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[Volunteer satisfaction: Internal structure and relationship with permanence in organizations]
M L Vecina Jiménez1, Fernando Chacón Fuertes, Manuel J Sueiro Abad
1Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. mvecina@psi.ucm.es
Psicothema
|January 31, 2009
Summary
Volunteer satisfaction significantly impacts long-term commitment. A three-factor structure—management, tasks, and motivations—helps predict volunteer retention, highlighting the importance of intention to remain.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Volunteer Management
Background:
- Volunteer satisfaction is crucial for organizational permanence.
- Previous research on satisfaction's impact on volunteer retention lacks conclusive results.
- Varied understanding and measurement of satisfaction may explain inconsistent findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the internal structure of volunteer satisfaction.
- To examine the relationship between satisfaction and volunteer duration in organizations.
- To identify key factors influencing volunteer permanence.
Main Methods:
- Factor analysis was employed to determine the structure of satisfaction.
- Structural equation modeling was used to analyze relationships.
- Volunteer duration (12 months) was a key metric.
Main Results:
- A three-factor structure of satisfaction emerged: management, tasks, and motivations.
- These factors differentiated between volunteers who stayed 12 months and those who left earlier.
- Volunteer intention to remain mediates the satisfaction-duration relationship.
Conclusions:
- Volunteer satisfaction has a discernible internal structure impacting retention.
- Addressing satisfaction with management, tasks, and motivations can improve volunteer permanence.
- Fostering intention to remain is key to leveraging satisfaction for long-term volunteer engagement.
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