Volunteer Service after the Volunteer Service: The Sector of Employment and Veteran Volunteering

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to illustrate how changes in institutional environment may impact veteran volunteering. We argue that veterans are likely to adapt to new institutional environment as they start working for different sectors such as private, public and nonprofit. Findings suggest that regardless of the sector of employment, veterans are more likely to volunteer than non-veterans. Additionally, veterans in the federal government, nonprofit sector and those who are self-employed are more likely to volunteer than veterans working in the private sector. However, no difference exists between veterans in the local government, state government and the private sector. Inversely, state and local government employment increases the likelihood of volunteering for the non-veterans, but federal employment has no influence. This study aims to fill the gap in our understanding of institutional environment and its impact on veteran volunteering. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed at the end.