





































Education, Language and Sociology Research 

ISSN 2690-3644 (Print) ISSN 2690-3652 (Online) 

Vol. 6, No. 3, 2025 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/elsr 

68 
 

Original Paper 

Exploring the Path of Establishing a Long term Development 

Mechanism for Volunteer Services in Higher Education 

Institutions 

Wenwen Ding1* 

1 Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China 

* Wenwen Ding, Lecturer at Jiangsu University, Master of Law, with a research focus on ideological and 

political education 

 

Received: June 20, 2025           Accepted: July 5, 2025       Online Published: July 31, 2025 

doi:10.22158/elsr.v6n3p68          URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/elsr.v6n3p68 

 

Abstract 

How to promote the high-quality development of volunteer services in universities has become a key 

concern and research topic in various sectors of society. This article starts with the significance of 

building a long-term development mechanism for university volunteer services, analyzes the problems 

that currently constrain the high-quality development of university volunteer services, and aims to 

construct a sustainable and stable development mechanism for university volunteer services by 

stimulating the intrinsic motivation of college students, improving management systems, and 

strengthening brand building, in order to truly play its due functional role. 

Keywords 

universities, volunteer services, long-term mechanisms, social governance 

 

Volunteer service is an important symbol of social civilization and progress, as well as an effective way 

to promote modernization of social governance and achieve shared social responsibility. In the new era, 

volunteer service has become an important carrier for cultivating morality and practical education in 

universities. With the promotion of relevant policies and norms at all levels, college student volunteer 

service has developed rapidly, providing a platform for college students to grow and serve society. At 

present, college student volunteers have become the largest and most dynamic team of volunteers in 

China, making tremendous contributions in promoting the spirit of volunteerism, serving the public, and 

supporting social construction. However, there are still certain shortcomings in the organizational 



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mechanism, management system, and content innovation of current university volunteer services, which 

have a negative impact on the full play of their functions. 

 

1. The Importance of Establishing a Long Term Development Mechanism for Volunteer Services 

in Higher Education Institutions 

1.1 Beneficial for the Full Utilization of Educational Functions 

Volunteer service in universities is an important means to achieve the function of educating students. By 

integrating volunteer service into ideological and political education and practical teaching, college 

students can gain a firsthand understanding of social responsibility and moral obligations. In the process 

of participating in volunteer service, the personal values of college students will also be continuously 

tested and improved. At the same time, volunteer service can also help college students deepen their 

understanding of professional knowledge, achieve the organic integration of theory and social practice, 

improve their teamwork ability, social adaptability and comprehensive quality, and provide strong 

support for universities to cultivate socialist builders and successors with both morality and talent. 

1.2 Beneficial for Promoting the Growth and Success of College Students 

For college students, volunteer service is not only a practical form of assuming social responsibility, but 

also an effective way to enhance their overall quality. By actively participating in various social service 

projects, college students can effectively enhance their practical and problem-solving abilities, and 

broaden their horizons and enrich their experiences through interactions with different groups and 

situations. In practice closely related to professional fields such as education, healthcare, and social work, 

volunteer service can help college students gain a deeper understanding of industry needs and enhance 

their thinking on their own professional learning and career planning. At the same time, the requirements 

for teamwork and continuous investment also provide good conditions for college students to exercise 

their organizational and coordination skills, as well as self-management abilities. 

1.3 Helps Promote Modernization of Social Governance 

Volunteer service, as an important means of promoting social governance, can effectively alleviate the 

problem of insufficient public service resources at the grassroots level and provide new impetus for the 

modernization process of social governance. Through the active participation of college students, the 

community can receive diverse and specialized support, better respond to residents’ needs, and improve 

the quality of public services. At the same time, the extensive development of volunteer services can also 

strengthen the construction of spiritual civilization, promote the values of “dedication, friendship, mutual 

assistance, and progress”, and enhance the overall moral cohesion and sense of identity of society. 

Through multi-party cooperation and resource integration from the government, universities, and social 

organizations, volunteer service not only optimizes the efficiency of social resource allocation, but also 

lays a solid foundation for achieving the social governance pattern of “co construction, co governance, 

and sharing”. 

