Multiple Effects Of Incentives For Volunteering Behavior: A Mixed Methods Study

Passing on the power of the third distribution for good should fully stimulate the vitality of volunteers.There is a strange circle in China’s volunteerism,that is,"the participation of the booming and the cold" coexist for a long time,creating a stable and sustainable volunteer team has become the key to the high-quality development of volunteerism.This paper uses mixed methods research to see the driven path of volunteer behavior and the multiple effects of incentive mechanism,deciphering the incentive mechanism of volunteerism.Although there are many studies on volunteer incentives in China and the West,there are three limitations: first,the explanatory power of the research method needs to be improved,and most of them use cross-sectional data to explore the correlation between variables,and there are defects in causality identification;second,the key variables such as volunteer behavior and willingness are mixed,and the measurement of volunteer behavior is biased;third,the study of incentive mechanism is not deep,mostly uses a simple binary perspective to divide the incentive dimensions,and fails to gain insight into the interaction effect of each incentive mechanism.This study is the first to build a three-dimensional incentive-based model for driving volunteer behavior,and unlock the black box of volunteer incentive mechanism: using volunteer willingness as a mediating variable,the driving path of "altruistic tendency->willingness to volunteer->volunteering behavior" is refined.On this basis,the three-dimensional framework of incentives is proposed to reveal the multiple effects of intrinsic reward,extrinsic reward and social reward on the driving path of volunteering behavior.In order to enhance the robustness of the research findings,this paper constructs a mixed methods research,combining questionnaire research,experimental research and case study to cross-check the theoretical hypotheses.The questionnaire study has the advantages of large sample size,but there are limitations in the accuracy of subjective responses and the validity of causal inference;the experimental study has the advantages of objective data collection,effective causal identification and interaction effect analysis through randomized grouping and process control,but the laboratory environment still different from the real scenarios;the case study is rooted in the frontline volunteering practice,and supplement quantitative findings with findings from real scenarios.(1)Using the questionnaire research method,1739 valid questionnaires were collected based on the "Zhiyuanhui" data platform,and the instrumental variable method was used to test the main effects of the model,and a mediation model with adjustment was constructed to test the mediation and independent effects of the incentives,and the results were found:(1)Altruistic tendency positively influences volunteering behavior,and willingness to volunteer plays a mediating role in the influence of altruistic tendency on volunteering behavior;(2)Intrinsic reward and social reward negatively regulate the influence of altruistic tendency on willingness to volunteer and positively regulate the influence of willingness to volunteer on volunteering behavior,reflecting positive substitution effect and positive facilitation effect.(3)Extrinsic reward positively regulates the effect of altruistic tendency on willingness to volunteer and negatively regulates the effect of willingness to volunteer on volunteering behavior,reflecting positive facilitation effect and negative crowding out effect.(2)Using an experimental research method,we designed an experimental procedure in the context of a real volunteer project,recruited 210 valid subjects,grouped them through an incentive intervention manipulation,and tested all the theoretical hypotheses with analysis of variance and a moderated mediation model.(1)The occurrence of volunteering behavior is driven by the path of "altruistic tendency->volunteering willingness->volunteering behavior".(2)Intrinsic and social rewards negatively regulate the influence of altruistic tendency on volunteering intention,and positively regulate the influence of volunteering intention on volunteering behavior,which are reflected as positive substitution effect and positive facilitation effect respectively;(3)Extrinsic reward negatively regulates the effect of willingness to volunteer on volunteering behavior,reflecting a negative crowding-out effect.(4)The interactive regulation effects of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards weaken each other,and the interactive regulation effects of intrinsic and social rewards mask each other.(3)Using the case study method,42 frontline volunteers were selected as the research subjects and the case data were collected through 54 semi-structured interviews,and based on the data coding and analysis,it was found that:(1)For intrinsic reward,the positive substitution and positive facilitation effects found in the questionnaire study and the experimental study can be explained by self-determination and value realization mechanisms.(2)For extrinsic reward,the positive promotion effect found in the questionnaire study can be explained by the positive safeguard mechanism,and the negative crowding-out effect found in the questionnaire study and the experimental study can be explained by the negative crowding-out mechanism.(3)For social reward,the positive substitution effect and positive promotion effect found by questionnaire study and experimental study can be explained by collective embedding mechanism and social expansion mechanism.The above findings of the effects of incentive mechanisms in real volunteering scenarios form a complementary explanation to the results of quantitative analysis.This paper is the first mixed methods research,aiming to clarify the relationship between volunteer willingness and volunteer behavior,build a three-dimensional incentive framework,test the independent and interactive effects of different incentive factors,and make up for the shortcomings of previous research where the key variables are not well defined.For the management of volunteer organizations,this paper suggests: firstly,improving the protection of rights and interests of volunteers to amplify the positive protection effect;secondly,returning to the essence of volunteer service to improve the inner attraction of projects;thirdly,enhancing the identity of volunteer roles and using extrinsic reward cautiously;fourthly,establishing social interaction ties to promote the positive flow of goodwill;fifthly,coordinating and optimizing incentive combinations to find the balanced level of effects.For volunteer service supervisors,this paper suggests: firstly,focus on linking potential participating subjects to stimulate the vitality of the gentle hand;secondly,Actively promote the concept of charity and create an atmosphere for good and kindness;thirdly,widely carry out policy experiments and aim at incentive intervention;fourthly,rule of law escort volunteer participation and play positive guarantee mechanism;fifthly,scientifically supervise volunteer organizations and combat the chaos of public welfare show.