Search results
1 – 10 of over 12000Hyejin Bang, Stephen Ross and Thomas G. Reio
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between volunteers’ motivation and affective commitment in non‐profit sport…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between volunteers’ motivation and affective commitment in non‐profit sport organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
A mail survey was conducted with a sample of 214 individuals who volunteered at 22 non‐profit sport organizations in a Midwestern state of the USA.
Findings
Results from structural equation modeling analysis supported the partial mediation role of job satisfaction. The values factor of volunteers’ motivation had a significant direct impact on affective commitment, and job satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between values and affective commitment.
Research limitations/implications
Although volunteer motivation influences the level of organizational commitment, volunteers who are motivated by their values would be more satisfied with their volunteer experience and consequently be more committed to the non‐profit sport organization.
Originality/value
Little research has specifically addressed volunteer commitment and its links to volunteer motivation and job satisfaction in the context of non‐profit sport organizations. Therefore, the study contributes to the understanding of volunteers’ motivation and how it influences commitment toward non‐profit sport organizations.
Details
Keywords
Sanna Malinen, Puck Algera and Teija Mankkinen
This paper presents a large sample study of fire service volunteer motivations in Finland. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the differences between initial…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a large sample study of fire service volunteer motivations in Finland. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the differences between initial motivations to begin volunteering vs motivations to continue volunteering; and second, to examine the differences in motivations as a function of demographic variables and geographic region of the fire brigade (rural vs urban).
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was completed by 747 fire service volunteers throughout Finland.
Findings
The initial motivations for joining the brigade differed from those that motivated volunteers to continue in their roles. Significant differences between male and female volunteers’ initial motivations, as well as differences in motivations to continue volunteering as a function of age and region, were found.
Research limitations/implications
The findings support integrating a psychological, functional perspective with contextual and situational factors when considering volunteer motivations.
Originality/value
This study suggests a comprehensive understanding of fire service volunteer motivations and informs improved recruitment and retention practices.
Details
Keywords
Eric Beckman, Tianyu Pan, Miranda Kitterlin and Lisa Cain
The purpose of this study is to identify the motivating factors that influence repeat participation among university student volunteers at a world-renowned food festival. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the motivating factors that influence repeat participation among university student volunteers at a world-renowned food festival. The direct and indirection relationship (through attitude toward volunteering) was tested. Additionally, the moderating role of class standing between student volunteers' motivations, attitudes and repeat volunteer intention was assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
Researchers applied a quantitative methodology to data collected after the festival volunteering experience. The research team collected 205 useable surveys from university student volunteers at the Food Network and Cooking Channel South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SOBEWFF®). Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships among volunteer motivations, attitude toward volunteering and intention to continue volunteering. Lastly, a multiple-group analysis was applied to test the moderating role of class standing.
Findings
The results showed the motivating factors purposive, personal enrichment and family traditions were significant in predicting attitude toward volunteering. These motivations did not significantly affect intention to continue volunteering; thus researchers found only an indirect relationship (through attitude toward volunteering) between volunteering motivations and intention to continue volunteering. Additionally, a positive attitude toward volunteering resulted in an intention to continue volunteering. Lastly, testing the moderating role of class standing revealed significant results on three pathways, indicating that students are motivated to volunteer differently based upon class standing (freshman through junior vs. senior, graduate).
Research limitations/implications
The data were collected prior to COVID-19, and the ways in which COVID-19 has impacted the events industry and the scape of future events are yet to be determined.
Practical implications
Festival organizers and managers should appeal to different motivations of potential student volunteers depending on their class standing. For example, results of the moderator “class standing” indicated that the relationship between personal enrichment motivation and attitude toward volunteering was strongest and significant among freshmen, sophomores and juniors, but insignificant among seniors and graduate students. Thus, freshmen through juniors are more highly motivated to obtain practical experiences, and this motivation results in a positive attitude toward volunteering.
Originality/value
This study tests the moderating role of class standing to help predict intention to continue volunteering at a special event. The research is further unique by extending an understanding of the validity and reliability of the special events volunteer motivations scale.
Details
Keywords
Kirstin Hallmann and Gesine Harms
The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of volunteer's motivation at major sporting events, how those affect future voluntary engagement, and whether there…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of volunteer's motivation at major sporting events, how those affect future voluntary engagement, and whether there are differences in motivation based on the type of event.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research design was chosen and volunteers at two major events in handball (n=96) and equestrian (n=83) were surveyed. Structural equation modelling was used based on a multi‐group analysis to answer the guiding research questions.
Findings
The results reveal that the expression of values and personal growth are the strongest factors influencing volunteer motivation and future behaviour. The factor “love of sport” had surprisingly no major effect on volunteer motivation at the handball event. Significant differences in volunteer motivation based on the type of event were detected.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of this study is the rather small sample sizes. Nonetheless, the results appear reliable. One implication of this research is that a model proposed in previous research to investigate volunteer motivation at mega sport events can be applied to major sport events and the multi‐group approach is useful when analysing different events.
