Antecedents of a sport volunteer's sense of community

Abstract

The decision to volunteer is influenced by expectations of positive emotions. Positive relationships underpin a sense of community. This study identifies antecedents to a sport events volunteer's sense of community. Previous research indicates that sense of community increases after the event, and that sense of community enhances volunteer's satisfaction and commitment. However, previous literature has not confidently identified the factors likely to lead to a sense of community within sport-event volunteers. A literature review identified six potential antecedents to sense of community: role clarity, goal clarity, length of volunteer's tenure, a leader's individualised consideration, workgroup size and sport involvement. Participants were recruited from the World Rowing Championships and the IPC Athletics World Championships. Structural equation modelling indicated that role and goal clarity were not distinct variables. The key finding is that clarity and individualised consideration both positively impact sense of community. Length of volunteer's tenure and workgroup size do not impact a volunteer's sense of community.