Transforming Volunteering in Development

The climate emergency, decolonisation, reduced aid budgets and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic are challenging the ideas and practices of development organisations whose work has been structured around sending volunteering from the global North to the South. At the same time, there has been growing attention to the role of volunteers within their own communities, particularly in the global South, and innovations in the ways international volunteering is understood, structured and supported within and across global North and South.

This collaborative PhD between the International Forum for Volunteering in Development (Forum) and the Centre for Global Development (CGD) at Northumbria University will develop research that explores the changing relationships between volunteering and development at this critical juncture. By analysing how organisations working with volunteers are responding to these challenges, the PhD will also contribute to wider academic debates around the present and future of humanitarian and development thinking and practice, including in relation to the roles of civil society organisations, ideas of knowledge and expertise, and understandings of agency and citizenship.

Through a collaborative approach between Forum and Northumbria University, this three-year research project will provide an opportunity to work closely with leading volunteering and development organisations, developing critical insight that will directly support policy and practice, as well as developing new conceptual knowledge of volunteering and development.

Blogs and Research Updates

This blog series will provide regular updates on the research project, highlighting progress, key focus areas, and valuable insights gained throughout the collaborative PhD journey.

1) Click the link below to read the first blog, introducing the project and the series:

Blog edition #1 (March 2025): Clark, J. (2025). Transforming volunteering in development: Project introduction. Northumbria University. https://doi.org/10.25398/rd.northumbria.28581542

2) Click the link below to read the second blog in the series, focusing on research ethics. It provides an introduction to the key principles and how ethics should be applied in formal research but also in less formal data collection exercises. It also outlines the benefits of embedding ethics principles into evidence gathering and offers some useful resources for practitioners:

Blog edition #2 (May 2025): Clark, J. (2025). Transforming volunteering in development: Considering ethics. Northumbria University. https://doi.org/10.25398/rd.northumbria.28730543

3) Click the link below to read a blog co-authored by Janet Clark, James O'Brien (Forum) and Prof Matt Baillie Smith (Northumbria University), published by Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development. The blog explores the differences between voluntourism and volunteering in development, and explains why this distinction matters:

Clark, J., O'Brien, J., & Baillie Smith, M. (2025). International volunteering in development: why it isn't voluntourism and why this matters. Bond. https://www.bond.org.uk/news/2025/11/international-volunteering-in-development-why-it-isnt-voluntourism-and-why-this-matters/

Three-year PhD Summary Timeline*


PhD YEAR	STAGE	ACTIVITIES
YEAR 1	Application and admission	Identify research area Prepare research proposal
	Initial research and induction	Refine project plan Complete induction training
	Literature review	Conduct literature review Draft literature review (approx. 8,000 words)
	Project approval	Submit refined project proposal report Project approval interview Decision on if the proposal is considered suitable for a PhD
	Design for scoping phase	Design research tools Design information sheets and consent forms
	Ethical approval for scoping fieldwork	Formal application for ethical approval from the University Ethics Committee
	Scoping fieldwork	Collect and analyse primary scoping data (e.g. interviews, written responses, surveys)
	Production of policy outputs	Blogs, summaries and papers as appropriate
	Revisit literature	Ongoing review of literature
	Annual progression	Submit progress report including draft literature review or another example of a substantial piece of writing

PhD YEAR	STAGE	ACTIVITIES
YEAR 2	Design methods	Detailed design and plan for fieldwork Design research tools Design information sheets and consent forms
	Ethical approval for fieldwork	Formal application for ethical approval from the University Ethics Committee
	Fieldwork	Main data collection, which may also include further scoping interviews to inform the design of the research
	Analysis	Produce transcripts, coding and undertake in-depth data analysis
	Literature review	Continue reviewing literature
	Production of policy outputs	Blogs, summaries and papers as appropriate
	Annual progression	Submit a progress report including draft chapter (approx. 8,000 words)
PhD YEAR	STAGE	ACTIVITIES
YEAR 3	Write up	Ongoing literature review Initial drafts of all chapters in discussion with supervision team Ongoing rounds of feedback and revisions Prepare full draft of thesis (approx. 80,000 words) for supervision team final review and comments
	Submit thesis	Formatting Proofing Submission of full thesis for examination
	Production of policy outputs	Blogs, summaries and papers as appropriate
	Viva Voce examination (oral defence of the thesis)	Identify internal and external examiners Prepare for viva examination Undertake viva examination
	Thesis corrections	Period for final amendments on the thesis based on outcome of examination

*Table key:

Bold - Research activities
Underlined - External policy outputs
Italics - Internal research processes

Short Bio of the PhD Researcher

Janet Clark is a researcher in the Centre for Global Development (CGD) at Northumbria University. Her research experience spans volunteering, development, inequality and social justice. She has recently worked in the Volunteering, Climate Adaptation and Disasters (VOCAD) research activities, part of the UKRI-GCRF Living Deltas Research Hub wider collaborative project. This project explores the ways in which individuals and organisations mobilise labour in their approaches to crisis response and adaptation. Prior to this role, Janet has previously worked for VSO, Saferworld and the UK Ministry of Justice, as well as a range of UK statutory and civil society organisations. Her research has been used to inform the design and development of volunteering programmes and interventions, and in some instances to inform policy. Janet has conducted volunteer-focused research in community, clinical and prison settings in many contexts and has expertise in engaging marginalised and excluded groups in research processes in the UK and in a range of countries in Africa, South Asia and Asia Pacific.

To find out more, please contact Janet Clark (PhD Researcher), Prof Matt Baillie Smith (Northumbria University) or James O'Brien (Forum).