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Enhancing Volunteer Engagement to Achieve Desirable Outcomes: What Can Non-profit Employers Do?

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Abstract

Engagement is a positive psychological state that is linked with a range of beneficial individual and organizational outcomes. However, the factors associated with volunteer engagement have rarely been examined. Data from 1064 volunteers of a wildlife charity in the United Kingdom revealed that both task- and emotion-oriented organizational support were positively related to volunteer engagement, and volunteer engagement was positively related to volunteer happiness and perceived social worth and negatively related to intent to leave the voluntary organization. Consistent with theory, engagement acted as a mediator between these factors. The implications for future research and the relevance of the findings for voluntary organizations are discussed.

Résumé

L’engagement est un état psychologique positif corrélé à un éventail de résultats bénéfiques pour les individus et les organisations. Toutefois, les facteurs liés à l’engagement bénévole ont rarement été examinés. Les données provenant de 1064 bénévoles d’une association caritative consacrée à la protection de la nature au Royaume Uni ont révélé que tant les taches que le soutien organisationnel axé sur les émotions étaient corrélés de manière positive à l’engagement bénévole, et que ce dernier était corrélé de manière positive au bonheur des bénévoles et à la valeur sociale perçue, et corrélé de manière négative à l’intention de quitter l’organisation volontaire. Conformément à la théorie, l’engagement a agi comme médiateur entre ces facteurs. Les implications pour la recherche future et la pertinence des résultats pour les organisations bénévoles et communautaires y sont examinées.

Zusammenfassung

Engagement ist ein positiver psychischer Zustand, der eine Reihe von Vorteilen für Individuen und Organisationen mit sich bringt. Allerdings sind Faktoren im Zusammenhang mit dem Engagement von Freiwilligen nur selten untersucht worden. Daten von 1064 ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeitern in einer britischen Naturschutzorganisation demonstrierten, dass die aufgabenbezogene und emotionale Unterstützung seitens der Organisation vorteilhaft für das Engagement von Freiwilligen war und sich das Engagement positiv auf die Zufriedenheit der ehrenamtliche Tätigenund derenempfundenen sozialen Wert sowienegativ auf deren Absicht auswirkte, die Tätigkeit bei der gemeinnützigen Organisation einzustellen. In Übereinstimmung mit theoretischen Annahmen stellte Engagement eine Mediatorvariable zwischen diesen Faktoren dar. Die Implikationen für zukünftige Studien und die Bedeutung der Ergebnisse für gemeinnützige Organisationen werden diskutiert.

Resumen

El compromiso es un estado psicológico positivo que está vinculado a una gama de resultados individuales y organizativos beneficiosos. Sin embargo, los factores asociados al compromiso del voluntario han sido examinados raras veces. Datos de 1.064 voluntarios de una organización benéfica para la vida salvaje en el Reino Unido revelaron que tanto la tarea como el apoyo organizativo orientado por la emoción estaban relacionados de manera positiva con el compromiso del voluntario, y el compromiso del voluntario estaba relacionado positivamente con la felicidad del voluntario y el valor social percibido y estaba relacionado negativamente con la intención de dejar la organización voluntaria. Coherente con esta teoría, el compromiso actuó como un mediador entre estos factores. Se tratan también las implicaciones para investigaciones futuras y la relevancia de los hallazgos para las organizaciones voluntarias.

摘要

参与是一种积极的心理状态, 这种状态与参与对个人以及对组织机构带来的好处相关,但是却很少有文章考察和志愿者的参与相关的因素。根据来自英国一个野生动物慈善组织的1064个志愿者的数据, 以任务为导向的和以情绪为导向的组织机构支持和志愿者的参与正相关, 志愿者的参与和志愿者的幸福感和志愿者的社会价值认知正相关, 和志愿者的离职意图呈负相关。 与这一理论相互一致的是, 参与在这些因素之间扮演了中介作用。 论文讨论了未来研究的意义以及研究结果和志愿者机构的相关性。

ملخص

المشاركة هي الحالة النفسية الإيجابية التي ترتبط مع مجموعة من النتائج الفردية والتنظيمية المفيدة. مع ذلك، نادرا” ما تم فحص العوامل المرتبطة مع المشاركة التطوعية. كشفت بيانات من 1064متطوع من جمعية الحياة البرية الخيرية في المملكة المتحدة أن كل من العاطفة-المهمة والدعم التنظيمي كان مرتبط بشكل إيجابي على التطوع والمشاركة، ترتبط المشاركة التطوعية إيجابيا” لسعادة المتطوع و إدراك قيمتها الإجتماعية ومرتبط سلبا” بنية ترك المنظمة التطوعية. تمشيا” مع نظرية، تصرف المشاركة كوسيط بين هذه العوامل. تناقش الآثار المترتبة للبحث في المستقبل وأهمية النتائج للمنظمات التطوعية.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Resource Studies, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Kerstin Alfes

  2. Management Department, IÉSEG School of Management LEM-CNRS (UMR 9221), Socle de la Grande Arche, 1 Parvis de la Défense, Paris, 92044, France

    Amanda Shantz

  3. Department of Business and Management, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK

    Catherine Bailey

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  1. Kerstin Alfes
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  3. Catherine Bailey
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Correspondence to Catherine Bailey.

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Alfes, K., Shantz, A. & Bailey, C. Enhancing Volunteer Engagement to Achieve Desirable Outcomes: What Can Non-profit Employers Do?. Voluntas 27, 595–617 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-015-9601-3

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