Currently, there is a slightly negative tendency among the young generation to volunteer in Switzerland, which is believed to partly be caused by time pressure and an increased desire for flexibility. The goal of this research is to illustrate ways of increasing the voluntary engagement of students by exploring needs and desires of both, the students as well as social institutions. In a second step, recommendations for the FHNW, how they can actively contribute to an increased engagement and simplify the organizational and planning process of volunteering students and thereby supporting a Win-Win situation for both parties are provided.

Six focus groups were executed with 28 students of various schools and interviews with ten organizations employing volunteers were conducted.

The focus groups showed a general interst in increasing their engagement, however the programs need to be time-flexible, non-committal, and awarded in order to attract them. The majority of the interviewed institutions is interested in recruiting students as well as in collaborating with the FHNW. The volunteering projects in place vary widely and may therefore cover the diverse needs articulated by the students.A match of a presence of a readiness of the students to volunteer and the need for volunteering students in the society, was found. In order to enable students to engage in the projects of the organizations, the FHNW needs to act as a linking agent, bringing the two sides closer together. At the same time, students need to be shown the attractiveness and their personal gain of the programs, and be given time waivers of the school, possibly in the form of awarding ECTS. Recommendations considering the constraints and preferences of students and the requirements of the organizations include the operation of an online engagement platform, marketing strategies, and lecture models.