Volunteers Managing Volunteers: The Role of Volunteer Board Members’ Motivating and Demotivating Style in Relation to Volunteers’ Motives to Stay Volunteer

Abstract

Against the background of declining volunteering rates in nonprofit and voluntary organizations, this study examined the relationship between the volunteer board members’ (de)motivating style and factors that influence volunteers’ motives to stay volunteer, i.e., volunteers’ motivation and group-task cohesion. To this end, we relied on Self-Determination Theory. Results indicated that the volunteers’ perception of the board members’ motivating style was positively related to volunteers’ autonomous motivation and perceived group-task cohesion via experienced need satisfaction (i.e., a bright pathway), whereas the board members’ perceived demotivating style was positively related to controlled motivation and amotivation via experienced need frustration (i.e., a dark pathway). Implications for volunteer management are illustrated with concrete examples.