The Public Service Motivated Volunteer: Devoting Time or Effort?

Abstract

Non-profit organizations, corporate volunteer programs, and government workplace schemes are asking volunteers for their time and effort. But, with the changes in how people volunteer, such as episodic, micro, and cyber volunteering, those managing volunteers need to understand whether they should focus on encouraging volunteers to donate more time or effort. Using public service motivation to measure volunteer’s propensity to engage in volunteering, we compare three outcomes: time spent volunteering, frequency of volunteering, and volunteering intensity. In a sample of 411 volunteers, we find public service motivation is associated with more time spent volunteering, increased frequency, and higher levels of volunteering intensity. However, volunteering intensity explains the most variance. These findings suggest that how the individual perceives they exert volunteering intensity may be useful among public service motivated volunteers.

Volunteerism in Times of Crisis: An Unconventional Response to Processing Unemployment Insurance Claims

“…On the other hand, self-sacrifice was not statistically significantly related to these activities, while attraction to public policy making had a negative impact on donating activities. Costello, Homberg, and Secchi (2020) also confirmed the relationship between public service motivation and volunteer propensity. They found that public service motivation is associated with three measures of volunteering: time, frequency, and intensity.…”

“…COVID-19, on the other hand, poses risks of infection, illness, isolation, and death, which surely takes a mental, emotional, and possibly physical toll on volunteers. While Costello, Homberg, and Secchi (2020) found that public service motivation is associated with higher rates of volunteer intensity, COVID-19 may test the limits of volunteers’ willingness to serve and take risks. Thus, additional research should continue to flesh out the relationship between public service motivation and volunteerism.…”

“…However, volunteering may be measured in a few ways. For example, while time (or schedule)—usually the number of hours contributed over a given period—is a frequent measure of volunteering (e.g., Grimm and Dietz 2018; Wilson and Musick 1997), other measures include frequency (i.e., how often a person volunteers) and intensity, which refers to the “physical, mental, or emotional effort exerted by the volunteer” (Costello, Homberg, and Secchi 2020, 993; Grimm and Dietz 2018).…”

“…These studies suggest that two motivations for volunteering are particularly salient during times of crisis. First, norm-based motives, including civic duties, tend to drive increases in volunteering following catastrophic events (Beyerlin and Sikkink 2008; Costello, Homberg, and Secchi 2020). For example, Beyerlein and Sikkink (2008) found that feelings of personal responsibility to help others were strong drivers of volunteerism in the aftermath of 9/11.…”

Servant Leadership and Followers Prosocial Rule-Breaking: The Mediating Role of Public Service Motivation

“…Public service motivation (PSM) is an important concept and construct of public management, which has received increased attention from public management scholars and practitioners with special relevance to public administration ( Piatak and Holt, 2021 ). Consistently, state-owned enterprises ( Papenfuß and Keppeler, 2020 ) public sector volunteers as well as non-profit public service organizations ( Costello et al, 2020 ) where the goal of service delivery is to contribute to society. PSM is a dynamic condition influenced by various organizational forces ( Perry and Wise, 1990 ), and managerial leadership is one of the most important organizational interventions which is consistently suggested to practitioners for improving PSM ( Hameduddin and Engbers, 2021 ) and as an alternative to the traditional means (e.g., pay for performance) for fostering PSM in public and non-profit workers ( Papenfuß and Keppeler, 2020 ).…”