Top

International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing

19-12-2023 | Original Article

Do occupations matter in motivations to volunteer?

Authors: Muge Ozman, Cédric Gossart, Nicolas Jullien

Published in: International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

People are largely heterogeneous when it comes to their motivations to volunteer. Previous research explained this heterogeneity by individual predispositions and contextual factors. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which peoples’ occupations can explain differences in their volunteering motivations. Our empirical analysis relies upon 7,725 open texts written by volunteers living in France about why they wish to volunteer. Our results reveal that providing resources and skills is a significant motivation to volunteer, all occupations combined. However, altruistic and social motives differ between occupations. After eliciting these results for each occupation, we discuss their implications for NPO’s volunteer management.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Cf. https://www.tousbenevoles.org.

For less educated people, a large pool of potential volunteers, altruistic motives are a significant driver of volunteering, at least in the case of France.

Aboramadan, M. (2019). Factors that drive volunteerism in nonprofit organizations: A theoretical framework. In T. Horvat (Ed.), Selected Aspects of Non-Profit Organisations (pp. 11–24). IntechOpen.

Alhinho, G., Proença, T., & Ferreira, M. R. (2023). Corporate volunteering impacts: A tripartite approach through the employees’ perceptions. International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development, 14(1), 1–20.CrossRef

Allison, L., Okun, M., & Dutridge, K. (2002). Assessing volunteer motives: A comparison of an open-ended probe and Likert rating scales. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 12, 243–255.CrossRef

Amabile, T. M., Hill, K. G., Hennessey, B. A., & Tighe, E. M. (1994). The work preference inventory: Assessing intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66(5), 950–967.CrossRef

Anheier, H. K., & Salamon, L. M. (1999). Volunteering in cross-national perspective: Initial comparisons. Law and Contemporary Problems, 62(4), 43–65.CrossRef

Becker, M. C., & Knudsen, T. (2005). The role of routines in reducing pervasive uncertainty. Journal of Business Research, 58(6), 746–757.CrossRef

Bekkers, R. (2005). Participation in voluntary associations: Relations with resources, personality, and political values. Political Psychology, 26(3), 439–454.CrossRef

Boz, I., & Palaz, S. (2007). Factors influencing the motivation of Turkey’s community volunteers. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 36, 643–661.CrossRef

Brekke, K., & Nyborg, K. (2010). Selfish bakers, caring nurses? A model of work motivation. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 75(3), 377–394.CrossRef

Brewer, G. A. (2003). Building social capital: Civic attitudes and behavior of public servants. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 13, 5–26.CrossRef

Brudney, J. L. (2016). Designing and managing volunteer programs. In D. O. Renz & R. D. Herman (Eds.), The Jossey‐Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management (pp. 688–733). Wiley.

Burks, D. J., & Kobus, A. M. (2012). The legacy of altruism in health care: The promotion of empathy, prosociality and humanism. Medical Education, 46(3), 317–325.CrossRef

Burns, D. J., Reid, J. S., Toncar, M., Fawcett, J., & Anderson, C. (2006). Motivations to volunteer: The role of altruism. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 3(2), 79–91.CrossRef

Burns, D., Reid, J., Toncar, M., Anderson, C., & Wells, C. (2008). The effect of gender on the motivation of members of generation Y college students to volunteer. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 19(1), 99–118.CrossRef

Chacón, F., Gutiérrez, G., Sauto, V., Vecina, M. L., & Pérez, A. (2017). Volunteer Functions Inventory: A systematic review. Psicothema, 29(3), 306–316. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2016.371CrossRef

Chacón, F., Menard, M., Sanz, M., & Vecina, M. (1998). Psychosocial factors that influence volunteer work: A pilot study. Psychology in Spain, 2, 108–115.

Chacón, F., Pérez, T., Flores, J., & Vecina, M. L. (2011). Motives for volunteering: Categorization of volunteers’ motivations using open-ended questions. Psychology in Spain, 1, 48–56.

