation aims to support selected partners to pilot volunteer-led interventions that address key community issues and organisational gaps, primarily through small grants and technical assistance.

Since 2023, STAR-Ghana Foundation has implemented its partner-hosted initiative through two distinct models of volunteerism: the Expert Volunteer Programme (EVP) and the Community-Based Volunteer Programme (CBV).

The Expert Volunteer Programme (EVP) was specifically designed to strengthen the institutional capacities of small, community-based organizations who often face significant constraints due to weak institutional systems that further limit their access to direct funding and leaves many to function as implementation conduits for larger organizations. The EVP is grounded in the assumption that empowered organizations can serve as sustainable, effective, and credible representatives of their constituencies.

Since its launch in 2023, the EVP has engaged 23 highly skilled professionals, including retirees and active practitioners from civil society, public institutions, and the private sector across two phases to support 18 partner organizations. These experts were matched with host organizations for six-month placements, based on their areas of expertise and the specific capacity gaps that were identified through needs assessments. Their support covers key areas including Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), partnership building, governance, and financial management.

On the other hand, the Community-Based Volunteer (CBV) Programme was introduced to respond to declining volunteerism in communities, a trend that has weakened collective action and local development. The overarching goal of the CBV programme is to foster a culture of volunteerism within communities, enabling them to leverage their own resources whether financial or in-kind to drive their own development and ensure sustainability.

This initiative, within 24 months working through eighteen (18) partners, mobilized 446 volunteers [AI1] comprising 218 women and 228 men across 91 communities in 30 districts and 10 regions of Ghana as focal persons to facilitate community led development across six thematic areas- education, health, child protection, governance, natural resources, livelihoods, and peace and security.

The CBV seeks not only to enhance service delivery in under-resourced communities but to reignite civic agency and collective action by equipping volunteers with the tools to lead sensitization, advocacy, and accountability efforts. Through a combination of capacity-building, strategic partnerships, and community mobilization, this initiative lays the groundwork for sustainable, volunteer-driven development outcomes.

Altogether, STAR‑Ghana Foundation’s volunteerism initiatives demonstrate the transformative potential of structured citizen engagement in driving inclusive and sustainable development. The combined effect of strengthened institutions and reactivated community leadership highlights the value of volunteerism as both a development strategy and a catalyst for civic agency.

Key outcomes and learnings

The implementation of STAR-Ghana Foundation’s volunteerism models yielded significant results in strengthening community-based organizations and promoting community-led development. These initiatives demonstrate that when volunteers are strategically engaged and supported, they can play a transformative role in building organizational capacity, enhancing service delivery, and fostering civic participation.

Strengthened Institutional Capacity through the Expert Volunteer Programme (EVP)

The EVP proved highly effective in addressing the capacity gaps of participating community‑based organizations. Through tailored technical support, partner organizations developed essential operational documents, including strategic plans, financial management manuals, reporting templates, and governance tools that strengthened their legitimacy and improved their readiness for future partnerships. Additionally, host organizations benefited from enhanced competencies in advocacy, monitoring, learning, and results tracking.

In other instances, expert volunteers created pathways for organizations to connect with key government institutions and access market opportunities for their constituents.
Notably, many experts continued to support their host organizations beyond the formal six‑month placement, resulting in ongoing mentorship and, in some instances, joint applications for grant opportunities. This continuity highlights the strong relationships and shared learning fostered by the programme.

Cost-Effective and Scalable Community Engagement through the Community‑Based Volunteer Programme (CBV)

All 18 grant partners reported that the CBV model offered a more cost‑effective approach to community development compared to traditional implementation models. Instead of relying heavily on project staff, volunteers took on frontline roles while grant partners provided facilitation and oversight. This approach not only expanded programme reach but also encouraged participating communities to replicate these volunteer‑led initiatives independently.

Revitalized Volunteerism and Civic Agency at the Community Level

The CBV model reignited the spirit of volunteerism across implementing communities. Communities became more actively involved in identifying local issues, designing interventions, and contributing time and in‑kind resources toward solutions.
Volunteers demonstrated increased leadership by co‑creating project activities, mobilizing community members, and deepening engagement with local authorities and service providers. This renewed sense of ownership has laid a strong foundation for a sustained movement of community‑led development in all 91 participating communities.

Improved Multi‑Stakeholder Collaboration and Social Cohesion

The project enhanced collaboration among civil society organizations, traditional authorities, district assemblies, and community volunteers. Improved communication, better coordination, and joint decision‑making created a more cohesive development ecosystem.
These relationships fostered trust and opened opportunities for shared learning, pooling of resources, and replication of successful practices across communities.

Strengthened Community Ownership, Accountability, and Local Resource Utilization

By placing communities at the centre of initiative design, planning, and implementation, the CVP strengthened community ownership of development processes and enhanced local accountability structures. Communities became more committed to sustaining project gains, with interventions better aligned to their real needs.

The programme also showed that meaningful development can be driven by mobilising locally available skills, cultural values, leadership networks, and material resources. Communities engaged state actors, local leaders, artisans, and informal groups to support and sustain activities, demonstrating a resource-driven model that promotes innovation, adaptability, and long‑term sustainability particularly in contexts with limited financial resources.

For example, in the Shigu community in the Sagnarigu Municipality, the Mang-Sungsim group mobilised to engage the Municipal Assembly after securing land for the construction of a Junior High School block. This initiative emerged directly from a series of capacity‑building sessions on governance, accountability, and local resource mobilisation.

