Benefits for Volunteers
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Palm, Germany



Why do volunteers dedicate their work to unpaid tasks? What motivates them to accept a volunteering position or project? Where are the benefits when money does not count? An investigation in the county of Offenbach, Germany, analysed these questions (PALM and SCHUMACHER, Kreis Offenbach 2002) and came to differentiated and somewhat surprising results: volunteers are rewarded with, mostly, beneficial experiences.
The research in which questionnaires were directed to 1000 volunteers in sport clubs, music and culture clubs, social and senior initiative institutions, migrant organisations and fire brigades found that the average volunteer already has a longtime relationship with volunteer work of between 6 (social activities) and 16 years (sport) and spends between 5.4 hours and 10 hours weekly (sport with 8 hours in the second highest position). Every third volunteer is active in several clubs and groups.
Personal achievement and social contacts are the leading benefits that volunteers name. So 64% see the remark as fully correct that they like to work on a task with others and 34% see this aspect as rather correct. The second highest qualified reward is seen in meeting “nice people” (59% fully correct, 39% rather correct). The satisfaction to solve a task is highly appreciated (57% and 41%) as well as the chance of “learning something new” (42% and 44%). To be an often sought partner for others is seen as attractive, too (37% and 52%). Volunteering is bringing new friends into the life of volunteers (36% and 44%). To experience gratitude from people to whom one has dedicated oneself is also a motivation mentioned by over eighty percent (32% and 50%). Probably in contrast to most professional positions, volunteering holds the possibility to experience complete transparency in the activity and to be responsible from the beginning to the end (29% and 42%). Even the process of feeling integrated, accepted and at home in a new environment is named as a factor of volunteering (23% and 27%).
Whereas the interviews showed 15 aspects of life quality that are enhanced by volunteering, there were 10 aspects in which volunteers saw disadvantages. On top of the list was the fact that an individual can be so obliging in their leisure time, that they could not fine free time for themselves (30% and 47%). Others say that from time to time there are situations where they would like to leave the task. (21% and 33%). Less time for other hobbies (12% and 26%) and family (12% and 29%), conflicts with paid persons (6% and 12%), risky tasks (6% and 20%) are also issues on the list of named disadvantages. This list, however, is shorter and has lower percentages than the positive list.





http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-january2004.htm