Assessing the Motives of Active Volunteers: A Turkish Perspective

This study aimed to measure the sociodemographic, economic, physical, psychological, and social characteristics of volunteers and the salient factors of their motivations for voluntary participation. The study employed a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling. Data were collected from 1046 volunteers working in eight non-governmental organizations in the field of child welfare. Specifically, a scale with ten factors of volunteer motivation was used to predict volunteer motivation within structural equation modeling. Questions were also asked to understand the relationship between volunteers' sociodemographic, economic, physical, psychological, and social characteristics and volunteering. The results show that the primary factors of recognition, reactivity, and understanding have the most significant positive effects on volunteer motivation, while social interaction has the least significant effect. Additionally, the diverse characteristics of volunteers were found to be an important source of motivation for them to volunteer. In conclusion, this research extends the existing literature and shed light on the main motivational processes that shape volunteering participation, considering the different characteristics of volunteers. Thus, understanding motivational factors can help to increase volunteer participation in Turkey.