The Three-Stage Model of Volunteers' Duration of Service

Abstract

The main objective of this paper was to describe the latest results of a longitudinal study carried out by our research team with a sample of social work volunteers, whose one-year follow-up has just been completed, allowing us to draw up what we have called the "Threestage model of volunteers' duration". Use of this model overcomes some of the apparent contradictions between the different models of volunteerism. For example, for the Functional Model, motivations, and more specifically their satisfaction, would be the best predictors of service duration, however, for the Role Identity Model, what best predicts service duration would be role identity. We assume that in the initial phase of volunteerism, motivations and their satisfaction are more closely related to service duration than role identity. Nevertheless, to predict longer duration of service and greater involvement, the fundamental variable is organizational commitment. Finally, the Role Identity Model is that which best explains sustained volunteerism. Instruments used included the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1979) Keywords: volunteerism, service duration, motivations, satisfaction, organizational commitment, role identity, behavioral intention.Regarding volunteerism, there are two practical and important questions. First, how do you attract volunteers to join an organization? Second, how do you keep them for a long time? We address the second one because of the high drop-out SOCIAL

The Spirit Lives on: The Legacy of Volunteering at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

“…The findings of this study extend our understanding of volunteer legacies emphasizing that like other legacies, volunteer legacies may emerge organically, without planned and coordinated efforts of the event organizers, and can create a sustained change in attitudes and behavior of those who volunteer at these events. This study also expands on the work of Doherty (2009), who suggests that satisfied volunteers will likely volunteer in the future, as well as on the work of role identity theorists (Callero et al, 1987;Chacón et al, 2007;Finkelstein, 2009;Grube & Piliavin, 2000;Jiménez et al, 2010;Piliavin et al, 2002;Van Dyne & Farmer, 2005) who Thus, the group used the event itself to introduce a younger generation into the role of volunteering.…”

“…It has been suggested that a key causal mechanism that strengthens the likelihood of repeat volunteering behavior is the development of a volunteer role identity (Callero, Howard, & Piliavin, 1987;Chacón, Vecina, & Dávila, 2007;Jiménez et al, 2010;Van Dyne & Farmer, 2005). Role identity theory predicts that over time the volunteer role an individual undertakes becomes incorporated into that individual's self-concept (Van Dyne & Farmer, 2005).…”

“…For many existing volunteers, the Sydney Olympic Games served to reignite a passion for volunteering and stimulated the reintegration of the volunteer role identity. As suggested by Chacón et al (2007), when a volunteer role becomes part of one's personal identity, role identity then becomes more strongly related to long-term service as a volunteer and thus repeat volunteerism. Indeed, this study has shown that the majority of existing volunteers continued or increased their volunteerism following the Sydney Olympic Games.…”

The moderating role of age in the relationship between volunteering motives and well-being

“…Experimental studies and longitudinal studies are needed to further test whether volunteering improves the physical and psychological well-being among volunteers of different age through satisfying their goals. In particular, studies on sustained volunteerism revealed that the endorsement of volunteering motives only predicted volunteering experience at the beginning but not for longer periods (Chacon et al 2007;Finkelstein 2006;Finkelstein et al 2005). Future studies should further examine the well-being benefits of volunteering motives in longitudinal studies to disentangle the short-term and long-term effects of volunteering motives among different age groups.…”

Job Satisfaction among College Student Volunteers

“…Starnes & Wymer (2001) points out that people continue volunteering their services when they experience job satisfaction such as finding it is interesting and challenging, experiencing new learning opportunities, allowing for independence and achieving personal or professional growth. A study among social work volunteers also found that satisfaction would be the best predictors of service duration (Chacon & Vecina, 2007).…”