Abstract
Retaining engaged volunteers is crucial to many non-profit organizations. However, research on volunteer engagement is limited, and the distinction between job and organizational engagement in volunteers remains to be investigated. In this paper, we examine both organizational- and job-level engagement, and specifically, whether perceived organizational support would enhance volunteer engagement and associated attitudes. We surveyed 221 volunteers, and asked them about their perceptions of organizational support; their engagement with their volunteer job and the organization they volunteer for; satisfaction; commitment; and turnover intentions. Both organizational and job engagements had significant relationships with the attitudinal variables. However, we found that organizational rather than job engagement mediated the relationship between organizational support and volunteer satisfaction and commitment. While organizational engagement correlated with turnover intentions, neither job nor organizational engagement mediated the relationship between support and the intent to leave. Our findings advance the research on volunteer engagement, and highlight the importance of organizational engagement for this important, but too often overlooked, workforce.
Résumé
La fidélisation de bénévoles engagés est cruciale pour plusieurs organismes sans but lucratif. La recherche sur l’engagement des bénévoles est pourtant limitée et la distinction entre l’engagement professionnel et organisationnel des bénévoles reste à être étudiée plus en profondeur. Dans le présent article, nous examinons à la fois l’engagement organisationnel et professionnel et, plus précisément, si le soutien organisationnel perçu améliorerait l’engagement des bénévoles et les attitudes connexes. Nous avons interrogé 221 bénévoles sur leurs perceptions du soutien organisationnel; leur engagement envers leur travail bénévole et l’organisme pour lequel ils sont bénévoles; leur satisfaction; leur engagement; et leurs intentions de changer d’organisme. Les engagements organisationnel et professionnel avaient tous deux d’importants liens avec des variables comportementales. Nous avons cependant découvert que l’engagement organisationnel plutôt que professionnel modérait la relation entre le soutien organisationnel et la satisfaction et l’engagement des bénévoles. Tandis que l’engagement organisationnel était en corrélation avec des intentions de changer d’organisme ni l’engagement professionnel, ni organisationnel ne modérait la relation entre le soutien et l’intention de quitter. Nos résultats font avancer les recherches sur l’engagement bénévole et soulèvent l’importance de l’engagement organisationnel pour cette main-d’œuvre essentielle, quoique trop souvent négligée.
Zusammenfassung
Die Bindung engagierter Ehrenamtlicher ist für viele Non-Profit-Organisationen äußerst wichtig. Die Forschungen zum Engagement von Ehrenamtlichen sind jedoch begrenzt, und der Unterschied zwischen der Verpflichtung der Ehrenamtlichen gegenüber der Arbeit und ihrer Verpflichtung gegenüber der Organisation muss noch untersucht werden. In diesem Beitrag wird das Engagement sowohl auf der Organisations- als auch auf der Arbeitsebene analysiert. Man geht insbesondere auf die Frage ein, ob die wahrgenommene Unterstützung seitens der Organisation für das Engagement der Ehrenamtlichen und die damit einhergehende Haltung förderlich sein kann. Im Rahmen der Studie beantworteten 221 Ehrenamtliche Fragen zu ihrer Wahrnehmung hinsichtlich der organisatorischen Unterstützung, zu ihrem Engagement in Bezug auf die ehrenamtliche Tätigkeit und die Organisation, bei der sie tätig sind, zu ihrer Zufriedenheit, ihrer Verpflichtung und ihrer Fluktuationsabsicht. Sowohl das organisations- als auch das arbeitsbezogene Engagement standen in einem signifikanten Verhältnis zu den haltungssbezogenen Variablen. Allerdings stellte man fest, dass die Beziehung zwischen der organisatorischen Unterstützung und der Zufriedenheit und Verpflichtung der Ehrenamtlichen vom organisationsbezogenen und nicht vom arbeitsbezogenen Engagement beeinflusst wurde. Während das Engagement gegenüber der Organisation mit den Fluktuationsabsichten in Zusammenhang stand, beeinflussten weder das arbeits- noch das organisationsbezogene Engagement die Beziehung zwischen der Unterstützung und der Absicht, die Organisation zu verlassen. Die Ergebnisse sind ein Fortschritt in der Forschung zum ehrenamtlichen Engagement und unterstreichen die Bedeutung des Engagements gegenüber der Organisation für diese wichtigen, aber häufig vergessenen Arbeitskräfte.
Resumen
Retener a los voluntarios comprometidos es crucial para muchas organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro. Sin embargo, la investigación sobre el compromiso del voluntario es limitada, y la distinción entre compromiso laboral y organizacional en los voluntarios sigue sin ser investigada. En el presente documento, examinamos tanto el compromiso organizacional como el compromiso a nivel laboral, y específicamente, si el apoyo organizacional percibido aumentaría el compromiso del voluntario y las actitudes asociadas. Encuestamos a 221 voluntarios, y les preguntamos sobre sus percepciones del apoyo organizacional; su compromiso con su trabajo voluntario y con la organización en la que son voluntarios; la satisfacción; el compromiso; y las intenciones de rotación. Tanto los compromisos organizacionales como los laborales tenían relaciones significativas con las variables actitudinales. Sin embargo, encontramos que el compromiso organizacional más que el compromiso laboral mediaban en la relación entre el apoyo organizacional y la satisfacción y el compromiso del voluntario. Aunque el compromiso organizacional tenía correlación con las intenciones de rotación, ni el compromiso laboral ni el compromiso organizacional mediaban en la relación entre el apoyo y la intención de marcharse. Nuestros hallazgos avanzan la investigación sobre compromiso voluntario, y subrayan la importancia del compromiso organizacional para esta fuerza laboral importante, aunque demasiado a menudo ignorada.
