The Problem of Volunteer Motivation in Volunteering Management: A Sociological View

Kruglova Marina Sergeevna ORCID: 0000-0002-8469-565X PhD in Economics Kruglova Marina Sergeevna - Senior Lecturer, Department of General Psychology and Social Communications, Sochi State University 354000, Russia, Krasnodar Territory, Sochi, ul. Plastunskaya, 94 marin.kruglova@gmail.com Other publications by this author     Kruglova Lorina Ermondovna PhD in Technical Science Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Design and Ecology, Sochi State University 354000, Russia, Krasnodar Territory, Sochi, ul. Plastunskaya, 94 lorinakruglova@gmail.com Other publications by this author     Shuvanov Igor' Borisovich PhD in Psychology Associate Professor, Department of General Psychology and Social Communications, Sochi State University 354000, Russia, Krasnodar Territory, Sochi, ul. Plastunskaya, 94 schuvanov@rambler.ru Other publications by this author

Shuvanova Viktoriya Petrovna Senior Lecturer, Department of General Psychology and Social Communications, Sochi State University 354000, Russia, Krasnodar Territory, Sochi, ul. Plastunskaya, 94 v.shuvanova@mail.ru Other publications by this author

In the last ten years, there has been a growing attention to the volunteer movement in the regions of the Russian Federation^[2]. At the State level, support is provided for the dissemination of the practice of volunteer work. At the same time, volunteerism carries an idea that competes for the attention and time of young people with many other leisure options. Today, every person has a very wide choice of activities, and for the promotion of volunteer activity, it is critically important to understand the motives that drive volunteers when making a decision about volunteering.

The researchers' interest in the motivation of volunteer personnel is determined by the influence it has on the involvement of a person in volunteer projects and the activities of volunteer communities in general^[5].

The substantiation of the problem of motivation and stimulation of labor was carried out in domestic and foreign science as the theories of personnel management developed. The evolution of views on the motivation of work is reflected in various approaches of schools of general theory of motivation, which were developed during the XX century. As the main function of management, motivation is associated with the process of encouraging subordinates to work through the formation of behavior motives to achieve personal goals and goals of the organization. In the process of motivation, it is assumed to use interdependent categories in a certain sequence: people's needs – their interests – motives of activity – actions^[3].

Performance management is the process by which organizations try to achieve strategic goals consistently through formal and informal motivation, monitoring, evaluation and encouragement for work. Managing the productivity of volunteers is problematic, if only because volunteers are not as dependent on the organization as the staff, and their independence leads to less subordination in the system of organizational behavior. Volunteer work is not paid, and the management of volunteering is complicated by non-commercial specifics.

In connection with the above, during the performance of volunteer duties, a person is invariably at risk of a decrease in motivation. The choice of erroneous incentive methods can affect the quality of volunteer functions, the overall performance of the volunteer team^[6].

A number of researchers believe that selfish motives are at the heart of the help: people help others or a specific organization to achieve personal goals. By engaging in interaction, a person tries to extract the maximum benefit, which, in turn, can be "internal" (related to the psychological state of a person) and "external" (related to material reward or approval from other people)^[7]. Other authors believe that help is generated mainly by altruistic motivation: a person helps others for the sake of improving their condition. They focus on assistance that requires a lot of effort, is associated with a risk to the material, psychological or physical well-being of the assistant.

The concept of dual motivation of volunteers was proposed by Canadian researcher K. McCallum^[11]. The author divides volunteers into conditional egoists and altruists. Let us explain that in the first case, motivation and responsibility depend solely on the volunteer's interest in obtaining personal benefits; the second type is characterized by the desire for selfless work for the common good, solidarity with a social group. Many authors agree that if at the initial stage of volunteer activity the motives of its participants are rather "individualistic", then later they become more socially oriented, directed at others, even strangers.

T. Nezhina ^[5] points out that one of the explanations of the phenomenon of altruism may be the theory of social exchange. This theory is based on the fact that in addition to the exchange of goods and services, there can also be an exchange of social values, such as status, information, love. D. Krebs writes that the provision of altruistic assistance is important not only to the person to whom it is directed, but also to the volunteer who performs these actions to increase self-esteem, gaining recognition and skills.

Volunteer motivation is closely related to the concept of satisfaction^[10]. An integrative indicator reflecting the well-being or disadvantage of an individual in the workforce is job satisfaction, which contains assessments of interest in work, satisfaction with relationships with employees and management, the level of claims in professional activity, satisfaction with conditions, work organization, etc.

