An investigation into what motivates volunteers to work at events and the issues that event managers face in managing volunteers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the motivations of volunteers at events and to discover the issues faced by managers of volunteers at events in order to recommended effective solutions. The data used in this study was obtained through both qualitative and quantitative research methods to provide an in-depth analysis in to the subject area. Through the process of random sampling event volunteers were surveyed, to ascertain their thoughts on motivation and their experiences of volunteering at events. Several volunteer managers were interviewed using a semi structured structure to understand the issues that they perceived to be involved with managing volunteers and to gain an insight into effective management practices. Helping others was found to be the most prevalent motivation for volunteering at events. Although in the age group 18-30 work experience was also found to be a major motivational factor. The overall evidence from the study suggests that volunteer motivation for events cannot be prescribed and very much depends on the individual, supporting the need for managers to get to know volunteers and their motivations in order to effectively manage them. The main issues that managers face in managing volunteers at events where found to be lack of formality and disciplinary issues. It was found in the survey that volunteer's motivations change due to time and circumstances, managers stated this to be another issue faced. A number of recommendations discussed further in chapter four are summarised as follows: • Managers need to have an extensive knowledge of possible motivations that volunteers are influenced by. • Managers should use an induction interview to assess volunteer motivation in order to allocate appropriate tasks. • Appraisals should be carried out in order to constantly assess motivation due to motivation being affected by circumstances and age. • The appraisals should also be used to ensure that volunteers are being given the opportunities to develop themselves and their skills. • All of these will hopefully aid retention thus cutting organisations costs.