Valuing unpaid work in the third sector: The case of community resource centres

Issues of unpaid work in poor communities are examined. Data from community centres are used to analyze debates which underlie differing approaches to valuing unpaid work and the particular form it takes when called "voluntee ring." Monetary valuations draw on market principles; others are embedded i n the experiences of volunteers. Differences between volunteers, funders, a nd program planners arise from the differing social locations these parties occupy in the mixed economy of welfare that now typifies Canadian social p olicy. Policy debates about volunteers need to be sharpened by casting them within the larger framework of unpaid work and citizenship.