Measuring Volunteer Motivation in Mega-Sporting Events

Abstract

Volunteers are a core component of sport service delivery and an important element of the Olympic Games culture. However, little research has addressed the specific characteristics and experiences of individuals who dedicate their time and effort to volunteer at mega-sporting events, more specifically at the Olympic Games. The current study aims to contribute to the literature so that more effective volunteer recruitment and management strategies can be fostered. The purpose of the study was to investigate motives of volunteers at the Athens 2004 Olympics and examine the factorial structure of the Olympic Volunteer Motivation Scale (OVMS). Data were gathered from a volunteer sample of 146 individuals who offered their services in the Olympic Aquatic Center and the Olympic Village. Scores from the 18-item OVMS demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability. The extracted factors (Olympic related, Egoistic, and Purposive) were well defined and interpreted in terms of the items included. Given the fact that volunteers at the Olympic Games might be motivated by reasons that differ from those at local sporting events, the OVMS will provide information that could further support the Olympic volunteer movement in terms of effective volunteer recruitment and satisfaction.

Are All My Volunteers Here to Help Out? Clustering Event Volunteers by Their Motivations

“…Examples of this specificity include the Olympic Volunteer Motivation Scale (OVMS) (Giannoulakis, Wang, & Gray, 2008) and the Volunteer Motivations Scale for International Sporting Events (VMS-ISE) Bang, Won, & Kim, 2009). As noted in the introduction to this study, the SEVMS remains the most recognized event volunteering motivational scale, perhaps in part because it was one of the first attempts to formalize testing of volunteer motives in episodic event settings, representing what Treuren (2009) called "a second generation of event specific scales," (p. 692) based on Cnaan and Goldberg-Glen's (1991) study.…”

Understanding the "lived Experience" of Sport Event Volunteers: Using the Hermeneutic Circle as a Guiding Conceptual Framework

“…In particular, sport volunteering research has put much attention on sports clubs (e.g., Lee, Kim, & Koo, 2016), training (e.g., Minnaert, 2012), governance (e.g., Shilbury et al, 2013), and recruitment (e.g., Lockstone & Baum, 2010). There is also a range of literature that has looked at volunteering at sport mega-events (e.g., Dickson, Benson, & Terwiel, 2014;Edwards, Dickson, & Darcy, 2009;Giannoulakis, Wang, & Gray, 2007;Hallmann & Harms, 2012;Love, Hardin, Koo, & Morse, 2011). Concerning volunteering at sport events, Baum and Lockstone (2007) argued research in this area requires further conceptual depth to holistically explore some of the meanings behind why people volunteer, including the volunteer journey.…”

“…Sport events will always attract a base of local volunteers to generate social impacts and reinforce pride in place (A. Smith, 2012), but for others, the mobility aspect contributes to the emotional journey volunteering at a sporting event-which is often linked to an individual's social identity or personal connection with a particular sport (see Fairley & Gammon, 2005;Giannoulakis et al, 2007;Jaeger & Mathisen, 2017). Traveling to volunteer will transition how an individual perceived their role, as anticipation builds before, during, and after volunteering occurs.…”

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“…Specifically, newspaper reports regarding the topics of hosting mega sporting events have often relied upon information from such sources as politicians (e.g., Andranovich, Burbank, & Heying, 2001;Hall, 2006;, administrators (e.g., Burbank, Andranovich, & Heying, 2002;Emery, 2002;Higham & Hinch, 2002), economists (e.g., Coates & Humphreys, 2008;Shoval, 2002;Siegfried & Zimbalist, 2006), celebrities (e.g., Ashton, Gerrard, & Hudson, 2003;Preuss & Alfs, 2011;Xing & Chalip, 2006), volunteers (e.g., Baum & Lockstone, 2007;Giannoulakis, Wang, & Gray, 2007;Solberg, 2003), and researchers with expertise in the areas of sporting events (e.g., Gursoy & Kendall, 2006;Lee & Taylor, 2005;Ritchie, Shipwat, & Cleeve, 2009). In addition to such "professional" sources, the actual voices of local residents and others closely related to sporting events also provide an important perspective.…”