Discussion on Potential of Projects in Volunteer Coordination: Case Studies of Kobe Social Campus and Kobe Social Bridge

Abstract

This paper discusses Kobe Social Campus and Kobe Social Bridges, which are citizen participation projects whose volunteer coordination is conducted by the nonprofit organization Sharaku. The characteristics of its unique objective and its deadlines set this volunteer coordination method apart from others in these two business projects. We identified that the method of volunteer coordination adopted by these projects emphasizes certain particular factors (the clarification of the roles expected to be performed by volunteers, flexibility in participating in volunteer activities, long-term side-by-side assistance, and achievement-oriented strategies) that differ slightly from the features inherent to more conventional methods of volunteer coordination. In this paper, the volunteer activities organized using such methods are referred to as citizen participation projects, and volunteers' motives for participating in them are examined in light of the contemporary social environment. The findings of the study indicate that citizen participation projects provide intermediary organizations with the potential to generate new opportunities, such as reconstructing volunteer program frameworks and building networks of new stakeholders.