 



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2. The Problems in the Long Term Development of Volunteer Services in Current Universities 

2.1 Some College Students Have a Relatively One-sided Understanding of Volunteer Service 

In recent years, volunteer service has been increasingly accepted and put into action by college students, 

but there is still a certain cognitive bias in its effective implementation. Some college students lack a 

profound understanding of the spirit of “dedication, friendship, mutual assistance, and progress” in 

volunteer service. They only see volunteer service as a task aimed at improving their grades, showcasing 

their abilities and image, and meeting school requirements. They fail to truly internalize the spirit of 

volunteer service as their moral pursuit, and there are problems with “formalization” in the participation 

process, resulting in negative tendencies such as “being volunteered” and “volunteering for the sake of 

volunteering”. 

2.2 Insufficient Connotative Development of Volunteer Service 

At present, the content and form of volunteer service projects carried out by universities are relatively 

limited, lacking the motivation to promote connotative development in depth. Firstly, in the process of 

integrating volunteer service into education, teaching, and social practice in all aspects, the project 

content and form are relatively single, and many activities are limited to physical assistance or basic 

public welfare promotion, with insufficient integration with subject knowledge or social reality needs. 

College students find it difficult to exercise their professional abilities and social service awareness at a 

higher level through this. Secondly, the integration of information technology construction and online 

and offline is not mature, and many projects still use traditional models, failing to expand their impact 

through digital platforms or new media channels, and lacking interdisciplinary and cross departmental 

collaborative promotion mechanisms. Thirdly, it has not been closely integrated with teaching, scientific 

research, and campus culture construction, thus unable to fully play the three-dimensional role of all-

round education. The comprehensive literacy improvement and social practice ability of college students 

have also been affected to a certain extent. 

2.3 The Volunteer Organization Mechanism Needs to Be Improved 

The many problems presented in university volunteer services are closely related to inadequate 

organizational management, manifested in two specific aspects. Firstly, there is improper management 

of volunteer organizations. Some volunteer organizations lack clear guidelines and management 

processes, resulting in college student volunteers participating in volunteer activities without clear goals 

and plans, and the significance and value of volunteer service are not fully reflected. Secondly, there is 

insufficient protection and management. At the level of protection, legal and financial support are not 

sufficient, and there is a lack of detailed regulations on the protection of volunteer rights and risk 

prevention. There is often a lack of clear institutional basis for identifying accidental injuries or 

responsibilities of college students during the participation process. The funding mainly relies on 

government appropriations and scattered donations from society, with a single and volatile channel, 

making it difficult to support diversified and normalized project needs. At the management level, projects 

often operate in a phased or temporary manner, with relatively weak overall planning, training, and 



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evaluation systems. Volunteers receive less professional training or safety education before serving, and 

their ability to cope with complex situations is limited in practice. The evaluation methods mainly focus 

on service duration or credit requirements, making it difficult to comprehensively measure the quality of 

service and the growth of college students. 

 

3. Exploring the Path of Establishing a Long Term Development Mechanism for Volunteer Services 

in Higher Education Institutions 

3.1 Vigorously Promote the Concept of Volunteer Service 

The fundamental reason for the phenomenon of college students being “volunteered” is their lack of 

understanding of volunteer culture and insufficient recognition of the spirit of volunteerism. Deepen the 

publicity and promotion of university volunteer services, guide college students and social groups to 

participate in socialized volunteer services with the appeal and influence of university volunteer services, 

and expand the coverage of volunteer service organizations and volunteer service matters. 

3.1.1 Create a Volunteer Service Atmosphere 

Colleges and universities need to give full play to the role of public opinion guidance, build a good 

official account, radio station, school newspaper, publicity gallery and other publicity positions, and 

timely publicize the development of college students’ volunteer service activities, outstanding typical 

figures and deeds on the WeChat official account platform, bulletin board, school newspaper and other 

media. Through education and publicity, students can truly understand the connotation of volunteer 

service, believe in the spirit of volunteer service, cultivate their sense of mission and social responsibility 

in the times, continuously stimulate their internal participation motivation, and guide them to participate 

in social construction and development independently and voluntarily. 

