Two fairly similar surveys carried out in 2002 and 2010, the first by INSEE and the second by the Institut BVA on behalf of the DREES, offer an opportunity to study associative involvement and its dynamics in the early 21st century. In the light of the data collected, membership rates appear to be globally stable in France, confirming observations made in previous decades. 45% of people aged 18 or more are members of at least one association. Associative involvement is still a selective behaviour which increases with age, qualification level and income. This permanence does not mean there have been no changes, however. These changes firstly concern the realm of membership. Sport and social, healthcare, charity and humanitarian action attract more members in 2010, while recreational associations seem to have undergone a relative disaffection. These changes also translate a more marked trend among members to commit to the voluntary tasks inherent to associative life. This growing commitment is a voluntary action development factor which stems from both socio-demographic changes in the population and changes in behaviours. Volunteers are confronted with increased demand for their skills and more of them take training courses as part of their commitment. The voluntary contributions received by associations are not confined to time; they may also be in kind, or financial. The dynamic of these contributions is uneven over the period considered. While the rate of financial donations has increased sharply, that of donations of toys and clothing has declined.