Practical implications
Practitioners should try to find a good match between the interests and abilities of the volunteers and their tasks at the event, which includes their motivations.
Originality/value
The value of this research lies in applying a new methodological approach using multi‐group analysis to volunteer research.
Details
Keywords
Andrea Principi, Carlos Chiatti and Giovanni Lamura
The purpose of this paper is to investigate older volunteers’ motivations, with special focus on country differences, considering the kind of activities carried out and age…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate older volunteers’ motivations, with special focus on country differences, considering the kind of activities carried out and age differences.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI), the authors measured motivations to volunteer of volunteers aged 50 or older, belonging to organizations engaged in the largest activity sectors of three European countries: The Netherlands (n=468), Germany (n=113) and Italy (n=279), for a total sample size of 860 subjects.
Findings
Altruistic motivations are found to be more important for German older volunteers compared to Dutch and Italian older volunteers, but in the latter country they increase with ageing. Older volunteers engaged in selfless activities are more driven by altruistic motivations, especially in Germany and Italy, whereas egoistic motivations on selfish activities are important in all countries. As age increases, older volunteers’ emotional gratification goals are pursued especially in Italy, whereas the desire to pursue new knowledge is greater for younger‐old volunteers in general, but especially in The Netherlands.
Practical implications
The findings are relevant for local, national and European policy makers and NGO‐managers concerned with the issue of recruiting and retaining older volunteers – a crucial issue for promoting active ageing outside the labour market. The results show how motivations influence the decision to volunteer in later life and will enable better planning of appropriate recruitment and retention strategies.
Originality/value
This research represents, to the authors’ knowledge, the first cross‐national investigation based on the VFI tool to specifically analyse the motivations of older volunteers across Europe.
Details
Keywords
Reidar J. Mykletun and Krista Himanen
The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents of volunteer commitment and intention to remain volunteering for the same event in the future, in the context of two…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents of volunteer commitment and intention to remain volunteering for the same event in the future, in the context of two annually held Norwegian cycling race events.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional design was used, applying a questionnaire that was developed and distributed to the cycling events volunteers both in hard copies and as online format by QuestBack.
Findings
The volunteers were motivated by egoistic, altruistic, connection to the sport, and external factors. They were highly committed and intended to remain as a volunteers in the future events. Older age; satisfaction from their own contribution and type of work, from recognition; and motivation as personal connections to the sport predicted commitment. Higher levels of education, commitment, and motivation by personal connections to the sport predicted intention to remain as a volunteer for future events. A factor-based structure of sport event volunteer satisfaction was presented, which, to the best of the knowledge is the first of its kind.
Research limitations/implications
The study should be replicated across several events to test the external validation of the models.
Practical implications
This understanding of motivation and satisfaction can be beneficial for the management of volunteers in order to retain the experienced and motivated volunteers and to ensure the continuation of the event in the future.
Originality/value
The study adds new knowledge to the research field by presenting an extensive, updated literature review, development of a fist factor-analysed scale for volunteer satisfaction, and the first application of the model including volunteer demographics, satisfaction, motivation, and commitment in predicting intention to remain volunteers for the biking event in the future.
Details
Keywords
Andrea Vocino, Michael Polonsky and Sara Dolnicar
The purpose of this paper is to seek to assess whether online commercial panel volunteering can be segmented based on their motivations, using the volunteer functions inventor…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to seek to assess whether online commercial panel volunteering can be segmented based on their motivations, using the volunteer functions inventor. The authors also investigate whether segments exist which differ in demographic characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors survey 484 Australian online panel volunteers using a adapted version of the 30 item of the volunteer function inventory (VFI) scale developed by Clary et al. (1998). Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and cluster analysis, as well as ANOVA and χ2 test comparisons of demographics between clusters.
Findings
CFA verifies that the VFI scale is suitable instrument to gauge online participants’ motivations. Cluster analysis produced a five-cluster solution, where respondents with low motivations overall comprised the largest grouping. Segments are interpreted by assessing the difference between the total sample average and the segment profile. The examination also identifies that the only demographic factor that varies across the five clusters is “respondents” employment status”.
Research limitations/implications
Future research could explore if differences in segments result in differences in online participation. The high number or respondents with low motivations may explain the relatively high levels of churn that take place within online panels and as a result panel operators would need to continually attract new members. Further research could also investigate whether the levels of motivation change over time and if so what effect such variation would produce on respondents’ retention.
Originality/value
Research on online panel respondents’ motivation is still limited and investigating online panellists’ motivation as volunteers is very important as it unveils, as in the study herein reported, that alternative types of respondents may be driven by different factors when joining an online panel (or completing a given survey). Recruitment strategies could, therefore, be shaped to suit the motivation of the different segments. By refining the matching between volunteers’ profiles and their motivation, managers could improve how volunteers are recruited, managed and retained.
