Research Notes for Volunteer Managers and Coordinators
How to make volunteering more inclusive?
Authors: Philine S. M. van Overbeeke, Stephanie A. Koolen-Maas, Lucas C.P.M. Meijs, & Jeffrey L. Brudney
Provided by: Teresa Sofio from Centre for European Volunteering (CEV)
Certain groups tend to be excluded from volunteer opportunities based on perceptions about lack of previous volunteering experience and perceptions by receiving organisations. What strategies can be used by organisations that recruit and place volunteers to guarantee a more diverse and inclusive environment for participants?
Diaspora volunteering in a cross-border and local context
Author: Malika Ouacha – Erasmus University
Provided by: Lizzy Steinhart from LCM Family
This study contributes to the literature on cross-border diasporic philanthropy in cross-national context of countries with no colonial past, but with a diaspora present in both societies. The perspectives are presented in three groups: the Amazigh diaspora living in the Netherlands, the Amazigh diaspora living in Morocco and the recipient social groups of the prior two communities.
Does socio-economic inequality affect individuals’ civic engagement?
Authors: Joris Schröder – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Michaela Neumayr – Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Cornelia Walther from the University of Pennsylvania and POZE Global Network
Higher inequality is often negatively related to civic engagement, and individual factors moderate this relation. This study is relevant for people working in philanthropy because empirical results vary considerably, and explanations about what underlies this relationship remain fragmented. How does inequality affect individuals’ civic engagement in charitable giving, volunteering and non-profit membership?
Is giving a civil act for personal reasons or for social standing?
Author: Johan Vamstad – Marie Cederschiöld University
Provided by: Heather Little
This article seeks to understand the reasons why people give to charities. It explores the social and individual reasons for giving using social origins theory to analyse the results. This study focuses on whether giving is an act of individual civility (altruistic/personal reasons or making the donor feel as though they are doing good) or societal civicness (conforming to societal norms or affirming the bond between the donor and society more broadly).
What organisational factors affect volunteering?
Authors: Sibylle Studer (University of Basel), Georg von Schnurbein (University of Basel)
Provided by: Nevena Mijatovic (University of Belgrade)
This study aimed to shed light on the organisational factors affecting volunteers that were previously captured in the academic literature. The authors systematically analysed abstracts of 396 publications tackling volunteer coordination from different scientific disciplines and research traditions.
Volunteering is most beneficial for elderly and less healthy Europeans
Author: Arjen de Wit (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Heng Qu (Texas A&M University), René Bekkers (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Provided by: Katherine Hermans from Global Changemakers
The article examines the health advantages of volunteering for European adults. Does volunteering have health benefits? And if so, who benefits most? The results of the study suggest volunteering not only has a positive impact on society as a whole but may also indicate a health advantage for volunteers over the age of 60 and those in poor health. In almost all European countries, volunteers report better health than non-volunteers, indicating that policymakers should promote volunteering as a possible route to better health and healthy ageing.
Comprehensive INGO accountability improves perceived effectiveness
Authors: Alice Hengevoss – University of Basel
Provided by: Scott Mcdonald from Root Capital
International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) have been under increased scrutiny from the public and academia. Critics argue that INGOs should be more accountable to various stakeholders, particularly to beneficiaries. Evidence shows that a more comprehensive approach to accountability can improve INGO performance. This paper analyses survey data of over 200 INGO leaders in 21 countries to develop a framework for comprehensive accountability. The framework identifies three accountability approaches, or logics: resource logic, outcome assessment logic, and discursive logic.
Delivering effective leadership transitions and succession planning in nonprofits
Author: Nils Geib – Universität Hamburg | Silke Boenigk – Universität Hamburg
Provided by: Sufina Ahmad (John Ellerman Foundation)
This study argues that effective nonprofit leadership continuity or succession planning should be a shared leadership responsibility that Boards deliver, Executive Directors/Division Executives and Human Resources (HR) professionals working together. The researchers hypothesise that nonprofit succession planning is rarely considered or applied by nonprofits and primarily involves Boards and Executive Directors/Division Executives.
How socialization influences informal volunteering
Authors: Marlou Ramaekers – Radboud University | Ellen Verbakel – Radboud University | Gerbert Kraaykamp – Radboud University
Provided by: Katy Adams from the University of Heidelberg
Concerns have been raised over the potential decline of community life. This study discusses the impact of parents and current partners on behaviours during adulthood that foster social bonds. The study questions whether parents and partners modelling and encouraging prosocial behaviour affects adults‘ informal volunteering.
