What characterizes the altruism of the Gülen Movement?

The first characteristic is that the action is voluntary and done with no expectation of direct benefit or compensation; second, the single individual freely and voluntarily joins a form of collective solidarity and from personal choice enters a network of relations.

The choice is also marked by unselfish concern for the welfare of others. The altruistic action is characterized by the gratuitousness of the giving – the pricelessness of the resources or the time or whatever it is that is given for nothing in return. This gratuitousness binds together the actors involved in it; it evokes solidarity, warmth, affection, mutual esteem, and so forth, amongst all the actors and participants, including both givers and receivers of the services.