Volunteer Activity Effective Incentive Study

With comparison of different working ethics and motivating mechanisms for volunteers between Japan’s Aichi World Expo and Spain’s Zaragoza Expo, the paper explores the effective motivating mechanisms for volunteers. Taking as an example the motivating mechanisms for volunteers at Shanghai’s Expo, the paper studies how motivating mechanisms are operated at such a large scale and a long duration event as Expo. The paper aims to provide some suggestions about how to motivate volunteers and manage them well. Meanwhile, the paper gives some proposals about the effective motivating mechanisms for volunteers to be actively involved in large scale events.Using the method of literature research, the article analyses related theories and practices at home and abroad, as well as the actual situation and problems of motivating volunteers. According to the related research and author’s own work experience in the Volunteer Department of bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, the paper discerns the characteristics and motives of the volunteer groups at Shanghai World Expo, describes the implementation of motivating work for volunteers, and summarizes the characteristics and manners of the incentive work. Besides, the article assesses the effectiveness of incentives methods in Shanghai World Expo, comparing with those in Japan’s Aichi World Expo and Spain’s Zaragoza Expo.Research in the paper proposes that not only the motivating work for volunteers in Shanghai World Expo is more comprehensive and standard, but also the incentive effect is amplified by some subjective factors so that the influence is more obvious, which because the Expo has international appeal, large scale, long cycle, strong support from the government, standard management of volunteer organizers, and high-quality volunteers selected repeatedly. To some extent, the motivating mechanism for volunteers in Shanghai World Expo is the acme, which is an ideal way to inspire volunteers under conditions at present stage and is difficult to be surpassed in the future for a long time. Finally, through drawing lessons from the volunteer incentive practice in Shanghai World Expo, this paper is supposed to provide a reference for other volunteer activities.