The Context Influence in Volunteers Motivations

Volunteers working in different areas or different NPO (Non-profit Organisations) are significantly different according to several variables, namely in terms of motivation, satisfaction and permanence. Thus, the main goal of this research is to understand volunteers’ motivations and the influence of the context on it. Additionally, demographic variables might have an important impact on volunteers’ activities, be an important predictor of volunteering and, at the same time, influence their time commitment. In this paper we present data from twelve different NPO - 10 hospitals and 2 food banks. The model of data collection was a survey conducted by self-administered questionnaire. The results showed significant differences between the volunteers’ belonging to the two organisations and their motivations, confirming that volunteer’ motivations differ according the type/nature of organisation; this is particularly important because the field in which one works is influenced by a self-evident affinity with shared ideologies, religious convictions, and collective identities. These results present important outcomes that should be reflected in the way organisations act. Keywords: Volunteering; Occasional and permanent volunteers; Motivations; Non-profit organisations.