Benefits for Volunteers
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Palm, Germany |
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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
Benefits for Volunteers
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Palm, Germany
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