"Sustainable volunteerism" - yet more gibberish being spewed by NGOs in Hong Kong

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

From the a recent press release:

“The Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS) has inaugurated the Hong Kong Volunteer Award this year with the aim of paying tribute to the contributions and achievements of volunteers. The Award also aims to create public awareness and social recognition of volunteerism, and to showcase and provide exemplary volunteering models to society. The Award is in harmony with the vision of AVS, to play a proactive and pivotal role in building a civil society and caring community through the development and promotion of sustainable volunteerism.”

Is it just me, or has no one else heard of “sustainable volunteerism”?

2

I haven’t heard of it, but it seems clear enough what it means.

In certain situations you get lots of people wanting to volunteer to address the crisis of the minute for don’t actually add very much value (once-off blood donors queuing around the block in an emergency situation). That’s a not very useful boom and bust. In others you could get a big bunch of incompetent people trying to get recognition for their community spirit producing nothing worthwhile at all (think the Simpsons episode where the citizens rebuild Flanders’ house so poorly he goes nuts).

Not gibberish.