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Volunteer Motivation and Organizational Climate: Factors that Promote Satisfaction and Sustained Volunteerism in NPOs

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Abstract

Keeping volunteers committed and engaged is one of the toughest challenges for NPOs. The aim of the present study is to investigate the individual and organizational factors that promote volunteer satisfaction and, vice versa, foster intentions to quit. Two hundred forty-seven volunteers operating in four different NPOs were asked to fill in a self-report questionnaire that aimed to explore their motivations to volunteer, their degree of satisfaction and their perception of the organizational climate in the NPO they worked with, in addition to providing details of the activities which they were involved in. Results showed that the organizational climate mediates the relationship between autonomous motivation and satisfaction, as well as that between external motivation and intentions to leave an organization.

Résumé

Garder des bénévoles engagés et dévoués est l’un des défis les plus difficiles pour les OSBL. Le but de la présente étude est d’examiner les facteurs individuels et organisationnels qui favorisent la satisfaction des bénévoles et, inversement, qui nourrissent les intentions de les quitter. On a demandé à deux cent quarante-sept bénévoles travaillant dans quatre OBNL différentes de remplir un questionnaire d’autoévaluation pour explorer les motivations qu’ils avaient pour faire du bénévolat, leur degré de satisfaction et leur perception du climat organisationnel dans l’organisation avec laquelle ils ont travaillé, outre la présentation de détails sur les activités dans lesquelles ils participaient. Les résultats ont montré que le climat organisationnel modifie légèrement la relation entre la motivation autonome et la satisfaction, ainsi que celle entre la motivation externe et les intentions de quitter l’organisation.

Zusammenfassung

Eine der größten Herausforderungen für Non-Profit-Organisationen ist, die Verbindlichkeit und das Engagement ihrer ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeiter zu erhalten. In der vorliegenden Studie sollen die individuellen und organisatorischen Faktoren untersucht werden, die die Zufriedenheit der ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeiter fördern und umgekehrt die Faktoren, die zu einer Beendigung der ehrenamtlichen Tätigkeit führen können. 247 Ehrenamtliche von vier verschiedenen Non-Profit-Organisationen wurden gebeten, ihre Tätigkeiten zu beschreiben und einen Fragebogen auszufüllen, der auf ihrer Selbsteinschätzung beruhte und ihre Beweggründe für eine ehrenamtliche Arbeit, ihre Zufriedenheit und ihre Wahrnehmung des Organisationsklimas innerhalb der Non-Profit-Organisation, bei der sie tätig waren, erforschen sollte. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass das Organisationsklima das Verhältnis zwischen autonomer Motivation und Zufriedenheit als auch das zwischen externer Motivation und der Absicht, die Organisation zu verlassen, beeinflusst.

Resumen

Mantener a los voluntarios comprometidos e implicados es uno de los desafíos más difíciles para las organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro (Non profit organizations “NPO”). El objetivo del presente estudio es investigar los factores individuales y organizativos que promueven la satisfacción del voluntario, y vice versa, fomentan las intenciones de marcharse. A doscientos cuarenta y siete voluntarios que operaban en cuatro NPO diferentes se les pidió que rellenasen un cuestionario de autoinforme que tenía como objetivo explorar sus motivaciones para ser voluntarios, su grado de satisfacción y su percepción del clima organizativo en la NPO en la que trabajaban además de proporcionar detalles de las actividades en las que estaban implicados. Los resultados mostraron que el clima organizativo influye en la relación entre la motivación autónoma y la satisfacción, así como también en la que existe entre la motivación externa y las intenciones para dejar una organización.

摘要

NPO面临的最艰难的挑战之一是保持志愿者的投入和参与。本研究对提高志愿者满意度的个人因素和组织因素以及促使志愿者放弃的个人因素和组织因素进行了调查。 我们请参与四个不同NPO的247名志愿者填写了自我报告式调查问卷, 通过问卷不但让他们提供自己参加过的活动,同时探讨他们参加志愿者活动的动机、他们的满意度以及他们对NPO的机构环境的看法,。 研究结果表明, 组织机构环境能协调自愿性活动和满意度之间的关系以及外部动机和离开组织机构的意图之间的关系。

ملخص

الحفاظ على المتطوعين ملتزمين ومشاركين هو أحد أصعب التحديات التي تواجه المنظمات الغيرربحية (NPO). الهدف من هذه الدراسة الحالية هو دراسة العوامل الفردية والتنظيمية التي تعزز رضا المتطوعين و، بالعكس، رعاية نوايا الإستقالة. مائتين وسبعة وأربعون متطوع يعملون في أربعة منظمات غير ربحية (NPO) مختلفة تم الطلب منهم أن يقوموا بملء إستطلاع رأي تقرير ذاتي الذي يهدف إلى إكتشاف دوافعهم للتطوع، درجة رضاهم وتصورهم للمناخ التنظيمي في المنظمات الغير ربحية (NPO) التي عملوا معها بالإضافة إلى تقديم تفاصيل عن الأنشطة التي يشاركون فيها. النتائج أن المناخ التنظيمي يتوسط العلاقة بين الدافع الذاتي والإرتياح، كذلك بين الدافع الخارجي والنوايا لترك المنظمة.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Joint Project 2010 Grant, which involved both the University of Verona and the CSV (Centro Servizi per il Volontariato) of Verona. We gratefully thank Silvia Sartori and Lucio Garonzi for their assistance and collaboration in the research.

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Correspondence to Alessio Nencini.

Annex 1

Annex 1

See Table 6.

Table 6 The Organizational Climate Scale (English translation)

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Nencini, A., Romaioli, D. & Meneghini, A.M. Volunteer Motivation and Organizational Climate: Factors that Promote Satisfaction and Sustained Volunteerism in NPOs. Voluntas 27, 618–639 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-015-9593-z

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