Semenova I.Yu.

Organizational and legal foundations of social service and volunteering in modern Russia

Keywords: welfare state, social service, volunteering, public associations, the youth, assistance to the infirm, socially useful activities, selfless help to those in need, good deeds

Realizing volunteer potential is a pressing scientific and practical issue that requires creation of appropriate organizational and legal mechanisms for implementation. Selfless service has always reflected the degree of social responsibility of citizens in the society, and it has been used to judge the quality of social policy. The state is unable to fully implement socially significant projects without the support of philanthropists and volunteers, and the role of proactive citizens in implementing good deeds is constantly increasing. This suggests that good-natured Russians cannot and do not want to remain indifferent in helping those in need who find themselves in a difficult life situation. Today in our country, a unified information system "Volunteers of Russia" unites more than half a million volunteers and 13,300 organizations ready to help. The purpose of the study is to analyze the organizational and legal foundations of social service and volunteering in Russia, based on historical experience and current state of the issue, in order to solve constitutionally significant tasks facing the welfare state, when the Russians carry out diverse socially useful activities. Materials and methods. In the course of the research, both general scientific (analysis, synthesis, deduction) and special legal methods (comparative legal, method of interpretation) were used. In addition, current federal legislation, scientific publications and electronic resources of the official websites of public associations (DOBRO.RF, VTsIOM, EIS "Volunteers of Russia") were used. Results. To date, the issues of implementing various forms of charitable activities are regulated at the legislative level. Despite a sufficient elaboration of regulatory provisions, the law enforcement practice revealed a number of issues that require more careful attention from the legislator. A brief analysis of historical lessons showed the centuries-old experience of providing selfless help to those in need by caring people. The number of such people is increasing from year to year in the XXI century. Various humanitarian actions, such as volunteering, charitable service, human rights activities, peacekeeping missions, patronage and other types of social service, are an invaluable tool for social support for people who, for subjective and objective reasons, find themselves in a situation that they cannot overcome on their own (fire victims, acute financial need due to illness or lost ability to work, insurmountable alcohol or drug addiction, helplessness due to the domestic population, etc.). The format of the unified information system "Volunteers of Russia" became an example demonstrating the sincere attitude of the Russians towards people who need help in the fight against social difficulties here and now. Conclusions. In modern conditions of new civilizational challenges, the role of social service and volunteering, which have a solid spiritual and moral foundation and centuries-old traditions in Russian society, is again increasing. The established organizational and legal foundations of social service and measures to support volunteering became a solid constitutional foundation that contributes to further development of Russian traditions of selfless service, disclosure of creative initiative and social creativity of the broadest segments of the population, which confirms the theoretical and practical significance of the study. Today, it is the younger generation of the Russians as the future of our country, who make up the bulk of volunteers in almost all areas of socially useful activities.

About authors

Semenova Inna Yu.

Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil Legal Disciplines, Chuvash State University, Russia, Cheboksary (iysemenova@mail.ru; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7557-228X)

Article link

Semenova I.Yu. Organizational and legal foundations of social service and volunteering in modern Russia [Electronic resource] // Oeconomia et Jus. – 2025. – №3. P. 110-118. – URL: https://oecomia-et-jus.ru/en/single/2025/3/10/. DOI: 10.47026/2499-9636-2025-3-110-118.