Volunteers
What defines a volunteer?
A volunteer is ‘a person who chooses to contribute their time, skills and experience, for no payment (other than reimbursement for out of-pocket expenses), to benefit the community'.
An important notion in volunteering is freedom of choice. People who feel obligated
or coerced into volunteering may not be as willing to contribute their time, skills or
experience as someone who freely chooses to become a volunteer.
Why do people volunteer?
Volunteer work itself is not always seen as fulfilling. The reasons people give for
becoming a volunteer and the benefits they feel they gain by volunteering
infrequently mention the volunteer work itself (see Table 1). The predominant
reasons for becoming a volunteer are to help others or the community (altruism), to
be with family or friends (social contact), or to do something worthwhile (personal
satisfaction). In order to recruit volunteers effectively, clubs and organisations need to emphasise the opportunities that volunteering provides for social contact, to be community minded and to do something worthwhile. While an understanding of the work involved in taking on a voluntary position is important, it is not the work itself that motivates volunteers. Similar findings are evident among the reported benefits (outcomes) of volunteering. The most highly rated benefits of being a volunteer are personal satisfaction and social contact (see Table 2). What motivates people to volunteer and what they see as the rewards or benefits of volunteering are usually beyond the control of sport and recreation organisations, but need to be taken into account when designing volunteer recruitment plans.
Table 1 Reasons for becoming a volunteer
<<Australian Bureau of Statistics (1995) Voluntary Work Australia, Cat. 4441.0.
Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.>
|
Help others/community |
41.5% |
|
Personal/family involvement |
33.5% |
|
Personal satisfaction |
26.6% |
|
To do something worthwhile |
23.3% |
|
Social contact |
15.7% |
|
Felt obliged/just happened |
12.9% |
|
Use skills/experience |
11.5% |
|
Gain work experience/reference |
11.5% |
|
To be active |
11.0% |
|
Religious beliefs |
9.3% |
|
To learn new skills |
6.4% |
Table 2 Personal benefits gained through volunteer work for sport and
recreation volunteers
<<Australian Bureau of Statistics (1995) Voluntary Work Australia, Cat. 4441.0.
Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.>>
|
Personal satisfaction |
60.5% |
|
Social contact |
44.3% |
|
Helped others/community |
25.0% |
|
Personal/family involvement |
21.9% |
|
Do something worthwhile |
20.4% |
|
Learned new skills |
18.2% |
|
Have been active |
13.1% |
|
Used skills/experience |
12.5% |
|
Gained work experience/reference |
6.8% |
|
No benefits |
4.7% |
