Understanding Humanitarian Volunteerism: a Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Humanitarian volunteers play an essential role in disaster response and community resilience. However, research on humanitarian volunteerism remains fragmented, with volunteer development, engagement, organizational commitment, and the meaning of volunteer existence often examined separately. This study aims to synthesize the existing literature and develop an integrated conceptual understanding of humanitarian volunteerism. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Thirty peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2018 and 2025 were selected from Scopus, ScienceDirect, Emerald Insight, and Google Scholar. The studies were evaluated using a quality assessment process and analyzed through thematic synthesis. Five interrelated themes emerged: humanitarian volunteerism, volunteer development, volunteer engagement, organizational commitment, and the meaning of volunteer existence. The findings indicate that humanitarian volunteering is a developmental process in which meaningful experiences enhance volunteers' competencies, strengthen engagement, reinforce organizational commitment, and shape their identities and humanitarian values. This review proposes an integrated conceptual framework that advances humanitarian volunteerism literature and provides practical guidance for humanitarian organizations, particularly the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), in developing sustainable volunteer management strategies.