Understanding the link between older volunteers’ resources and motivation to volunteer

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of older volunteers' available human, social, and cultural capital on their motivational forces to volunteer, measured through the Volunteer Function Inventory. A large European database of 955 older volunteers (i.e., aged 50+) was employed, and Seemingly Unrelated Regressions showed that older volunteers have different motivations according to different sets of individual resources. Furthermore, lower amounts of human and social capital (e.g., low educational level, poor health, being widowed, divorced or single) are associated with a higher propensity to volunteer to enhance one's own self-esteem, to avoid thinking of personal problems, and for social reasons. These results have important implications for policy makers and voluntary organizations if they want to enhance volunteering among older people with less resources, i.e., that are more at risk of social exclusion. For example, according to the results of this study, policy makers could consider developing more tailored opportunities for involving older volunteers with low educational level, poor health, widowed, divorced, or single. They could do this by underlying that volunteering offers possibilities to satisfy motivational needs important to the, elderly, e.g., to increase self-esteem, to deal with personal problems in a better way, and to have satisfying social contacts.

Do predictors of volunteering in older age differ by health status?

“…with both multimorbidity and disability), who are also widowed rather than married, this in contrast with resource theory, could engage in volunteering as a way to increase their resources and overcome their ''double'' negative circumstances of having lost their partner and being in poor health, and in general to avoid social exclusion. This is in line with the results of previous studies which found that lower amounts of individual capital, including poor health and being widowed, are associated with a higher propensity to volunteer in order to enhance one's own self-esteem, to avoid thinking about personal problems, and for social reasons (Principi et al 2015). In light of this evidence, special recruitment campaigns might be activated for widowed older people in particularly poor health, to foster their social inclusion and related health benefits.…”

Active Aging: Social Entrepreneuring in Local Communities of Five European Countries

“…This aspect is in line with the resource theory of volunteer work, according to which, having higher resources available in terms of socioeconomic status, including education, skills, and income, as well as health, facilitate volunteering [41]. However, less resourced older people could have higher motivation than other older people [42], and should be given the opportunities to develop their "social plans" through special attention at policy level. Another kind of social resource facilitating volunteering, according to the resource theory of volunteer work [43], is labor market participation.…”

Digital Design Considerations for Volunteer Recruitment

“…Thus, our first design reflection is to consider broader digital platforms that encourage different levels of engagement in civic participation and to ask what kind of platform might easily bridge both short and longterm forms of volunteering. Principi et al (2016), in their study of older volunteers, found that many older people were put off volunteering because they lacked the resources to commit. They concluded that organisations should offer more tailored opportunities for volunteering and should better map the motivational needs of older adults to the volunteering opportunities available.…”