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Review
. 2016;156(3):243-55.
doi: 10.1080/00224545.2016.1153328.

Understanding and encouraging volunteerism and community involvement

Arthur A Stukas  1 , Mark Snyder  2 , E Gil Clary  3
Affiliations
Review

Understanding and encouraging volunteerism and community involvement

Arthur A Stukas et al. J Soc Psychol. 2016.

Abstract

Volunteerism and community involvement have been demonstrated to offer benefits both to communities and to volunteers themselves. However, not every method to encourage these behaviors is equally effective in producing committed volunteers. Drawing on relevant theoretical and empirical literatures, we identify features of efforts that are likely to produce intrinsically motivated other-oriented volunteers and those that may produce extrinsically motivated self-oriented volunteers. In particular, we explore ways to socialize young people to help and ways to build a sense of community focused on particular issues. We also examine requirements for community service and other approaches that highlight self-oriented benefits that volunteers may obtain. Finally, we return to a focus on the importance of intrinsic motivation for promoting sustained involvement in volunteers, even as we acknowledge that volunteers who come with extrinsic or self-oriented reasons can still offer much to communities and can be satisfied when their activities match their motivations.

Keywords: Community involvement; extrinsic motivation; intrinsic motivation; motivation; volunteerism.

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