The volunteer movement is characterized by rapid growth, from virtually no volunteers working in the field in the early 1960's to .5 million volunteers in 1979. Consolidation of the volunteer efforts have resulted in development of a national quarterly newspaper, an annual national forum, and establishment of a volunteer managers' training program. Critical issues include the importance of leadership and confidentiality. The trend toward professionals taking over leadership and management funtions of volunteer programs probably will continue, and training, use of paraprofessionals, and reimbursement of expenses for low-income volunteers will be emphasized. Studies confirm that volunteer programs have demonstrated their value, but professionals' acceptance and support is vital to the success of volunteerism. Learning exercises and a partially annotated bibliography of about 25 references are supplied. For the rest of the series, see NCJ 83347-55, 83357, and 62914.