Faith-based fundraising and engagement in post-communist Czech Republic
Author(s): Jakub Dostál – College of Polytechnics | Vladimír Hyánek – Masaryk University
Provided by: Peter Stemp from La Salle Foundation
In the Czech Republic, religiosity is decreasing, and distrust in church institutions is on the rise. Despite this, volunteerism and revenue have consistently increased for Caritas Czech Republic’s primary fundraising initiative. This study explores religiosity and trust in the church in the context of fundraising and volunteerism for faith-based organizations in post-communist Czech Republic.
Who is most likely to volunteer with refugees?
Author(s): Maikel Meijeren – Radboud University | Marcel Lubbers – Utrecht University | Peer Scheepers – Radboud University
Provided by: Ksenija Fonovic from CSV Lazio
Socio-Structural Determinants in Volunteering for Humanitarian Organizations: A Resource-Based Approach” helps volunteer coordinators, advocacy leaders, and volunteer support centers understand the characteristics of individuals most likely to engage in volunteer activities for integration. The authors distinguish between ‘activist,’ ‘interest,’ and ‘leisure’ organizations; each of these types attracts potential volunteers with somewhat different characteristics.
Managing tensions between volunteers and health care professionals
Author(s): Georg von Schnurbein – University of Basel | Eva Hollenstein – Swiss Centre for International Health | Nicholas Arnold – University of Basel | Florian Liberatore – Zurich University of Applied Sciences
Provided by: Connor Audsley from The Centre for European Volunteering
This paper analyses reasons for tensions between volunteers and health care professionals working together within the health sector, and how these tensions can be managed, with implications for how the sector can best collaborate. What preceeds tensions between Volunteers and Healthcare Professionals, and how is this viewed differently by managers and volunteers?
Rethinking volunteering as a natural resource
Author(s): Stephanie Koolen-Maas – VU Amsterdam | Lucas Meijs – Erasmus University | Philine van Overbeeke – Erasmus University | Jeffrey Brudney† – University of North Carolina
Provided by: Megan Burgoyne from The Centre for European Volunteering
The article focusses on redefining the concept of volunteering as a natural resource. It proposes to break down this concept into three distinct volunteer resources, each with its own characteristics and dynamics. The paper aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of volunteering and its various forms and dynamics. The key concept is that volunteering can be understood as a human-made, renewable resource that can be grown and recycled. The concept of volunteering is compared to a natural resource and suggests that, as a result, better management of volunteering is required to manage this ‘resource’.
Social norms offer explanation for inconsistent effects of incentives on prosocial behaviour
Author(s): Caroline Graf, VU Amsterdam & Sanquin Research| Bianca Suanet, VU Amsterdam | Pamala Wiepking, VU Amsterdam & Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis | Eva-Maria Merz, VU Amsterdam & Sanquin Research
Provided by: Zeryihun Kassa from Kingston University.
This research paper explores the determinants of prosocial behaviour and the role of incentives and social norms for individuals’ willingness to contribute to public goods. Traditional economic theories suggest that offering incentives can effectively motivate prosocial actions. However, empirical studies reveal a paradoxical pattern where incentives sometimes fail to influence or even diminish prosocial behaviour. The paper introduces a novel approach to understanding these inconsistent effects of incentives by integrating social norms into a formal model of prosocial behaviour. The authors propose a comprehensive model that retains the signalling aspects of image-based theories while accounting for contextual variation in behaviour.
How moral goodness drives unethical behaviour in NGOs
Author(s): Isabel de Bruin Cardoso – Erasmus University | Allison R. Russell – The University of Texas at Dallas | Muel Kaptein – Erasmus University | Lucas Meijs – Erasmus University
Provided by: Anna-Leah Gebühr from UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe e.V.
The objective of this article is to understand – through generating empirical evidence – how the NGO halo effect, i.e. the inflation of moral goodness in NGOs, can explain unethical behaviour. The key question of this article is whether people in NGOs glorify their mission, morals, and people, and if so, how this glorification can explain NGO unethical behaviour. The authors conclude that the NGO halo effect exists, that there are three mechanisms that can explain unethical behaviour.