Details
Keywords
Jose Miguel Lorente-Ayala, Natalia Vila-Lopez and Ines Kuster-Boluda
The rise of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during the last decades has made the volunteer a key element. Motivation and satisfaction have been indicated as predictive…
Abstract
Purpose
The rise of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during the last decades has made the volunteer a key element. Motivation and satisfaction have been indicated as predictive indices of their retention. The purpose of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, it seeks to better understand the motivations of the volunteers, addressing the effects of such motivations. On the other hand, it analyses whether the intensity of such antecedents and effects differs depending on the type of NGO with which they work: generalist vs specialist.
Design/methodology/approach
A study with 847 volunteers from different types of NGOs was done using structural modelling methodology and multi-sample analysis.
Findings
The type of NGO moderates the relationship between the satisfaction of the volunteer and the intention to recommend.
Practical implications
Given that in specialist NGOs the impact of satisfaction on the intention to recommend is significantly stronger than in generalist NGOs, making sure that volunteers are satisfied becomes a priority in this type of NGO. In this regard, satisfaction studies among volunteers could be conducted periodically to detect crisis situations and implement improvement actions to recover satisfaction in the occupied position.
Originality/value
First, to date, the motivations of the volunteer have been investigated from different disciplines, the self-determination theory (SDT) being an important motivational theory widely used in areas such as social, education and sports psychology. However, there is little research from a marketing approach to understand the background of the motivations of volunteers under this conceptual framework provided by the SDT. Second, there is also a scarcity of literature linking the motivations of a volunteer with the emotions they may feel, ultimately achieving consolidated lasting links with the NGO in which they are integrated. Third, most research on volunteering to date has focused on differentiating volunteers from non-volunteers and understanding the reasons for volunteering. However, the presence of studies on the differences in the motivation of the same according to the type of NGO with which they collaborate has been scarce.
Details
Keywords
Stephen B. Perrott and Brandon D. Blenkarn
The purpose of this paper is to examine similarities and differences in motivational-type and sensation seeking tendencies in male and female firefighters and to determine how a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine similarities and differences in motivational-type and sensation seeking tendencies in male and female firefighters and to determine how a growing focus on extrinsically focused reasons to volunteer relates to traditional, intrinsically focused rationales.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 160 volunteer firefighters (29 women, 131 men) were compared to 210 undergraduate controls (171 women, 39 men) across a spectrum of motivation and sensation seeking types in a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, approach.
Findings
Female volunteers showed a distinct pattern of motivations for volunteering and though similar to their male counterparts in Thrill and Adventure Seeking were lower in impulsive sensation seeking. Greater levels of career-focused motivation did not come at the cost of intrinsically focused motivation or to the number of years one projected volunteering.
Research limitations/implications
The approach did not provide the means to check if reported intentions translate to behavioural outcomes and the small number of female firefighters sampled compromised power.
Practical implications
Findings of how female volunteers differ from male counterparts and university women might be considered when developing recruitment drives and formulating policy to modify what is rewarded in firefighting. Findings further suggest that the potential of gaining paid employment is unlikely to compromise traditional reasons for volunteering.
Social implications
Evidence that female volunteers possess a distinct and desirable pattern of motivations and sensation seeking relative to their male counterparts seemingly provides a rationale to target women in recruitment drives that extends beyond bolstering numbers. However, that they were also distinct from university females raises questions about their representativeness and, in turn, about the size of the potential pool from which fire services may draw. Hypothesized concern about the negative impact that volunteering as a means to obtain paid work has on more traditional, intrinsically focused motivations appears to be unfounded.
Originality/value
Moves beyond anecdote to provide empirical evidence of the motivations and sensation seeking tendencies of volunteer firefighters, especially women, and contributes to a nascent area of inquiry about how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can co-exist in this group.
Details
Keywords
Thea Vinnicombe and Yu Chen Wu
To date, researchers examining the motivations of volunteers at festivals and events have used a range of measurement indexes, most of which appear to have common antecedents in…
Abstract
Purpose
To date, researchers examining the motivations of volunteers at festivals and events have used a range of measurement indexes, most of which appear to have common antecedents in the psychology literature. It is not clear if different events actually require different scales, or if individual scales are more generalizable than is currently recognized so that the proliferation of scales is largely an academic exercise. The current study takes a preliminary step in exploring this issue by using an existing scale developed to measure the motivations of volunteers at western sporting events to examine the motivations of volunteers at a music festival in China.
Design/methodology/approach
The Volunteer Motivation Scale for International Sporting Events (VMS-ISE) is administered to volunteers at the Midi Music Festival in China. The 467 respondents are divided into two subgroups. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is applied to the first subsample to explore the factor structure of the index. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is then applied to the second subsample to test the factor structure of the resolved scale.
Findings
The results of the EFA are promising, yielding a resolved factor structure, which is very close to the hypothesized index. The resolved scale is reasonably well supported by the subsequent CFA.
Originality/value
The findings suggest it may be possible for researchers to use a smaller number of scales on a larger range of festivals leading to a better understanding of similarities and differences in motivations across event volunteers. The results should also be helpful to festival organizers in their continuing efforts to recruit volunteers.
Details