Another related concept is organizational commitment^[13], which in turn provides a basis for understanding the relationships that develop between volunteers and the organization and is both a factor in retaining volunteers and, to some extent, their productivity. It was found that commitment is an important distinguishing feature between sports volunteers who stay in the organization and become team leaders, and those who leave the organization after the first event or project ^[4].

The question of motivation of volunteers can be considered through the prism of the theory of continuity of R. Atchley. Internal continuity means the ability to reproduce one's own experiences and preferences in memory; external continuity includes the memory of a person's physical and social environment in the past, for example, memories of activities and relationships. With this theory, the author explains the return of an individual to an already known field of activity, but in a new capacity as a volunteer – if, for example, being an athlete in the past, a person has the desire and opportunity to return to the sports industry through volunteer participation^[12].

According to the key thesis of D. McGregor's motivational theory^[1], the indispensable task of management is to organize conditions in which people could best achieve their goals by directing efforts to reward the organization. Volunteering, unlike professional employment, does not have an exchange value in the form of material remuneration, but it is stimulated through various kinds of non-material means that can compensate for the resources spent by volunteers. At the same time, the benefits of volunteer work are not always obvious, and, according to J. Pierce, the awards that seem most important to volunteers are not under the control of the organization^[3]. Nevertheless, R. Knaan found evidence that differences in the performance of volunteers can be partially explained within the framework of volunteer management practices. He concluded that the use of symbolic awards influenced volunteer commitment^[4].

The studied results of research on the topic of motivation of volunteers show that students, like all volunteers, are engaged in volunteer activities for a number of reasons. Motivational scales compiled from surveys of volunteers by different authors are systematized in Table 1. 

Table 1. Motivational scales of volunteering

We have attempted to compile our own scale of volunteer motivation. This tool allows you to flexibly assess the potential of each volunteer of the organization, and therefore motivate and encourage, based on his personal motives for participation. We conditionally group all the motives into blocks, which can be characterized as follows:

1) patriotism, contribution to the common cause, benefits for small and large social groups;

2) acquiring new acquaintances, expanding contacts, maintaining relationships with people;

3) personal and professional growth, a chance to show abilities, gain new experience and recognition of achievements, develop leadership qualities and any skills;

4) solidarity with others, friends, relatives;

5) the opportunity to receive souvenirs, souvenirs, paraphernalia, autographs, uniforms, volunteer equipment;

6) prestige, respect and interest of the environment;

7) availability of free time, occupation as a hobby;

8) encouragement and encouragement from the management, administration at the place of study/work;

9) access to event venues, a chance to see mega-events and various events live, meet celebrities and VIPs.

On the basis of the indicated scale, motivation was measured using a questionnaire survey of volunteers. 478 people registered in volunteer associations took part in the survey. Respondents answered questions online. Most of the respondents are students (82.6%). Respondents were asked to rate their agreement with the probable reasons for volunteering in points, where 5 – "completely agree" and 1 – "completely disagree". The analysis of the results showed the distribution of the motives of gratuitous labor according to the above-described categories of volunteer motivation. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the choice in favor of intangible bonuses prevails – contribution to the common cause, new acquaintances, disclosure of personal potential. Less significant are material bonuses and personal benefits associated with obtaining uniforms, access to sports competitions and cultural events, discounted tickets to any events.

Figure 1. The results of the survey on the motivation of volunteers

Another question that was answered during the research was the choice of tools for expressing gratitude to volunteers (Fig. 2). Gratitude to volunteers is an integral part of recognizing the importance of their work, encouraging them to give more and strengthening their connection with the organization. There are many actions, both small and large, that the organizers can take and make sure that the volunteers feel appreciated. Respondents rated the options offered in the survey on a 5-point scale. The greatest motivational effect, according to the respondents, is the presentation of diplomas and free attendance of closed events that may be of interest to volunteers.

Figure 2. Evaluation of ways to recognize volunteer contributions

In order to find out whether the volunteers' own work satisfies and, consequently, to find out whether the motivation is sufficient to achieve success in volunteer activity, we used the method of determining the integral satisfaction with the work of A.V. Batarshev. The results of the methodology study showed that the overwhelming majority of respondents have a high level of overall job satisfaction (75%), while the rest of the respondents (25%) have an average level.

