| The motivations of volunteers have been increasingly examined in the literature in recent years. Prior studies, however, have not focused on understanding the motivations of indirect service volunteers. This quantitative study examined the motivational differences between direct and indirect service volunteers using the functional theory of motivation as the theoretical framework. Differences in volunteer participation based on age and gender were examined as well as differences in volunteer motivations based on age and gender. The primary measure utilized in the study was the Volunteer Functions Inventory. Participants included 153 volunteers, ages 18 and older, recruited from all-volunteer nonprofit organizations in the United States. Multivariate analysis of variance and logistic regression were used to examine the primary research questions. The findings indicate that there are few statistically significant differences in motivations of direct versus indirect service volunteers. The social score was found to be associated with an increased likelihood of direct service work. The implications of the findings for recruitment and retention of direct and indirect service volunteers in the nonprofit sector are discussed. |
