The Phenomenon of Staff Volunteering: How Far Can You Stretch the Psychological Contract in a Nonprofit Organization?

Abstract

In nonprofit organizations, hybrid activities that straddle both paid work and volunteering have been documented. However, conceptualization of these hybrid activities is missing. This article conceptualizes one kind hybrid activity—“staff volunteering” (SV) in which self-selected, paid nonprofit employees, motivated by volunteerism, willingly volunteer to perform work that is perceived to be unpaid by the employee. SV enriches our understanding of volunteerism and the nature of nonprofit work by conceptualizing the phenomenon of paid SV at work. SV informs nonprofit managers about the staff’s work motivation and both the benefits and dangers of relying on SV. The conceptualization also provokes us to rethink the role and status of NPOs within the framework of the New Public Management.