Volunteer Motivation and Loyalty: A Case Study of Volunteers at FareStart; Seattle, WA

Abstract

This senior thesis examines the success of volunteer retention at a small, nonprofit organization, FareS tart, in Seattle, W A. In studying a sample of loyal volunteers as well as transient volunteers, this study uncovers volunteers' motivations; volunteer organization dynamics; why volunteers keep coming back; and how they feel their experience could be better. This is a case study of loyal volunteer experiences that incorporates qualitative data and comparisons to existing research. Data was collected through surveys, informal and formal interviews, and extensive research on the literature about .volunteers and their motivations. It was discovered that the motivations of these volunteers did follow those of the existing research: self-interests, social opportunity, altruism and sympathy, and satisfaction and efficacy. However, a new motivation emerged from this case study: that of guilt and feelings that the organization is dependent on their service. This led to the conclusion that to be successful in keeping and maintaining an active and large volunteer pool, nonprofit organizations should employ business best practices used for employee retention.