Volunteering as institution of civil society is becoming increasingly active in modern Russia, including the student community, and it solves a whole range of social problems – from organizing leisure activities for children, adolescents and young people, including them in active activities, to providing social assistance to those in need, carrying out prevention of harmful habits, care for homeless animals, etc. The forms of volunteering are also varied: individual volunteering, work in unregistered associations and groups, as well as in registered organizations with any form of ownership. Currently, it is important to search for strategies for interaction and information exchange in the field of volunteering both at the national and international levels. The purpose of this article is to show the possibility and importance of including Russian volunteers in international volunteer activities. Materials and methods. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, statistical data and comparative analysis of the activities through Russian and European volunteer movements, the authors show that the rapid changes taking place in modern society require constant modernization in the field of volunteering, which is becoming more and more multi-format and multi-level, global, its traditional forms are constantly supplemented with brand new ones. Results, discussion. The authors conclude that for the effective development of this type of social citizen activity it is necessary, on the one hand, to study the international experience of volunteering, which has a long history, and on the other hand, the active involvement of Russian volunteers in the international volunteer movement. Conclusion. This statement takes on a special meaning, as in the context of ongoing globalization, international cooperation of volunteers from different countries will help to solve common problems more effectively (for example, related to assistance to victims of natural disasters in different parts of the world), and will also contribute to a positive image of Russian volunteering.