3.1.2 Utilize the Advantages of the Two Educational Channels of “Theory and Practice” 

College students are the main practitioners, and throughout the planning and summarization of volunteer 

service activities, attention should be paid to the group and individual characteristics of the practitioners, 

fully mobilizing their subjective initiative. Once the internal motivation of college students to practice 

the spirit of volunteerism is stimulated, they will participate in volunteer service spontaneously and 

voluntarily. Essentially, volunteer service is a process of learning through service, refining through 

introspection, forging through practice, and cultivating through adaptation. Universities should integrate 

the spirit of volunteerism into the ideological and political education of college students, and combine 

ideological and political theory with the spirit of volunteerism. College students internalize the spirit of 

volunteerism through ideological and political classes, and externalize it through diverse practical 

activities. 

3.2 Optimize the Volunteer Service Management System 

The management of university volunteer services plays a crucial role in the development of college 

students’ volunteer services, and has a significant impact on their cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and 

service outcomes. Therefore, universities should optimize the working and organizational mechanisms 



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of college students’ volunteer services, achieve daily promotion of volunteer spirit, standardized 

organization of volunteer activities, institutionalized guarantee of volunteer services, and scientific 

evaluation of volunteer services. 

3.2.1 Incorporate Volunteer Service into Talent Development Programs 

Universities can integrate volunteer service with campus culture, club activities, and social practice, 

making it integrated into teaching, research, and the daily lives of college students. If the participation of 

college students in volunteer service and the duration of volunteer service during their school years are 

included in the assessment scope, volunteer service related courses can also be offered to allow students 

to participate in courses in the form of credits. Volunteer service activities can also be fully integrated 

into ideological and political courses to help college students comprehensively understand the nature, 

participation methods, and other basic knowledge of volunteer service, and deepen their understanding 

of volunteer service. 

3.2.2 Establish Multi Form and Deep Level Incentive Mechanisms 

Universities should promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of volunteer services for 

college students through institutional construction. The quality and quantity of student volunteer service 

will be included in the incentive mechanism. In addition to taking volunteer service as a consideration 

factor in the comprehensive evaluation, award and evaluation of students, emphasis will be placed on the 

recognition of students participating in volunteer service, and appropriate spiritual awards will be given 

to students. For example, a series of activities such as the “most beautiful volunteer” search activity, 

volunteer service exemplary individual and team outstanding deeds sharing will be held to encourage 

college students to learn from excellent volunteers around them. This will play a positive role in guiding 

college students to invest in volunteer service with high frequency and quality. 

3.2.3 Increase Support for College Students’ Volunteer Services 

Although volunteer service is a public welfare activity, maintaining the normal operation of volunteer 

service organizations and ensuring the normal participation of college students in volunteer service 

requires certain financial support. Increase funding support for college student volunteer services, firstly 

to ensure the life, health, and basic living of college student volunteers, by purchasing insurance and 

providing certain meal and transportation subsidies for college students participating in volunteer service 

activities. The second is to maintain the normal operation of college student volunteer service 

organizations. College student volunteer service organizations need to rely on certain activity funds, 

including necessary expenses for conducting volunteer service activities and organizing irregular team 

building activities to promote emotional communication among volunteers. 

3.2.4 Establish a Scientific and Reasonable Evaluation Mechanism 

One is to institutionalize the evaluation content. The evaluation of college student volunteer service 

content is to assess the effectiveness of volunteer service. Firstly, there should be specific evaluation 

criteria, which mainly include college student volunteers, volunteer service organizations, and volunteer 

service projects. The content evaluation of college student volunteers mainly depends on their frequency 



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and quality of participation. For volunteer service organizations, it mainly depends on the operation of 

the organization and the training of volunteers. For volunteer service projects, it mainly depends on the 

operation and effectiveness of the project. The second is the institutionalization of evaluation methods. 

The institutionalization of evaluation is based on scientific methods and standardized standards. 

Therefore, it is necessary to form standardized and unified standards, and use professional evaluation 

methods to truly grasp the growth and development of volunteers, the operation and implementation of 

volunteer service organizations, and the construction and implementation of volunteer service projects, 

in order to further regulate and strengthen the construction and development of college student volunteer 

services. 

3.3 Build a High-quality Brand of Volunteer Service 

Building a volunteer service brand is the key to the high-quality development of the volunteer service 

industry. In response to the limitations and lack of in-depth development in the content and form of 

university volunteer services, it is necessary to further strengthen the deep integration of volunteer 

services with social needs, information technology, and professional characteristics, and strive to create 

a volunteer service brand with university characteristics that is recognized by service recipients, in order 

to enhance the social influence and reputation of university volunteer services. 

