How volunteering shapes immigrants’ social identity: insights from foreign-born formal and informal volunteers

Abstract

This study explores how formal versus informal volunteering is related to immigrants’ identities in the US. We analyse 24 semi-structured interviews to investigate the identity-related influences of immigrant volunteering within and outside nonprofits’ auspices. We base our data analysis on the theoretical framework of individual mobility and a conceptual framework consisting of social identity theory and role identity theory. While past research has addressed how voluntary work affects immigrants’ social identity, we offer a comparative outlook by investigating how the associations differ for formal versus informal volunteering. Our findings show that immigrants who volunteer formally apply their immigrant identity to emphasise the integrative qualities of their volunteer role in US society, and that immigrants who volunteer informally apply their volunteer role towards the preservation of their immigrant identity.