A Social Innovation: Addressing Relative Food Insecurity and Social Exclusion
Author(s): Lucas Meijs, Erasmus University Rotterdam | Femida Handy, University of Pennsylvania | Frans-Joseph Simons, Erasmus University Rotterdam | Lonneke Roza, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Provided by: Joseph Street from the Centre for European Volunteering
‘Food insecurity’ is a relative phenomenon, as the perceived applicability of the definition will vary depending on the area of the world it is being studied in. Development, whilst not as crucial to the Minority world as it is to the Majority world, should still be strived towards, even in already ‘developed’ nations. This paper focuses on the case study of relative food insecurity, manifested in the issue of Dutch children who are unable to afford the ‘culturally appropriate foods’ used to celebrate birthdays in the Netherlands, and how this can have a domino effect on such children’s mental and social wellbeing.
Driven by values or results: can nonprofits do both?
Author(s): Gerhard Speckbacher – WU Vienna University
Provided by: Kate Sullivan from The Human Safety Net
Results-based management is shown to have helped for-profit companies to overcome challenges in people management when the team members have overlapping or unclear perimeters of their roles. There are often very clear organisational goals, such as profit, which can be translated into individual or team-level goals. Instead, in the case of non-profits, organisational goals are famously complex. Rather than seeing values as a means to an end (e.g. customer orientation to boost revenue), staff in nonprofits often are highly dedicated to values such as justice, human dignity and service as an end in itself. How can nonprofits be enabled to reach their goals and live up to their values given these characteristics?
Did you donate? Talking about donations predicts compliance with solicitations for donations
Author(s): Joris Melchior Schröder, VU Amsterdam | Eva-Maria Merz, VU Amsterdam | Bianca Suanet, VU Amsterdam | Pamala Wiepking, VU Amsterdam & Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Provided by: Andrea Goezinne from Salesforce
The research found that blood donors who talk about their donation experiences are more likely to comply with future requests. This effect is especially pronounced in new donors, suggesting that early engagement through communication can cultivate a long-term habit of giving.
Do we help our neighbours just because they will return the favour in the future?
Author(s): Marlou J. M. Ramaekers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Tanja van der Lippe, Utrecht University | Belle Derks, Utrecht University
Provided by: Ines Sevilla from the Centre for European Volunteering
Understanding how the willingness to help a neighbour is influenced by reciprocity, their need for help, and the perceived helpfulness of the neighbour is essential for fostering community support, especially for those unable to reciprocate. To what extent does expecting a return influence helping neighbours? Does the neighbour’s need and perception of helpfulness balance this out?
How public trust and healthcare quality realte to blood donations
Author(s): Caroline Graf –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Bianca Suanet –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Pamala Wiepking –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Eva-Maria Merz –Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Provided by: Lucy Pfliger from France générosités
Is public trust in the healthcare system and healthcare quality related to blood donation behaviour? In this paper, the authors explore the extent of this relation across 28 European countries using survey data. Results show that while public trust in the healthcare system predicts individual propensity to donate blood, the performance of the system does not.
Environmental Event Volunteers: Changing third-party Motivations, and Management
Author(s):Anna Llumà Trujillo –Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Lucas C. P. M. Meijs–Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Guido Berens –Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Provided by: Connor Audsley from the Centre for European Volunteering
This study analyses environmental event volunteering, considering changes in the event episodic volunteering landscape, including demographics, which necessitate a change in how organisations recruit and engage volunteers, and how this may differ in Non-Western countries. How do modern, global volunteers engage with environmental episodic event volunteering, and why?
Informal Volunteers in Pandemics: Perception of Risk and Effectiveness of Digital Matching Platforms
Author(s):Dominik Stefan Meier – University of Basel | Amadeus Petrig – Genossenschaft Migros Aare, Bern | Georg von Schnurbein – University of Basel
Provided by: Ksenija Fonovic from Charles University and CSV Lazio.
A pandemic represents a peculiar extraordinary condition. Nevertheless, issues around gauging the willingness of citizens to help in face of an emergency are quite similar to other crisis situations, such as natural disasters or man-provoked catastrophes. How to coordinate spontaneous helping, harmonize the readiness with the actual needs, ensure the safety of all parties involved, avoid further damage?
Why do people volunteer for refugees? Exploring Volunteer Motivations
Author(s):Maikel Meijeren – Radboud University |Marcel Lubbers – Utrecht University | Peer Scheepers – Radboud University
Provided by: Aleksandra Belina from Good Network Foundation & University of Warsaw
This article addresses the motivations of volunteers to volunteer for refugees. This study is relevant for practitioners because it sheds light on popular and unpopular motivations for volunteering for refugees. It helps better understand and mobilize volunteers by designing more targeted policies to recruit and retain volunteers. What are the key motivations driving individuals to volunteer for refugees? Do these motivations differ from or complement motivations to volunteer in general? And how can these insights enhance volunteer management?
