The relationship between members' perceptions of their neighborhood organization and their involvement and perceived benefits from participation

Abstract

AbstractA major resource of small voluntary neighborhood organizations is their members, who give their time and energy to the organization to improve their community. In recent years, there has been a revitalization of strategies that focus on engaging residents to volunteer for neighborhood‐based organizations. The current study was guided by organizational empowerment theory and explored the relationship between resident members' perceptions of their neighborhood organization and their level of involvement and perceived personal and collective benefits from participation. The results demonstrated that members' perceptions of their neighborhood organizations' characteristics and effectiveness were more related to their perceived benefits from involvement than their level of participation. Members' perceptions of their neighborhood organizations' effectiveness, particularly the ability to make tangible community improvements, were the most related to their perceived benefits, including their ability to influence government policies, knowledge and skills in neighborhood and community development, and sense of community. Implications for research and practice are also discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.