The range of motives for volunteer activity can be very diverse, depending on the sources of their formation, the needs of a particular participant in volunteer activity^[8]. Thus, managers should consider how to support and retain volunteers with differing goals and motives, significantly divergent interpretations of volunteer work and attitudes towards it. For students, the application of various motivational measures and the formation of new value patterns is practiced, in particular, the promotion of the opportunity to gain knowledge for free, to study foreign languages. It should be noted that the motivational policy, taking into account relevant management experience and modern research in the field of volunteering, is aimed both at attracting interested young people, and at supporting their work, and at keeping them in the organization for a long time.

At the same time, it is important to recognize the individual motivation of the volunteer. In order to motivate volunteers most effectively, event organizers should take into account the life cycle of attracting volunteers from initial recruitment to long-term retention and growth. Understanding the specifics of the life cycle of interaction with volunteers will help managers determine which types of training opportunities and resources will be most effective at each stage. The needs of volunteers – from beginners to experienced volunteers – will vary depending on what stage of the life cycle they are at.

The motivation block can be designed by testing a volunteer based on the developed scale of evaluation of volunteer motivation. By asking volunteers about themselves and their interests in advance, event organizers can better distribute tasks. For example, if a volunteer is interested in developing soft skills such as communication and listening skills, organizers may assign him more people-oriented tasks that will give him the hands-on experience he is looking for.

Testing allows you to flexibly assess the potential of each volunteer of the organization, and therefore motivate and encourage, based on his personal motives for participation. Effective promotion of volunteer participation requires a personalized approach to the motivation of the volunteer and the design of a personal route of volunteer experience. Targeted involvement of volunteers requires adaptation of the organizers' strategy to the intentions of potential volunteers in order to align the key message of communication with the motives and personal goals of the recipients. Depending on the prevailing type of personal motives, it is possible to choose an appropriate management strategy and a combined approach to non-material incentives.

In the light of the above, we can conclude that there is no single approach to the problem of motivation of volunteers. A review of modern publications devoted to the motivational aspect of volunteering demonstrates the methodological and conceptual diversity of approaches to this problem. Researchers are trying to classify volunteers and identify possible incentive strategies for different groups. The tasks of diagnosing and improving volunteer motivation are related to the key stages in the development of the relationship between the organization and the volunteer – involvement in volunteer participation and retention for re-participation. An effective motivational program and recognition of volunteer contributions can simultaneously increase the overall effectiveness of work and minimize the possible outflow of volunteers.

Once volunteers are recruited into a volunteer squad, motivation is crucial to encourage continued participation and long-term success. Motivation tactics should be built into volunteer management strategies to help maintain volunteer engagement over time. The longer volunteers work with the organization, the more of an asset they become. Today, in the era of rapid technological progress and turbulence of the socio-political situation, as well as in the period of frequent organizational transformations within various enterprises, organizations and firms, each of them must show flexibility and change quickly in accordance with the current conditions of society. Also, the effectiveness of work often depends on the atmosphere, internal environment and work ethic within the organization, and not only on motivating factors. Accordingly, there is a set of requirements, during the implementation of which it becomes possible to interest the volunteer team in effective work. Let's consider these requirements in more detail:

1. Link remuneration directly to activities that lead to an increase in the volunteer's labor productivity and the effectiveness of the volunteer organization.

2. Have the ability to express gratitude to those employees whose efforts, together with the results, will be able to exceed the average for the volunteers of the presented category.

3. Encourage employees to participate together with management in the development of indicators and goals, as well as making decisions on the basis of which performance will be evaluated.

4. Pay attention to the difficulties and problems that a volunteer, especially a beginner, may face from time to time. To ensure the adaptation of newcomers to the volunteer team.

5. Exclude situations of contradictions between the activities of volunteers and the overall work of the entire organization, strive for consistency.

Measures to increase the involvement and motivation of volunteer staff can serve as:

1. Recognition cards. Such postcards help to encourage the volunteer with praise, to focus attention on the successful completion of certain tasks.

2. Badges of distinction. This is a step above the recognition card, the badge is harder to get. The presentation of the badge of distinction shows the high efficiency of the volunteer in the aggregate for a certain period.

3. A gift for loyalty. The award is given to volunteers who have continuous volunteering experience in the organization for one year, three and five years.

Accordingly, if these recommendations are followed, the head of a volunteer organization can build his own system of motivation for the work of volunteers, while forming a trusting relationship with his own team, achieving full return from employees and getting effective performance of duties in the working group as a result, which will eventually lead to the qualitative development of activities in the future.