This article contributes to the theory of volunteering by examining dropouts. It uses its own data material (59 narrative interviews, 10 group discussions) from charities, sports clubs, church communities, and environmental initiatives in Germany. By comparing narrative styles, it shows at least two specific ways of presenting volunteering practice. First, the (former) volunteers produce different narratives depending on their area of action. In doing so, they position themselves in specific fields of tension. Second, they report on their experiences in collective work processes: cooperation, the avoidance of alienation, and the justification of working time structure the narratives and in turn refer to tense contexts as well. Accordingly, the article theorizes volunteering as a multidimensional endeavor. It distinguishes an area-specific dimension from a work-specific dimension. Both dimensions of the experience are relevant for the dynamics of volunteering. The article recommends paying more attention to this complex, multidimensional practice in particular.
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