Volunteer Management of Local and National Nonprofit Organisations: an exploratory study from Turkey

Abstract

The present study aims to reveal how volunteer management is executed from the perspective of managers and volunteers of non-profit organisations operating in Turkey at the local and national levels. For the research design, Waikayi et al.’s in Management Decision, 50(3), 349–367 (2012) modified framework was used. Four separate focus-group interviews were conducted with managers and volunteers of local and national non-profit organisations located in Eskisehir, Turkey. The study provided insight into the motivations of volunteers, the sustainability of volunteerism, and the acquisition of volunteers through volunteer management. The design of the research was exploratory, and the assessments were made based on the data collected from four separate focus groups. Within this context, even though the research results are limited, they provide some implications for understanding the volunteer management processes of local and national non-profit organisations. Strategies and tactics that can be used in the context of the human resource approach for both local and national non-profit organisations may be deduced from this study. The present study is the first to address voluntary management in an emerging market from a holistic perspective, which will provide significant tips to both theorists and practitioners. The research contributes to the volunteer management of non-profit organisations in developing markets at local and national levels, and to the relevant literature.