Rational volunteering: A benefit-cost approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the perceived benefits and costs of volunteering affect participation. Based on this rational choice approach, the research tests a multivariate model of the determinants of volunteering. Design/methodology/approach – The database for the empirical analysis is the 2005 Americans' Time Use Survey. To estimate the model of participation in volunteer activity, this research uses the complementary loglog technique. Findings – The findings support the central hypothesis that participation in volunteering decreases as the opportunity cost of volunteer activity increases. In addition, participation in volunteering increases as people perceive themselves as more embedded in their communities, thus suggesting that rational individuals make strategic assessments in their decisions to volunteer based on the level of trust in the exchange relationship. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that policies that promote a sense of embeddedness in the community, as well as those that link the workplace and volunteer opportunities, would help motivate rational individuals to volunteer. Indepth interviews to ascertain people's motivations to volunteer would be useful to supplement the findings. Practical implications – The findings suggest that policies that promote a sense of embeddedness in the community, as well as those that link the workplace and volunteer opportunities, would help motivate rational individuals to volunteer. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the understanding of volunteer behavior as a rational choice in an exchange relationship. Based on these findings, this research argues that policies that promote a sense of community embeddedness as well as those that link the workplace and volunteer opportunities, help motivate rational individuals to volunteer. © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited