ABSTRACT
This concluding chapter seeks to situate the future of volunteering relative to wider debates and general socio-economic, demographic and technological trends affecting the world of work. Cognisant that this chapter is written very much in the COVID era, an initial debate about whether COVID-19 represents a seismic change or a blip on the graph for event, sport and tourism (EST) volunteering, and volunteering in general, is discussed. With its prominent focus in the EST volunteering literature (see Lis and Tomanek’s chapter of this Handbook), and its inherent travel requirement, the future of volunteer tourism is also discussed. This chapter references other chapters from the Handbook, linking key debates and topics where possible. It draws on generic and sector specific themes to support discussion about where volunteering lies in relation to paid work and unpaid work and briefly touches on its boundaries with leisure. The chapter concludes that the EST sectors will continue post-COVID as essential to the physical and mental well-being of communities. The role of volunteers with respect to this significant transition is discussed and an associated research agenda is highlighted. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Kirsten Holmes, Leonie Lockstone-Binney, Karen A. Smith and Richard Shipway.