Similarly, in Issah in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District, volunteer efforts have strengthened collaboration with the District Health Directorate. Health professionals now support the development, review, and continuous updating of content on the Amplio Talking Book, complementing community healthcare delivery. The Talking Book has become the first point of contact for hard‑to‑reach communities, providing essential information on the initial management of common communicable diseases such as meningitis before referral to the nearest health facility.

Volunteers as Catalysts for Change

Through structured training, mentorship, and continuous support, volunteers took on active roles in advocacy, local accountability monitoring, community sensitization, and engagement with duty bearers. The CBV proved that when civil society organizations intentionally integrate volunteerism into their work, volunteers can deliver measurable, sustainable, and community‑driven impact.

Key Reflections

While STAR-Ghana Foundation’s volunteerism models delivered meaningful results, the implementation process revealed a number of practical challenges that are important to consider for possible replication.

Identifying suitable volunteers within the proximity of host organizations proved difficult as majority of the community-based organizations were based in the middle and northern parts of the country, whereas many qualified volunteers in the southern part. This mismatch led to increased operational costs. However, this was largely addressed in the second phase by clearly indicating preferred locations in the call for volunteers.

Another area of debate concerns the ‘true’ definition of volunteerism within the programme as STAR-Ghana Foundation provides modest stipend and transportation allowances to facilitate volunteers’ engagement. While this arrangement raises questions about whether the initiative qualifies as “pure” volunteerism, it reflects a realistic and contextually appropriate approach designed to ensure meaningful and sustained engagement. In practice, many volunteers contribute time, expertise, and personal resources that extend well beyond the modest provisions offered by the Foundation, thereby reinforcing the spirit of civic commitment that underpins the programme.

Unleashing the potential of Volunteerism for National Development

Building on the successes and lessons from STAR-Ghana Foundation’s volunteerism initiatives, there is a clear opportunity to scale volunteer-led development through more structured and sustainable approaches. Positioning volunteerism as a tool for national development in Ghana will require coordinated efforts among government institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners, anchored in supportive policy frameworks, robust data systems, and effective institutional collaboration. The following recommendations are made for this purpose.

• The Government, through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, announced at the 2024 Ghana Philanthropy Conference its plans to develop a national volunteering policy. In support of this initiative, civil society actors have a key role to play in shaping the policy process by convening inclusive dialogues, generating and sharing evidence, building broad coalitions, and advocating for enabling provisions such as tax incentives and supportive frameworks to ensure that philanthropy and volunteerism evolve into sustainable drivers of Ghana’s national development.
• To enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of volunteer engagement within the civil society sector, there is a need to establish systems that better connect skilled volunteers with CSOs across Ghana. Developing a centralized national database of volunteers would enable CSOs to easily identify and mobilize individuals to address their diverse capacity needs. Such a database should be independently managed, accessible to verified organizations, and operate without the provision of allowances or stipends to uphold the voluntary spirit of participation and service.
• Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are encouraged to systematically integrate volunteerism into their programming as a strategic approach to enhance community ownership, expand reach, and improve sustainability. By embedding volunteer roles within project design and implementation, CSOs can leverage local expertise, foster civic engagement, and reduce operational costs.
• There is a need for broader national interest in establishing systems to track and document volunteer contributions to Ghana’s development. A standardized framework capturing data such as hours served, sectors supported, and outcomes achieved would help quantify the impact of volunteerism and inform policy and programming. STAR-Ghana Foundation, through its partnership with GoGive Time, has already initiated efforts in this direction. Building on this momentum, stakeholders across government, civil society, and the private sector are encouraged to collaborate in designing inclusive, participatory systems that recognize and reflect the diverse forms of volunteer engagement taking place across the country.

Conclusion

The experiences and lessons from STAR-Ghana Foundation’s volunteerism initiatives highlight the transformative potential of structured and well-supported volunteer engagement in driving sustainable national development. Through Expert Volunteer and Community-Based Volunteer models, citizens have been supported to contribute their skills, time, and knowledge to strengthening organizational capacity, deepening civic responsibility, and fostering community ownership of development initiatives. These models have reignited collective action and demonstrated that locally driven solutions, when strategically supported, can yield lasting results.

To fully realize the potential of volunteerism as a driver of national development, Ghana must prioritize the establishment of institutional frameworks, coordination mechanisms, and recognition systems that uphold and sustain volunteer contributions. A national volunteering policy, complemented by robust data systems and cross-sector collaboration, will help embed volunteerism into the country’s development architecture. Achieving this vision will require continuous partnership among government, civil society, and the private sector to cultivate a culture of active citizenship, where volunteerism is not merely an act of goodwill, but a foundational element of participatory and people-centred development.

Written by:

Name: Anita Asare Awuku                                                   Name: Allswell Garbrah Hooper                 

Position: Senior Project Officer                                           Position: Project Officer

[1] Ghanaian Times. (2022, April 12). Veep launches National Youth Volunteers Programme to ignite spirit of selflessness. Ghanaian Times. https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/veep-launches-national-youth-volunteers-programme-to-ignite-spirit-of-selflessness/

[2] Active Citizenship is about a recognition that ‘change for good’ requires action, and individuals and groups as active citizens making a difference in their communities at a local, national or global level, drawing on individual and collective action to “fulfil rights, of self, neighbour and the environment, balanced with one’s responsibilities”; while recognising, confronting and exercising power with imagination and character. (STAR-Ghana Foundation, 2020).

A close out STAR-Ghana Foundation’s AVID Volunteers Project, focused on creating a strong foundation for volunteerism at both local and national levels.