Stipended Volunteers: Their Goals, Experiences, Satisfaction, and Likelihood of Future Service

Abstract

Goal setting theory predicts that the initial needs, interests, and aspirations that volunteers bring to organizations are guiding forces in their work behaviors. Other theorists argue that environmental constraints and conditioned responses to positive or negative reinforcement of earlier behaviors are better predictors of subsequent behaviors than initial goals. In this study, the relationship of initial goals to subsequent service outcomes, satisfaction, and intention to volunteer was empirically investigated. Among a sample of 362 AmeriCorps members, the goals that stipended volunteers brought to their service were found to influence outcomes related to those goals 1 year later. Self-esteem was an important moderator of the relationship between goals and outcomes. The overall match of goal importance to goal achievement predicted both satisfaction and likelihood of future volunteering. The results have implications for research on volunteers and volunteer management.Do volunteers bring a distinct set of interests and needs to organizations that guide their actions within the organizations, influence their satisfaction, and predict their intentions? In this study, we used a longitudinal design to investigate whether the goals that stipended volunteers initially bring to service roles predict outcomes 1 year later. Stipended volunteers receive some financial

On the relational motive for volunteer work

“…It is important to stress that the reasons sought are the initial ones and not the current motives for volunteering. Some authors underline that membership and volunteering in an association may change the goals pursued by the individuals (Gidron, 1984;Pearce, 1983;Tschirhart et al, 2001). We thus cannot rule out the possibility that some respondents indicate their current goals, but we have unfortunately no means to detect such cases.…”

“…With the same functional approach, Tschirhart et al (2001) obtain five types of goals from items submitted to stipended volunteers who are members of AmeriCorps: (i) the instrumental goal, (ii) the altruistic goal, (iii) the social goal, (iv) the self-esteem goal and (v) the avoidance goal. ''Making new friends'' is one of the two constituent items of the social goal, the other being ''gaining respect of those who value service''.…”

“…In order to achieve this result, nonprofit management must in particular strive to match volunteers with jobs which satisfy their goals (Ellis, 1991). To fulfill the volunteers' expectations is the best means to attract and to retain them in the organization, and consequently to minimize the turnover of the unremunerated workforce (Brudney, 1990;Clary et al, 1998;Rubin & Thorelli, 1984;Tschirhart, Mesch, Perry, Miller, & Lee, 2001).…”

Building a better workplace for teen volunteers through inclusive behaviors

“…Nonprofits should learn what volunteers seek from the experience to ensure their satisfaction (Clary, Snyder, and Ridge, 1991;Cnaan and Goldberg-Glen, 1991;Tschirhart and others, 2001). Ferguson (1984) suggested that "other variables related to the relationship might be how much control both parties to the relationship believe they have [and] how power is distributed in the relationship" (p. 20).…”

Inside national service: AmeriCorps' impact on participants

“…The findings were that members' satisfaction with their service was very much related to their having specific goals about what they hoped to gain from their experience. The presence of goals is also positively related to the likelihood that national service participants would volunteer in the future (Tschirhart et al, 2001). Neither partisan in intent nor committed to any particular ideology (Simon & Wang, 1999a, 1999b, 2002, national service experiences draw people out of the confines of their usual cultural and economic context and creates the preconditions for participation in politics and civic affairs.…”