Characteristics of volunteer motivation to mentor youth

Abstract

Organizations supporting youth development can benefit from direct insights from mentors on their motivations to volunteer to better support recruitment and retention in these programs. Twenty-two adult, female mentors completed semi-structured interviews concerning their motivations for volunteering with a mentoring program for high school aged girls living in a low socio-economic status neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Utilizing a process of inductive analysis of interview transcripts, motivations to engage with the program were found to fall under three themes: mentor social propensity, mentor psychological propensity, and experiences with organizational dynamics. While organizational dynamics were not sufficient motives on their own, they acted in tandem with respondents’ social and psychological propensities and compelled mentors to volunteer with the organization. Implications of these findings are most relevant to organizational personnel recruiting volunteers, which can support their efforts by highlighting the psychological benefits of volunteering, utilizing the networks of current staff and volunteers, and promoting relevant organizational values and accountability structures.