Who Volunteers and Why: Demographic and Motivational Analysis of Volunteers in Ohio's Mahoning Valley

Abstract

Ohio's Mahoning Valley has been experiencing economic and population decline since the 1960's. Local and state governments have reduced services to this region which includes the cities of Youngstown and Warren. Local non-profit organizations are urgently needed to provide for those who lack primary and secondary necessities. Many roles in these agencies are filled by volunteers. There are many theories as to why people volunteer. This study specifically investigated the volunteer's perceived level of local government and private sector spending and queried, through a survey instrument, as to whether the volunteer's prime motivators were altruism, egoism or investment. The volunteers were asked to indicate socioeconomic and demographic data as well as volunteering influences. There is no support for the inverse relationship between altruism and investment as motivators when the perceived level of government and private sector spending is determined. Altruism and egoism, as motivators, were found to be constant regardless of the perceived level of government or private sector spending. Demographic results are similar to other studies that show that the majority of volunteers were women (80%), White (93%), college educated (80%), financially secure (82%) and older than 50 years (63%). Asking someone to volunteer is a simple but effective tool. Determining altruistic, egoistic and investment motivations of potential volunteers and comparing these to their demographic cohorts are important steps when considering volunteer candidates. Realizing that volunteers do not want to perform the same role for extended periods organizations must vary the role of the volunteer to enhance their success and longevity.