The Antecedents of Charity Trust and its Influence on Supportive Behavior
Author(s): Walter Wymer – University of Lethbridge | Annika Becker – Universität Hamburg | Silke Boenigk – Universität Hamburg
Provided by: Jemma Chambers from Habitat for Humanity Great Britain
The article identifies the individual and organisational factors which influence donor trust in charities, such as branding and celebrity endorsement, offering practitioners an analysis of the impact on donor behaviours which could be used to strengthen supporter relationship strategies. The research explores the antecedents of trust and asks: to what extent do these positively influence donor behaviour; and is gender a moderating factor in this relationship?
What Keeps Corporate Volunteers Engaged?
Author(s): Susan van Schie-ESSEC Business School | Arthur Gautier -ESSEC Business School | Anne-Claire Pache -ESSEC Business School | Stefan T. Güntert-ETH Zürich
Provided by: Ashifa Agede from Centre for Health Systems Support & Initiatives for Development
The article explores the factors that drive employees to internalize a volunteer identity in a corporate context. This study is relevant for practitioners because the insights can lead to more effective, engaging, and sustainable volunteer programs that benefit both volunteers and the communities they serve. What factors explain why employees internalize a volunteer identity in a corporate context and? how do these factors influence sustained participation in corporate volunteering activities and by extension, the desired outcomes?
Creating and Evaluating a New Framework for Understanding Changes in Volunteer Administrative and Management Practices
Author(s): Jeffrey Brudney – University of North Carolina | Lucas Meijs – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Philine van Overbeeke – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University; The Gradel Institute of Charity, New College, University of Oxford
Provided by: Katy Adams from Heidelberg University
There is a lack of certainty around the necessary tasks of volunteer management. Investigating a new framework reveals the particular impact of third-party involvement and the need for further research. Can differences in how volunteer practitioners vary in their approaches to management be adequately represented within a simple framework?
Middle-Class Volunteers: A Stable Backbone of Swiss Civil Society?
Author(s): Oto Potluka & Georg von Schnurbein – Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel
Provided by: Aleksandra Belina from Good Network Foundation & Klon/Jawor Association
Many people believe that the middle class is the main group involved in formal volunteering. But as the middle class shrinks under economic pressures, is volunteering shrinking too? Is the middle class at risk of becoming less involved? To find out, the authors looked at data from the Swiss Volunteering Survey, which collected responses from over 5,000 people in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2019. They wanted to see if the middle-class’s involvement in volunteering has changed over time.
The Political Embeddedness of Voluntary Action: The Case of Local Philanthropic COVID-19 Relief Funds
Author(s):Laurie E. Paarlberg – Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, USA | Jin Ai – Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, USA | Megan LePere-Schloop – The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA | Marlene Walk – Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
Provided by: Jonathan Gunson
This article examines the relationship between political institutions and the activation of local voluntary action in the context of COVID-19 funds managed by community philanthropic organizations. What is the relationship between political institutions and voluntary action?
Designing Better Volunteering Appeals: What Works and for Whom
Author(s): Eva Maria Jedicke – University of Freiburg | Stephan Olk – Horn & Company, Düsseldorf | Adnan Zogaj – University of Freiburg | Dieter K. Tscheulin – University of Freiburg | Jörg Lindenmeier – University of Freiburg
Provided by: Ashifa Agede from Centre for Health Systems Support & Initiatives for Development
With the increasing competition for people’s time and attention, nonprofits need evidence-based strategies to design effective volunteering appeals. This study offers a model for optimizing volunteer recruitment messaging by testing which combinations of images, slogans, organizational credibility signals, and required time commitments motivate people to sign up. The research provides practitioners with practical insights to build tailored, targeted recruitment campaigns that maximize engagement by identifying what matters most to different groups of potential volunteers. Which design attributes in volunteering appeals are most effective for attracting and motivating potential volunteers, and how do preferences differ across volunteer segments?
When People Start Volunteering for Humanitarian Organizations?
Author(s): Maikel Meijeren – Radboud University | René Bekkers – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Peer Scheepers – Radboud University
Provided by: Ksenija Fonovic from Charles University
Recruiting and retaining volunteers is a major challenge for third sector operations. Advice on how to become better in this, usually centres on the demand side: how organizations can communicate, train, award, organize. For the supply side, research has demonstrated that people who are educated, religious and economically well-off, are more likely to volunteer. Yet only some of these make this choice. And out of these, only very few for humanitarian causes. Under what circumstances, persons decide to start volunteering for humanitarian organizations? Which life course changes act as triggers?
