Policy makers promote volunteering in part because it is a powerful mechanism for expanding local community services. Volunteers, however, are subject to processes and power dynamics within organizations, which limit their collective agency. This article reports key findings of a study of rural ambulance volunteers’ agency. The study demonstrated that collective identity is part of the ensemble of power that allows volunteers’ interests to be marginalized within organizations. Findings highlighted barriers for volunteers who were unhappy with the organizational support they received. A critical realist analysis revealed that rural location and community discourses underpinned the volunteers’ lack of collective agency.
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