Chambré, S. M. (1991). The volunteer response to the AIDS epidemic: Implications for research on voluntarism. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 20(3), 267–288.CrossRef

Clary, E. G., & Snyder, M. (1999). The motivations to volunteer theoretical and practical considerations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8(5), 156–159.CrossRef

Clary, G. E., Snyder, M., Ridge, R. D., Copeland, J., Stukas, A. A., Haugen, J., & Miene, P. (1998). Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: A functional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(6), 1516–1530.CrossRef

Crawford, S. E. S., Olson, L. R., & Deckman, M. M. (2001). Understanding the mobilization of professionals. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 30, 321–350.CrossRef

Crewson, P. (1997). Public service motivation: Building empirical evidence of incidence and effect. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 7(4), 499–518.CrossRef

Dávila, M. C., & Díaz-Morales, J. F. (2009). Age and motives for volunteering: Further evidence. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 5(2), 82–95.CrossRef

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.CrossRef

Demir, F., Kireçci, A., & YavuzGörkem, Ş. (2019). Deepening knowledge on volunteers using a marketing perspective: Segmenting Turkish volunteers according to their motivations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 49(4), 707–733.CrossRef

Einolf, C. (2011). Gender differences in the correlates of volunteering and charitable giving. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 40(6), 1092–1112.CrossRef

Einolf, C., & Chambré, S. (2011). Who volunteers? Constructing a hybrid theory. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 16, 298–310.CrossRef

Enjolras, B. (2021). Explaining the varieties of volunteering in Europe: A capability approach. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 32, 1187–1212.CrossRef

Ertas, N. (2014). Public service motivation theory and voluntary organizations: Do government employees volunteer more? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(2), 254–271.CrossRef

Ferreira, M. R., Proença, T., & Proença, J. F. (2012). Motivation among hospital volunteers: An empirical analysis in Portugal. International Review of Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 9, 137–152.CrossRef

Finkelstein, M., Penner, L., & Brannick, M. (2005). Motive, role identity, and prosocial personality as predictors of volunteer activity. Social Behavior and Personality, 33, 403–418.CrossRef

Francis, J. E. (2011). The functions and norms that drive university student volunteering. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 16(1), 1–12.CrossRef

Gage, R., & Thapa, B. (2012). Volunteer motivations and constraints among college students. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 41, 405–430.CrossRef

Gil-Lacruz, A. I., Marcuello, C., & Saz-Gil, I. (2017). Individual and social factors in volunteering participation rates in Europe. Cross-Cultural Research, 51, 464–490.CrossRef

Goudeau, S., & Baker, B. L. (2021). Developing effective youth-adult relationship: Perspectives of adult volunteers in physical-activity based youth development programs. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 33(5), 539–563.CrossRef

Grant, A. M. (2008). Does intrinsic motivation fuel the prosocial fire? Motivational synergy in predicting persistence, performance, and productivity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(1), 48–58.CrossRef

Grube, J. A., & Piliavin, J. A. (2000). Role identity, organizational experiences, and volunteer performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 1108–1120.CrossRef

Hallett, R., Gombert, K., & Hurley, M. (2021). ‘Everyone should muck in’: A qualitative study of parkrun volunteering and conflicting motivations. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 33(5), 493–515.CrossRef

Handy, F., Hustinx, L., Kang, C., Cnaan, R. A., Brudney, J. L., Haski-Leventhal, D., Holmes, K., Meijs, L. C. P. M., Pessi, A. B., Ranade, B., Yamauchi, N., & Zrinscak, S. (2010). A cross-cultural examination of student volunteering: Is it all about résumé building? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 39(3), 498–523.CrossRef

Haski-Leventhal, D. (2009). Altruism and volunteerism: The perceptions of altruism in four disciplines and their impact on the study of volunteerism. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 39, 271–299.CrossRef

Hatami, A., Hermes, J., Keränen, A., & Ulkuniemi, P. (2023). Happiness management through corporate volunteering in advancing CSR. Management Decision. Ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-11-2022-1560.

Hopkins, B., & Dowell, D. (2017). Young people’s motivations for undertaking voluntary work. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1, 11492.CrossRef

Hosmer, D. W., Jr., Lemeshow, S., & Sturdivant, R. X. (2013). Applied logistic regression (3rd ed.). Wiley.CrossRef

Huang, Y., Bortree, D., Yang, F., & Wang, R. (2019). Encouraging volunteering in nonprofit organizations: The role of organizational inclusion and volunteer need satisfaction. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 32(2), 147–165.CrossRef

Hyde, M. K., Dunn, J., Bax, C., & Chambers, S. K. (2016). Episodic volunteering and retention: An integrated theoretical approach. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(1), 45–63.CrossRef

Jacobsen, K., Eika, K. H., Helland, L., Lind, J. T., & Nyborg, K. (2011). Are nurses more altruistic than real estate brokers? Journal of Economic Psychology, 32(5), 818–831.CrossRef

Jones, C. (2004). Motivation of public garden volunteers (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Delaware. Newark, DE.