Engaging Young in Philanthropy
Author(s): Claire van Teunenbroek – University of Twente | Walter Wymer – University of Lethbridge | Ljiljana Najev Cacija – University of Split
Provided by: Anna-Leah Gebühr
The objective of this article is to bring together and draw insights from existing research on the giving behaviour of younger generations. It explores how and why young people give time or money to non-profit organisations (NPOs) and what measures NPOs could take to attract them as donors and volunteers.
Capability to Volunteer: Explaining the Varieties of Volunteering in Europe
Author(s): Bernard Enjolras -Institute for Social Research, Oslo
Provided by: Connor Audsley from Centre for European Volunteering
Through applying the capability approach to European datasets, this paper builds on existing research on factors impacting the likelihood of volunteering and provides insight into the varying rates of volunteering across Europe. Do different individual and societal factors impacting someone’s capability to volunteer explain the variation in volunteering across Europe?
Three Kings Knocking at the Door: Is it All About the Money?
Author(s): Jakub Dostál – College of Polytechnics Jihlava | Vladimír Hyánek – College of Polytechnics Jihlava
Provided by: Silva Lässer from the Center for Public Management (KPM) at the University of Bern
The authors address the significance of volunteering in the Three Kings Collection (TKC), one of the largest door-to-door fundraising events for Caritas Czech Republic, by contrasting its quantified economic value with non-monetary value dimensions. This comparison can guide practitioners towards more holistic assessments of volunteer contributions and, more broadly speaking, inspire well-rounded monitoring, evaluation and reporting practices. More specifically, the authors pose the following research question: How can the value of volunteering be fully captured beyond traditional approaches which focus on monetary quantification?
Making Corporate Volunteering Work for Your Mission
Author(s): Hanna Schneider – Vienna University of Economics and Business | Michaela Neumayr – Vienna University of Economics and Business
Provided by: Anh P. Nguyen from Happier Me
Corporate volunteering (CV)—when companies encourage their employees to volunteer their time or expertise with nonprofit organizations—has become a popular form of cross-sector collaboration. This study explores forms of nonprofit business collaboration from a nonprofit perspective: Why do nonprofits engage in CV? How do they interpret and make sense of corporate volunteering? How do these interpretations influence the types and dynamics of collaborations they form with companies?
Volunteer Retention – Influencing Factors in Refugee Aid Volunteering
Author(s): Maikel Meijeren – Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Naomi Ellemers – Utrecht University | Marcel Lubbers – Utrecht University
Provided by: Connor Audsley from the Centre for European Volunteering (CEV)
Refugee aid organisations are heavily reliant on volunteers, and a critical question for these organisations is how they can better retain these volunteers. The article analyses this question through looking at both the organisational and motivational factors influencing a volunteer’s satisfaction and decision to continue volunteering, highlighting practical lessons for volunteer retention. How do organisational and personal factors, influence a volunteer’s satisfaction with an organisation, and motivation to continue volunteering?
Volunteer Responses to Scandals in Nonprofit Organizations
Author(s): Eva Maria Jedicke – University of Freiburg, Germany | Isabella M. Nolte – Harz University of Applied Sciences, Germany | Jörg Lindenmeier – University of Freiburg, Germany
Provided by: Brad Mazon from Sahiyo
This article addresses ethical dilemmas faced by nonprofit volunteers in the face of a nonprofit scandal. It provides a sort of “ethical roadmap” for NPOs to better respond to volunteers’ needs during a scandal, while at the same time, offering insights as to how to re-build trust and public legitimacy to enable NPOs to fundraise and grow. The authors investigate how volunteers respond to scandals in nonprofit organizations, and the role of moral reasoning strategies as drivers of volunteer behavior.
Do Formal and Informal Volunteering Compete or Complement? Insights for Civil Society Support
Author(s): Oto Potluka – Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel | Lenka Švecová – University of Chemistry and Technology Prague | Eva Blahová – Prague University of Economics and Business | Natasa Diatkova – University of West Bohemia, Pilsen
Provided by: Ashifa Agede from Centre for Health Systems Support & Initiatives for Development
This article explores how formal and informal volunteering relate in Central Europe, offering insights relevant for policies aimed at strengthening volunteer engagement and civil society, especially in contexts with lower institutional trust and developing NGO sectors. The study asks: Do formal and informal volunteering compete for volunteers, or do they support each other, and how do social and human capital, income, and time influence this?