Exploring the Motives and Retention Factors of Sport-For-Development Volunteers

Abstract

Due to the importance of volunteers within the sport industry, there have been increased efforts to determine the motivation behind these acts of volunteerism. However, most research has focused on volunteers with professional sporting events and organizations, and very few studies have investigated volunteer motivations behind sport-for-development initiatives. The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivation of volunteers who chose to take part in the World Scholar-Athlete Games, a multinational sport-for-development event, and to identify factors related to their retention. This qualitative study was guided by the functional approach to volunteer motivation. Results revealed volunteers were motivated by values, social, understanding, career and self-enhancement factors. In addition, volunteers whose initial motivations for volunteering were satisfied continued to donate time to the event year after year. Implications for theory and practice, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

Recruiting and Retaining Participants in Citizen Science: What Can Be Learned from the Volunteering Literature?

“…However, although considerable research has been conducted regarding what triggers people to volunteer, less research has been done on the experience of volunteers once they are in place (Wilson 2012). What is known is that if volunteers feel their initial motivations are fulfilled, they are more likely to continue volunteering (Peachey et al 2014). The "matching hypothesis" states that individuals sustain their involvement if their motivations match the opportunities provided by the project (Clary and Snyder 1999).…”

“…Furthermore, volunteering appears to be increasing (Cabinet Office 2014), perhaps because of the widening gap between needs and available funding (Asah and Blahna 2012) and the capacity of professionals to deliver work (Bell et al 2008) such as monitoring the environment to meet government obligations (Mackechnie et al 2011). As volunteering is playing an increasingly important role in society, considerable research has been conducted into understanding why people start and continue volunteering (Grimm and Needham 2012, Peachey et al 2014, Lai et al 2013. In this paper, we draw on this body of work about volunteering in general, complemented by studies of environmental volunteering and biological recording, to make recommendations for those designing and running citizen science projects.…”

Enabling Event Volunteer Legacies: A Knowledge Management Perspective

“…$925M," 2010; Taylor, 2013;. There is a considerable, and growing, body of research into volunteer motivations, retention, and/or legacy in a range of sport-related contexts (e.g., Dickson, Benson, Blackman, & Terwiel, 2013;Doherty, 2009;Hallmann, & Harms, 2012;Love, Hardin, Koo, & Morse, 2011;Peachey, Lyras, Cohen, Bruening & Cunningham, 2013) and some emerg ing work in the area of knowledge management across the events themselves (Parent, MacDonald, & Goulet, 2014). However, there is little understanding of how the experience, knowledge, and/or skills gained by volunteers during an event is acquired, exploited, or applied in other contexts, nor how that knowledge may be managed better for the benefit of others in the future.…”

Exploring Motivations of 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games Volunteers

“…MacLean and Hamm (2007) advocated adopting qualitative methods which could provide a more in-depth understanding of volunteer motives. Qualitative methods can provide a richer description and analysis of volunteer motives (Creswell, 2013;Welty Peachy et al, 2014). Welty Peachy et al (2014) used qualitative methods in their examination of volunteers at the World Scholar-Athlete Games.…”

“…Determining volunteer motivation can be beneficial in assisting organizations in developing messages for volunteer recruitment (Welty Peachy, Lyras, Cohen, Bruening, & Cunningham, 2014). Understanding the motives of volunteers is crucial because the likelihood one continues to volunteer increases as the experience more closely aligns with the motives or needs of the volunteer (Clary & Snyder, 1999;Finkelstein, 2008).…”