Community and contracts: Tensions and dilemmas in the voluntary sector response to HIV and aids

Voluntary action rooted in community activism was central to the earliest collective responses to AIDS in Britain and the US, and resulted in the emergence of a wide range of community and non‐governmental organisations working to alleviate the impact of the epidemic on affected communities. Drawing on data from a series of in‐depth case studies conducted among voluntary agencies working in the field of HIV and AIDS in Britain, this paper illuminates some of the tensions and contradictions facing such agencies as they seek to respond to changes in Government policy. Central among the themes to emerge are tensions over service norms and the role of volunteers, between self‐help and altruism, informal versus formal organisational structure, political campaigning and service delivery, responding to national or to local needs, generalism and specialism, and autonomy and co‐ordination. Future challenges identified include targeting and mainstreaming, as well as maintaining intact the political project that stimulated the emergence of many organisations.