Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to volunteer work: Exploring the effects for flourishing and organizational citizenship behaviour

Given the widespread agreement that volunteer work is fundamental in today’s society, growing numbers of individuals and organizations are engaging in volunteer activities. However, it has also been recognized that different motivations and different types of volunteer work may lead to significantly different results. This study analyzed the impact of motivations to volunteer work for individuals and organizations. More specifically, we analyzed the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to volunteer work on a measure of individual well-being – flourishing - and a measure of extra-role performance in organizations – organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Through an online survey, a sample of 270 respondents was gathered, of which 197 had undertaken volunteer work, and 73 had not undertaken volunteer work. Significant differences were found between the two groups, with volunteers having significantly lower means of altruism, conscientiousness, sportsmanship, and courtesy in an organizational context. When analyzing the volunteer group, the motivations with the higher means were the intrinsic motivations (values, understanding, and enhancement), while those with the lower means were the extrinsic motivations, namely career, social and protective motivations. When conducting structural equations analysis with the volunteer group, the results revealed that intrinsic motivations to volunteer work tend to be positively associated with flourishing and dimensions of OCB, while extrinsic motivations tend to be negatively associated with the same variables/ dimensions. The exception is extrinsic motivation, social, which is positively associated with flourishing. In sum, the study indicates that volunteer work itself may not be associated with individual well-being and organizational performance. Motivations to volunteer work are relevant predictors of these variables.