Abstract
The chapter gives review of basic theoretical approaches to the volunteering phenomenon (nonprofit, civil, leisure) and shows their tendencies to enlarge the concept behind individual behavior. This is illustrated on the new trends in volunteering in the 21. century.
The text try to introduce imagination of volunteering as complex and dynamic phenomenon, which could be analyzed by the concept of "structural patterns" based on the theory of modernization. Each pattern of volunteering has six dimensions: 1. style, 2. motivation, 3. social capital, 4. organization, 5. cultural framework, 6. social value.