The secret of getting what you need

Getting volunteers for your organization is a tricky thing. After all, you have nothing materialistic to offer. Right?

Associate Professor Frank Siebler (Bilder tatt av: Sally Rosendahl)

Professor Rudmin Floyd

Finding volunteers so they can help with what you want sounds incredibly easy. From the perspective of a recruiter, you just have to have a  catchy campaign or simply ask people straight. That is the least you  can do. On the other hand, how does the other side of the proccess feel about becoming a volunteer?

Utropia talked to Associate Professor of Psychology Frank Siebler and  Professor of Social and Community Psychology Rudmin Floyd about de/motivation of people to volunteer, and asked random students about their volunteering experience.

Conviction

Siebler explains that if you want people to do something for you, you must convince them about satisfactory benefits which they will get out of it. Relying strictly on peoples‘ good will may create serious problems if you have nothing valuable to offer in return:

-          People have conflicting obligations and they already have plans for them. You must convince people that what they will do for you is better for them than the plans they already have. To convince them is not particularly difficult if you have something of value to offer.

-          People in Japan or China refuse to donate blood to strangers. They ask why they should donate blood to somebody they do not know. They would only do it for relatives, explains Floyd. This is one of the consequence of luring people into volunteering without giving them any benefits.

He also adds that sometimes people are simply too busy to volunteer.

-          Volunteering gives you an appointment, it is another interference with your day. It has the obligations of a normal job. You lose freedom and time.

Reward

The core of volunteering lies in a non-financial reward.Therefore you have to come up with some other replacement.

-          It could be status, prestige or alternatively things like friends.You can cleverly focus your attention on people who do not have many friends or are otherwise isolated. What you offer them back is social integration. The perfect example are international exchange students, explains Siebler.

Volunteering equals career

-          Many people see volunteering as a bit of experience for your resume building. If you want to get to a gradulate school abroad, it probably helps a lot  that you were a volunteer. Volunteering shows you got energy. Also, some businesses require it. Human resources offices, post office or banks get two resumes.  One person was volunteering, the other not.  Would they favour those who volunteered? Probably yes.

Fashion and mental satisfaction

However, building a resumé is just one of  several important motivational factors. The other important ones are mental satisfaction and what we are interested in, explains Floyd in the end.

-          A lot of people are idealistic and they  want to save the world. It shows that some people can volunteer out of idealism – they want to help the refugees, they want to help handicapped children and other good deeds. Another example is when people know their fashion. They know what they are and what they are not, they relate to groups  of their interest and things they relate their personality to.

Random Students Talk about their (De)Motivation to Volunteer:

 
Gjermund, Norway, student of economics.
-          I did not volunteer not because I am busy, but I never had the opportunity and I never found anything that I would like to volunteer for.

Laura, Italy, psychology student.
-          I started volunteering in 2000 for scouts. I arranged activities for children. It was a nice opportunity for me and I enjoyed it since the beginning. I did it because of my personal interests.

Monika, Tsjekkia, medicine student
-          Jeg er skeptisk til enkelte organisasjoner fordi det er litt juks: formålet går ikke hvor det skal, derfor liker jeg å hjelpe individuelt. F.eks: jeg samlet lastebiler med klær, kjørte til Russland og ga alt direkte til folk som trengte det. Hvis jeg skal bli i frivillig i en organisasjon, da må jeg ha tro på den organisasjonen. Det var desverre masse skandaler, så jeg er veldig forsiktig og skeptisk og hejleper individuelt.

Sediq, Afghanistan, political science student
-           For the first time I volunteered when I was under 18 and it was for the Red Cross. I did it in order to do something for the world. If you are volunteering, it means you are not an egoist. Every time I volunteer I feel like I am doing something for others. It also gives me self-confidence. Volunteering is a very nice thing.

Anna, Switzerland, social anthropology student
-           I was about 15 when I volunteered for the first time. The first time I did something big was when I was 19. I worked for the NGO in Peru in South America. I wanted to learn something which could be relevant for my studies and later for my job as well.

I wouldn’t say it was any great satisfaction for me. I found out they were corrupted. However, I learned it is important to think in a different ways. Another motivation was going to the different country, to do something what I have never done before. One wouldn’t volunteer if there were not personal benefits, especially the mental benefits.