Kottasz, R. (2004). How should charitable organizations motivate young professionals to give philanthropically? International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 9, 9–27.CrossRef

Kou, X., Konrath, S., & Goldstein, T. R. (2020). The relationship among different types of arts engagement, empathy, and prosocial behavior. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 14(4), 481–492.CrossRef

Kwantes, C. T., & Boglarsky, C. A. (2004). Do occupational groups vary in expressed organizational culture preferences? A study of six occupations in the United States. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 4, 335–354.CrossRef

Lambert, P. S., & Rutherford, A. C. (2020). Occupational inequalities in volunteering participation: Using detailed data on jobs to explore the influence of habits and circumstances. British Journal of Sociology, 71(4), 625–643.CrossRef

Liao-Troth, M. (2005). Are they here for the long haul? The effects of functional motives and personality factors on the psychological contracts of volunteers. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 34, 510–530.CrossRef

Licandro, O. (2023). Corporate Volunteering: Definition and relationship with Corporate Social Responsibility. Revista de Ciencias de la Administración y Economía, 13(25), 107–121.

López-Cabanas, M., & Chacón, F. (1997). Apoyo social, redes sociales e grupos de autoayuda. In M. López-Cabanas & F. Chacón (Eds.), Intervención psicosocial y servicios sociales: Un enfoque participativo (pp. 183–215). Síntesis Psicológica.

Lup, D., & Booth, J. E. (2019). Work and volunteering: longitudinal relationships between work-related experiences and volunteering behaviour. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 57(3), 599–623.CrossRef

Lwin, M., Phau, I., & Lim, A. (2014). An investigation of the characteristics of Australian charitable donors. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 26, 372–389.CrossRef

Maki, A., & Snyder, M. (2015). Investigating similarities and differences between volunteer behaviors: Development of a volunteer interest typology. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 46(1), 5–28.CrossRef

Marks, S. R. (1977). Multiple roles and role strain: Some notes on human energy, time and commitment. American Sociological Review, 42, 921–936.CrossRef

Marshall, G. A., & Taniguchi, H. (2012). Good jobs, good deeds: The gender-specific influences of job characteristics on volunteering. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 23, 213–235.CrossRef

Marta, E., Guglielmetti, C., & Pozzi, M. (2006). Volunteerism during young Adulthood: An Italian investigation into motivational patterns. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 17, 221–232.CrossRef

Mayer, J. M. L. P., & Costa e Silva, S. (2017). Exploring the whole value of corporate volunteering. The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 67, 95–119.CrossRef

Meneghini, A. M. (2016). A meaningful break in a flat life: The motivations behind overseas volunteering. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 45(6), 1214–1233.CrossRef

Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage.

Musick, M. A., & Wilson, J. (2008). Volunteers: A social profile. Indiana University Press.

Nesbit, R., Christensen, R. K., & Brudney, J. L. (2018). The limits and possibilities of volunteering: A framework for explaining the scope of volunteer involvement in public and nonprofit organizations. Public Administration Review, 78, 502–513.CrossRef

Okun, M. A., & Schultz, A. (2003). Age and motives for volunteering: Testing hypotheses derived from socioemotional selectivity theory. Psychology and Aging, 18, 231–239.CrossRef

Okun, M. A., Barr, A., & Herzog, A. R. (1998). Motivation to volunteer by older adults: A test of competing measurement models. Psychology and Aging, 13, 608–621.CrossRef

Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (2002). Considerations of community: The context and process of volunteerism. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(5), 846–867.CrossRef

Piliavin, J., Grube, J., & Callero, P. (2002). Role as resource for action in public service. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 469–485.CrossRef

Principi, A., Warburton, J., Schippers, J., & Rosa, M. D. (2013). The role of work status on European older volunteers’ motivation. Research on Aging, 35(6), 710–735.CrossRef

Recherches & Solidarités (2023). La France associative en mouvement (21st ed.). https://recherches-solidarites.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/La-France-associative-18-10-2023.pdf. Accessed 08/12/2023.

