A Functional Approach to Volunteerism: Do Volunteer Motives Predict Task Preference?

A central premise of the functional approach is that the same behavior may serve different functions for different individuals. More recently, this approach has been used to understand the motives behind volunteering. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether certain volunteer tasks (e.g., reading to the blind, entering data) differentially satisfy certain motives (e.g., expression of values, career building) and whether individuals prefer tasks with benefits aligned with their own preferred volunteer motives. Results suggested that people idiosyncratically differentiate tasks based on the motives they satisfy. Furthermore, when given a choice, individuals prefer tasks with benefits that match their personally relevant motives. Practical implications for volunteer organizations are discussed. Requests for reprints should be sent to Barbara J. Houle, Department of