Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:226685 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/ authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this study is to assess the volunteer component of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) program, a service program designed to assist community-residing older adults to remain in their homes and avoid premature institutionalization. The study seeks to examine how meaningful and satisfying the volunteer experience has been for individuals involved with NHN.Design/methodology/approach -This study employed an exploratory cross-sectional survey format developed specifically for NHN for descriptive purposes. A purposive sample of 26 NHN volunteers completed the survey examining their experiences with the NHN program.Findings -A total of 91 percent (21) volunteers reported being ''satisfied'' or ''very satisfied'' with their volunteer experience and 70 percent felt that they had made a difference in their community.Social implications -Programs such as NHN may be promising service models to meet the needs of older adults by building communities from the inside-out.Originality/value -This study provides new knowledge concerning the satisfaction of volunteers in a unique community-based program serving older adults.