Abstract
Despite the increasing efforts by both government and higher education institutions to develop programs to provide college students with opportunities for community service, little is known as to which attributes of volunteer activity encourage or discourage participation. This study examines the relative importance of the selected five attributes of a formal volunteering activity in college students’ decision to volunteer. From a survey of 380 college students attending a university in the southeastern United States, this study employs a conjoint analysis with 16 distinctive volunteering scenarios. The findings indicate that an organization’s mission is the most important determinant of their participation, followed by travel distance, reference groups, flexibility, and task types. The results also reveal gender-specific preferences regarding volunteering activities. This study concludes with suggestions for marketing volunteer programs to different segments of college students.
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Notes
Although volunteer can take leadership roles (such as board members and project leader), it is not very common for student volunteers.
Putnam (2000) points the increase in time spent in vehicles as one of the culprits of decrease in civic engagement. Similarly, CNCS (2010) reports that states with a shorter average commuting time tend to have high volunteer rates compared to those with longer average commuting time. However, no empirical research has examined the impact of commuting time on probability of volunteering.
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Lee, Yj., Won, D. Attributes influencing college students’ participation in volunteering: a conjoint analysis. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 8, 149–162 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-011-0074-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-011-0074-9