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Differences and Similarities among Volunteers who Drop out During the first Year and Volunteers who Continue after eight Years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

María Luisa Vecina Jiménez ,
Fernando Chacón Fuertes  and
Manuel J. Sueiro Abad
María Luisa Vecina Jiménez*
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
Fernando Chacón Fuertes
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
Manuel J. Sueiro Abad
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to María Luisa Vecina Jiménez. Facultad de Psicología. Universidad Complutense. Campus de Somosaguas. 28223 Madrid. E-mail: mvecina@psi.ucm.es
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Abstract

Differences and similarities between 130 volunteers who remain for more than eight years in the same non-profit organization and 110 volunteers who quit during the first year were analyzed in this paper. Both groups were chosen from a sample of 851 volunteers that were working as volunteers when we assessed the independent variables (Time 1). After a 12-month follow-up (Time 2), 209 (25%) of them had dropped out and 642 (75%) continued in the same organization. Using the previous time, we formed two groups made up of those who dropped out and had been in the organization less than a year and those who continued and had been in the organization more than 8 years. Results show that differences and similarities between both groups are coherent with the three-stage model of volunteer's duration (Chacón, Vecina, & Dávila, 2007). This model includes the functional approach of volunteers' motivations (Clary & Snyder, 1991), and the role identity approach (Callero, 1985), and indicates that people will remain as volunteers insofar as this satisfies the motivations that are relevant for them at the first stage, they develop organizational commitment at the second stage, and they develop role identity as volunteers at the third stage. More specifically, results show that it is possible to predict 85% of the cases correctly using seven variables. Volunteers who remain after eight years feel a higher level of emotional exhaustion, a higher level of organizational commitment, and a strong role identity as volunteers. They are also highly satisfied with the friendships in the organization and have a stronger intention to remain at the long term (2 years).

En este trabajo se analizan las diferencias y semejanzas entre dos grupos extremos de voluntarios, uno compuesto por 110 voluntarios que abandonan antes del primer año y otro compuesto por 130 voluntarios que continúan después de ocho. Estos dos grupos fueron seleccionados de una muestra total de 851 voluntarios, que, en el momento en el que se tomaron las medidas de las variables independientes (T1), estaban en activo y que, doce meses más tarde, cuando se midió la variable dependiente tiempo de permanencia (T2), resultó que habían abandonado 209 (25%) y que continuaban con su trabajo voluntarios en la misma organización 642 (75%). Puesto que en todos los casos se midió en el momento inicial (T1) el tiempo previo, se aplicaron dos criterios de selección para configurar los grupos, uno relativo al tiempo previo (menor a un año o mayor de 8 años) y otro relativo a la permanencia (abandona o sigue). Los resultados muestran una pauta de diferencias y semejanzas coherente con los supuestos del Modelo de las tres etapas de la permanencia del voluntariado (Chacón, Vecina y Dávila, 2007), que integra las dos principales líneas de investigación sobre la permanencia del voluntariado, la teoría funcional de las motivaciones (Clary y Snyder, 1991) y la basada en la identidad de rol (Callero, 1985), y que establece como variables explicativas fundamentales en la primera etapa la satisfacción, en la segunda el compromiso con la organización y en la tercera la identidad de rol. Más concretamente los resultados muestran que a través de siete variables es posible predecir correctamente la pertenencia a uno de los dos grupos en un 85% de los casos. Los voluntarios permanentes presentan niveles mayores de cansancio emocional, de compromiso organizacional y de identidad de rol como voluntarios. También parecen estar más satisfechos con las relaciones de amistad en la organización y tienen mayor intención de permanecer a largo plazo (dos años).

Keywords

volunteerismemotional exhaustionorganizational commitmentvolunteer role identitysatisfactionvoluntariadopermanenciamotivacionescansancio emocionalsatisfacciónidentidad de rolcompromiso organizacional
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , May 2010 , pp. 343 - 352
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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