3.3.1 In Terms of Formal Innovation, We Attach Great Importance to the Integrated Development of 

“Online+Offline” 

One is to establish a unified volunteer service information sharing platform, realizing the informatization 

and standardization of project release, registration, training, evaluation and other links, and promoting 

effective linkage and resource docking among various departments. By establishing a digital 

management platform, not only can information be timely released and recruited, but the project process 

and effectiveness can also be more intuitively recorded and evaluated. Secondly, online knowledge 

popularization, guidance and training, project research, etc. can be carried out through new media 

platforms to broaden the scope of volunteer service participation, allowing more college students to break 

through the limitations of time and space and participate in public welfare projects in a more flexible and 

efficient way. 

3.3.2 In Terms of Content Innovation, Create a “Professional+Public Welfare” Project Model 

Firstly, in terms of off campus cooperation, universities can establish long-term and stable cooperative 

relationships with social entities such as the government, communities, and enterprises. By signing 

framework agreements or co construction agreements, the rights, responsibilities, and obligations of both 

parties in project initiation, funding support, and achievement sharing can be clarified. Secondly, in terms 

of project design, universities can fully integrate the characteristics of various disciplines and practical 

social issues, such as combining the needs of social governance, community construction, ecological 

environmental protection, and other fields with the professional learning of college students to form a 

“professional+public welfare” characteristic project. This can not only provide real scenarios for college 

students’ practice and research, but also improve the level and level of volunteer service. Thirdly, in terms 



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of brand building, universities can link communities, enterprises, and other social entities through their 

professional advantages to normalize their affairs. Based on their majors, volunteers can be assigned to 

different grid service demand modules, creating grid based volunteer service characteristics and logos, 

and enhancing the social recognition of college student volunteer services. 

3.4 Strengthening the Professionalization of the Volunteer Team 

Training college student volunteers is to use corresponding carriers to focus on improving their work 

ability and knowledge level, effectively stimulating their potential, and matching the practical needs of 

service recipients to the maximum extent. While improving the comprehensive quality of volunteers, it 

also enhances the quality of volunteer service projects. 

3.4.1 Determine Training Objectives and Develop a Comprehensive Training Plan 

In terms of goals, efforts should be made to start with volunteers’ service awareness, professional skills, 

teamwork ability, communication and coordination ability, and other aspects. Therefore, in the 

formulation of training plans, it is important to focus on detailed arrangements regarding training content, 

methods, time, etc., to ensure that timely adjustments and optimizations can be made based on the actual 

situation and needs of volunteers, and to ensure the pertinence and effectiveness of the training. 

3.4.2 Enrich the Training Content and Emphasize the Combination of Theory and Practice 

In terms of training content, the focus is on professional knowledge, basic skills, service etiquette, 

communication and coordination skills of volunteer service, and emphasizes the combination of theory 

and practice, so that volunteers can gradually deepen their understanding and application of theoretical 

knowledge through practical activities while mastering basic theoretical knowledge. In addition, the 

training content needs to be differentiated and adjusted based on the specific field and target audience of 

volunteer service, always maintaining the pertinence and practicality of the training. 

3.4.3 Improve Training Methods and Enhance Training Effectiveness 

In actual training, various forms such as centralized training, decentralized training, online training, and 

practical operations can be introduced, and reasonable choices are generally made based on the actual 

situation and needs of volunteers. For example, newly recruited volunteers can receive centralized 

training to quickly master basic service etiquette and skills; Volunteers with certain experience can adopt 

decentralized training or online training to enable them to achieve self-directed learning according to 

their own learning needs and practical arrangements. In addition, it is necessary to focus on strengthening 

practical participation to ensure that the theoretical knowledge learned by volunteers can be timely 

transformed into their own practical abilities. 

 

4. Conclusion 

Exploring the construction path of a long-term development mechanism for volunteer services in 

universities is not only necessary to implement the fundamental task of cultivating morality and talents, 

but also an important practice to promote collaborative governance between universities and society. We 

should break through the existing development bottleneck, promote the formation of a high-efficiency 



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development mechanism, and achieve its high-quality development goals by leveraging the subjective 

initiative of college student volunteers, optimizing the volunteer service management system, improving 

institutional guarantees, strengthening team building, and creating high-quality brands. 

 

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