Rodell, J. B. (2013). Finding meaning through volunteering: Why do employees volunteer and what does it mean for their jobs? Academy of Management Journal, 56(5), 1274–1294.CrossRef

Rotolo, T., & Wilson, J. (2006). Employment sector and volunteering: The contribution of nonprofit and public sector workers to the volunteer labor force. The Sociological Quarterly, 47(1), 21–40.CrossRef

Samuel, Y., & Lewin-Epstein, N. (1979). The occupational situs as a predictor of work values. American Journal of Sociology, 85, 625–639.CrossRef

Schlozman, K., Verba, S., & Brady, H. (1999). Civic participation and the equality problem. In T. Skocpol & M. Fiorina (Eds.), Civic engagement in American democracy (pp. 427–460). Brookings.

Selinske, M. J., Coetzee, J., Purnell, K., & Knight, A. T. (2015). Understanding the motivations, satisfaction, and retention of landowners in private land conservation programs. Conservation Letters, 8, 282–289.CrossRef

Shye, S. (2010). The motivation to volunteer: A systemic quality of life theory. Social Indicators Research, 98, 183–200.CrossRef

Smith, D. H. (1994). Determinants of voluntary association participation and volunteering: A literature review. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 23(3), 243–263.CrossRef

Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2008). Volunteerism: Social issues perspectives and social policy implications. Social Issues and Policy Review, 2, 1–36.CrossRef

Snyder, M., Clary, E. G., & Stukas, A. A. (2000). The functional approach to volunteerism. In G. R. Maio & J. M. Olson (Eds.), Why we evaluate: Functions of attitudes (pp. 365–393). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: Dimensions, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 1442–1465.CrossRef

Stukas, A. A., Snyder, M., & Clary, E. G. (2015). Volunteerism and community involvement: Antecedents, experiences, and consequences for the person and the situation. In D. A. Schroeder & W. G. Graziano (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of prosocial behavior (pp. 459–493). Oxford University Press.

van Ingen, E., & Wilson, J. (2017). I volunteer, therefore I am? Factors affecting volunteer role identity. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 46(1), 29–46.CrossRef

Vázquez, J. L., Lanero, A., Gutiérrez, P., & García, M.-P. (2015). Expressive and instrumental motivations explaining youth participation in non-profit voluntary associations: An application in Spain. International Review of Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 12, 237–251.CrossRef

Webb, N., & Abzug, R. (2008). Do occupational group members vary in volunteering activity? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 37, 689–708.CrossRef

Weenink, E., & Bridgman, T. (2016). Taking subjectivity and reflexivity seriously: Implications of social constructionism for researching volunteer motivation. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 28, 90–109.CrossRef

Wenger, E., & Snyder, W. (2000). Communities of practice: The organizational frontier. Harvard Business Review, 78(1), 139–146.

Wiertz, D. (2015). A bridge too far? Volunteering, voluntary associations, and social cohesion (PhD thesis). University of Oxford.

Wilensky, H. L. (1961). Orderly careers and social participation: The impact of work history on social integration in the Middle Mass. American Sociological Review, 26(4), 521–539.CrossRef

Wilson, J. (2000). Volunteering. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 215–240.CrossRef

Wilson, J. (2012). Volunteerism research: A review essay. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 41(2), 176–212.CrossRef

Wilson, J., & Musick, M. (1997a). Work and volunteering: The long arm of the job. Social Forces, 76(1), 251–272.CrossRef

Wilson, J., & Musick, M. (1997b). Who cares? Toward an integrated theory of volunteer work. American Sociological Review, 62(5), 694–713.CrossRef

Wuthnow, R. (1999). Mobilizing civic engagement: The changing impact of religious involvement. In T. Skocpol & M. P. Fiorina (Eds.), Civic engagement in American democracy (pp. 331–363). Brookings Institution Press.

Wymer, W. (2011). The implications of sex differences on volunteer preferences. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 22, 831–851.CrossRef

Yoshioka, C., Brown, W., & Ashcraft, R. (2005). A functional approach to senior volunteer and non-volunteer motivations. The International Journal of Volunteer Administration, XXIV(25), 31–43.

Title: Do occupations matter in motivations to volunteer?
Authors: Muge Ozman
Cédric Gossart
Nicolas Jullien
Publication date: 19-12-2023
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing
Print ISSN: 1865-1984
Electronic ISSN: 1865-1992
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-023-00394-2