On the prospect and precarity of rural older voluntarism

• Rural case studies provide new insights into the complexities of older voluntarism. • Qualitive findings reveal how the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for change older adults, volunteer program and communities. • Best practices for supporting voluntarism in aging rural communities into the future are established. Volunteers are essential to supporting vulnerable older people in underserviced communities. Evidence is emerging, however, of the growing precarity of volunteering in small towns and rural places where most volunteers are older residents themselves. To advance knowledge on this phenomenon of ‘rural older voluntarism’, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this article presents a case study of three volunteer-based programs in rural Ontario, Canada. Interviews and focus group discussions with 56 volunteers and program administrators reveal both the prospect and precarity of rural older voluntarism, shedding light on how the pandemic acted as a catalyst of change for individual volunteers, volunteer-based programs and ageing rural communities alike. Learning from the experiences both of older volunteers and administrators at volunteer-based programs in ageing rural communities can advance best practices for future-proofing the pivotal role of voluntarism for communities undergoing unprecedented changes such as natural disasters, economic upheaval and public health emergencies.