现在的各种志愿者有很多，但每个人的目的可能不尽相同。下面的短文进行了分析。
According to Kofi A. Annan, volunteers are people who devote their own time and energy in order to better society, and they are motivated by their moral beliefs, empathy and a sense of responsibility rather than by their own material benefit. “Volunteer service in general uses one's own time, one's own abilities, one's own resources, and one's own kindness, and using non-profit, non-professionalized action to benefit your neighbors, your community, and society as a whole.”
根据科菲·安南的说法，志愿者是那些为了改善社会而奉献自己时间和精力的人。他们的动机出自于他们的道德信仰、同理心和责任感，而不是他们自己的物质利益。一般来说，志愿者服务利用自己的时间、自己的能力、自己的资源和自己的善良，用非营利性、非职业化的行动来造福邻居、社区及整个社会。
What are people's motivations for becoming a volunteer? For some, it's because an organization asked for help; for others it's a way of acting on their principles. Some people volunteer in order to broaden their own experience; still others simply believe that it's important to help other people. The “motivation question" is the hardest thing for those who research volunteerism to explain, but most likely it's a combination of a desire to help others, a sense of responsibility to contribute to society, and simple personal enjoyment.
人们成为志愿者的动机是什么?对一些人来说是因为某个组织寻求帮助，对其他人来说，这是一种按照自己的原则行事的方式。有些人做志愿者是为了增长自己的经验，还有一些人只是认为帮助别人很重要。对于那些研究志愿服务的人来说，“动机问题”是最难解释的，但最有可能的是，这是一种帮助他人的愿望、一种为社会做出贡献的责任感和简单的个人满足的结合。