ملخص
الإحتفاظ بمتطوعين ملتزمين أمر بالغ الأهمية للعديد من المنظمات الغير هادفة للربح. مع ذلك، البحث عن مشاركة المتطوعين محدود، ويبقى التحقيق في التمييز بين العمل والمشاركة التنظيمية في المتطوعين. في هذه المقالة، نحن نقوم بدراسة كل من المشاركة التنظيمية و مشاركة مستوى العمل، وعلى وجه التحديد، إذا كان النظر إلى الدعم التنظيمي من شأنه أن يعزز مشاركة المتطوعين والمواقف المرتبطة بها. قمنا بإستطلاع رأي 221 متطوع، وسألناهم عن تصوراتهم للدعم التنظيمي؛ مشاركتهم مع العمل التطوعي والتنظيمات التي يتطوعون به؛ الرضا؛ الإلتزام؛ و سرعة تغيرالنوايا. سواء كانت التعاقدات التنظيمية ومشاركة الوظيفة لها علاقات كبيرة مع المتغيرات الموقفية. مع ذلك، وجدنا أن المشاركة التنظيمية بدل من العمل تتوسط العلاقة بين الدعم التنظيمي والرضا التطوعي والإلتزام. في حين الإنخراط التنظيمي مرتبط بسرعة مع تغيرالنوايا، لا الوظيفة ولا المشاركة التنظيمية سوت الخلاف بين الدعم ونية المغادرة. النتائج التي توصلنا إليها تحسن البحث في مشاركة المتطوعين، وتسلط الضوء على أهمية المشاركة التنظيمية لهذه القوى العاملة المهمة، ولكن كثيرا ما يغفل.
摘要
对许多非营利组织而言,保留志愿者人才显得至关重要。然而,关于志愿者参与相关活动的研究是有限的,并且志愿者工作和组织敬业度之间的差异还有待调查。在本文中,我们研究了组织和工作层面的敬业度,具体而言,能否感知组织支持将有助于提高志愿者参与积极性和相关态度。我们对221名志愿者进行了调查,并询问他们对组织支持的看法、他们对其志愿工作和志愿组织的敬业度、满意度、忠诚度及离职意向。组织和工作敬业度与态度变量之间有着显著关系。然而,我们发现组织敬业度(而不是工作敬业度)会介入组织支持与志愿者满意度和忠诚度之间的关系。虽然组织敬业度与离职意向有关,然而,无论是工作敬业度或是组织敬业度,均不能介入支持与离职意向之间的关系。我们的研究结果促进了对志愿者敬业度的研究,并强调了组织敬业度对这一问题的重要性,但往往却忽视了劳动力的重要性。
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Appendix
Appendix
Organizational engagement.
I am highly engaged in this organization.
Being a member of this organization is exhilarating for me.
Being a member of this organization makes me come “alive.
One of the most exciting things for me is getting involved with things happening in this organization.
Being a member of this organization is very captivating.
Job engagement.
I really “throw” myself into my volunteer work.
Sometimes I am so into my volunteer work that I lose track of time.
My volunteer work is all consuming; I am totally into it.
I am highly engaged in this volunteer job.
My mind often wanders and I think of other things when doing my volunteer work*.
Volunteer satisfaction.
All in all, I am satisfied with my volunteer job.
In general I like my volunteer job.
In general I like working as a volunteer.
Turnover intentions.
I rarely think of quitting.
Every now and then I think about leaving.
I may look for another volunteer position soon.
I often think of quitting my present volunteer job.
I intend to stay in my present volunteer job.
Organizational support.
The organization strongly considers my goals and values.
Help is available from the organization when I have a problem.
The organization really cares about my well-being.
The organization is willing to extend itself in order to help me perform my job to the best of my ability.
Even if I did the best job possible, the organization would fail to notice.
The organization cares about my general satisfaction at work.
The organization shows very little concern for me.
The organization cares about my opinions.
The organization takes pride in my accomplishments at work.
Affective commitment.
I do not feel like “part of the family” at my organization.
I do not feel “emotionally attached” to this organization.
This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me.
I do not feel a strong sense of belonging to my organization.
I would be very happy to spend the rest of my volunteering career with this organization*.
I really feel as if this organization’s problems are my own*.
Excluded items are marked with*.
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Malinen, S., Harju, L. Volunteer Engagement: Exploring the Distinction Between Job and Organizational Engagement. Voluntas 28, 69–89 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-016-9823-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-016-9823-z