Understanding Motivations for Volunteerism in Canada: A Latent Profile Analysis

Nonprofit organizations in Canada have struggled to recruit and retain volunteers in recent years, potentially due in part to an insufficient understanding about what motivates volunteers. We aimed to better understand Canadian volunteers’ motivations by identifying subgroups based on their motives and examining the sociodemographic and personality factors associated with each subgroup. In a national sample of Canadian volunteers ( N = 1,251), we (a) assessed volunteer motivations and conducted a data-driven latent profile analysis to identify “types” (profiles) of volunteers and (b) evaluated the sociodemographic and personality factors that characterized each profile. Analyses yielded a six-profile solution: “Career Builders,” “Pragmatic Contributors,” “Value-Driven Helpers,” “Growth-Oriented Helpers,” “Highly Motivated All-Rounders,” and “Mystery Volunteers.” With further research, these motivational profiles may help nonprofit organizations develop more tailored strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse volunteers, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the Canadian nonprofit sector.