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Motivations to volunteer: The role of altruism

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the motivations of college students to engage in volunteering with the purpose of increasing understanding of the choices made by these individuals to volunteer. Specifically, what role does altruism play in the motivations of college students to volunteer?

The findings from this study indicate that, of the various motivations that young adults possess to volunteer, altruism appears to be involved with each. Consequently, it appears that appealing to the altruistic motivations of potential new young adult volunteers may be a profitable strategy to attract volunteers regardless of the primary motivations to volunteer that the potential volunteers may possess.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Williams College of Business, Department of Marketing—, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, 45207, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    David J. Burns

  2. Williamson College of Business Administration, Marketing Department—, Youngstown State University, 410 Wick Avenue, 44555, Youngstown, OH, USA

    Jane S. Reid, Mark Toncar & Cynthia Anderson

  3. Department of Business Administration, Cedarville University, 251 North Main St., 45314, Cedarville, OH, USA

    Jeffrey Fawcett

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  1. David J. Burns
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  2. Jane S. Reid
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  4. Jeffrey Fawcett
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Correspondence to David J. Burns, Jane S. Reid, Mark Toncar, Jeffrey Fawcett or Cynthia Anderson.

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Burns, D.J., Reid, J.S., Toncar, M. et al. Motivations to volunteer: The role of altruism. Int Rev on Public Marketing 3, 79–91 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893621

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