Motivation of volunteers in sport organizations – Profiles of volunteers in Finnish floorball and ice hockey organizations
Sivonen, Anna (2024)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024062023747
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024062023747
Tiivistelmä
Volunteers are a key resource for any sports organization. Not only are the volunteers responsible for most operations in sports organizations, without getting financial compensation. This helps to reduce the expenses that should be covered with membership fees and fundraising. Maintaining modest level of participation fees in turn allows more people to participate in sport despite the economic situation.
In order to recruit and retain volunteers, sport organizations should know their volunteers and what motivates them. As motivation varies from person and situation to another, it is not possible to identify the motivational functions of each individual volunteer. Here the aim was to use the identified motivational functions to create generalized motivation profiles of volunteers of sport organizations. These profiles could later be used while designing communication and reward systems for volunteers.
The data about most important volunteer motivation functions was collected with online survey from volunteers in floorball and ice hockey organizations in Finland. These two fields of sport were chosen, as they are popular in Finland, and they have reported increased participation fees during last years. The survey was open for answers during 17. – 30.11.2023. In total 255 responses were collected.
The data was analyzed using statistical methods. First descriptive analytics and cross-table analysis were conducted to identify the volunteers' dominant motivation functions. The motivation profiles were created based on motivation functions by using two types of cluster analysis: hierarchical clustering and K-means clustering.
Volunteer motivation profiles identified in both cluster analyses were Altruistic and value-oriented volunteers, Career oriented volunteers and Protective volunteers. Organizations could emphasize possibilities and meaning of helping others to target Altruistic and value-oriented volunteers. For Career-oriented volunteers giving certificates and badges and promoting career opportunities could be motivating. And Protective volunteers seek to avoid guilt and negative feelings of not participating.
In order to recruit and retain volunteers, sport organizations should know their volunteers and what motivates them. As motivation varies from person and situation to another, it is not possible to identify the motivational functions of each individual volunteer. Here the aim was to use the identified motivational functions to create generalized motivation profiles of volunteers of sport organizations. These profiles could later be used while designing communication and reward systems for volunteers.
The data about most important volunteer motivation functions was collected with online survey from volunteers in floorball and ice hockey organizations in Finland. These two fields of sport were chosen, as they are popular in Finland, and they have reported increased participation fees during last years. The survey was open for answers during 17. – 30.11.2023. In total 255 responses were collected.
The data was analyzed using statistical methods. First descriptive analytics and cross-table analysis were conducted to identify the volunteers' dominant motivation functions. The motivation profiles were created based on motivation functions by using two types of cluster analysis: hierarchical clustering and K-means clustering.
Volunteer motivation profiles identified in both cluster analyses were Altruistic and value-oriented volunteers, Career oriented volunteers and Protective volunteers. Organizations could emphasize possibilities and meaning of helping others to target Altruistic and value-oriented volunteers. For Career-oriented volunteers giving certificates and badges and promoting career opportunities could be motivating. And Protective volunteers seek to avoid guilt and negative feelings of not participating.