The paradox of compulsory volunteering: A textual analysis of charity as punishment on U.S. television

Abstract

Preconceived expectations for one’s behavior drive how people interact with their communities. Messaging via pop culture is a common source for citizens to learn about one community engagement tool: compulsory volunteering. Compulsory volunteering, like court-ordered community service and school-based volunteering, provides an opportunity to learn and “give back” to one’s community. The authors ask, what is the value of compulsory volunteering according to pop culture messaging? Textual analysis is used to identify common themes among 48 episodes of U.S. television about community service and service-learning. Findings indicate that popular culture teaches society that compulsory volunteering is more often a chore to avoid than a way to give back. Volunteers on television perceive power as placed in the wrong hands, and plots center on regaining agency. This power displacement becomes problematic if viewers perceive the volunteer supervisor as an antagonist to defeat. Nonprofits should anticipate misunderstandings when onboarding coerced volunteers.