Volunteer Turnover Research Articles

Ensuring Food Safety among Food and Agricultural Nonprofit Organizations: A Review of Literature about Challenges and Opportunities

Food and agricultural nonprofit organizations (FANOs) are a critical part of the food supply chain, requiring evaluation of their food safety assurance within the production, preparation, and distribution of food. This article provides an overview of literature and policy surrounding food safety in nonprofit organizations, particularly FANOs, and proposes opportunities and challenges in FANO research. It addresses the prevalent risks of foodborne illnesses associated with FANOs with poor food safety practices. Three specific problem areas that need to be better addressed in FANO research were revealed. First, poor food safety practices in FANOs can lead to food loss and waste. Second, inadequate food safety behaviors and practices among volunteers are a unique issue that FANOs face due to high volunteer turnover and reduced training time. And third, there is a large disparity between who is regulating and enforcing food safety in FANOs. Potential research questions and methodological limitations of conducting research on each problem area are proposed.

Examining the Moderating Effect of Internship Volunteer Turnover on the Relationship between Work Motivation and Employee Performance in Amil Zakat Institutions: A Mixed-Methods Study

Examining the Moderating Effect of Internship Volunteer Turnover on the Relationship between Work Motivation and Employee Performance in Amil Zakat Institutions: A Mixed-Methods Study

Exploring Volunteer Turnover Reasons, Intentions, and Behavior

Volunteer involving organizations (VIOs) play a vital role in many societies. Yet, turnover among volunteers remains a persistent struggle and VIOs still do not have a good understanding of why volunteers leave. In response, we employed a mixed-methods approach to explore why volunteers consider leaving. By coding textual responses of Australian State Emergency Services and Scouting volunteers ( n = 252 and 2235) on an annual engagement survey, we found seven overarching reasons to consider leaving these VIOs: Conflict, high demands and/or low resources, lack of fit, lack of inclusion, personal commitments and circumstances, poor communication and organizational practices, and poor leadership. When contrasted to the reasons that employees leave organizations for, the lack of inclusion and poor communication and organizational practices seem to be uniquely salient reasons that volunteers consider leaving for. Subsequently, guided by the Proximal Withdrawal States theory and using quantitative data from the Scouts sample, we investigated how reasons to consider turnover can predict turnover intentions and turnover behavior. First, volunteers in different withdrawal states cited different potential turnover reasons. For example, volunteers who ‘wanted to stay, but felt they had to leave’ cited personal commitments and circumstances more frequently than those in different withdrawal states. Second, we found that reasons to consider turnover explained little variance in turnover behavior one year later.

How does digital monitoring influence volunteer behaviour? The mediating role of emotional labour

ABSTRACT The rapid development of digital platforms has made it possible to monitor volunteer performance with technology. Following socio-technical systems theory and conservation of resource theory, this study showed that deterrence-oriented digital monitoring caused surface acting, which in turn promoted volunteer turnover, and that performance pressure strengthened these relationships. Development-oriented digital monitoring can promote volunteer work engagement and reduce turnover intentions through deep acting. However, volunteer performance pressure does not moderate these relationships. The study emphasizes the double-edged sword effect of digital monitoring in theory and highlights the importance of preventing the negative effects associated with deterrence-oriented digital monitoring in practice.

DESIGNING FOR PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY: AN EVALUATION OF BC’S PROVINCIAL BETTER AT HOME PROGRAM

Abstract Better at Home programs help older adults in communities across British Columbia with non-medical tasks such as light housekeeping, yard work, transportation to appointments, grocery and meal delivery, and friendly visiting, helping them to remain at home and stay connected to their communities. Better at Home is funded by the Province of British Columbia and managed by the United Way. An evaluation of 81 Better at Home programs took place over 2022/23 focusing on the delivery, design, and sustainability of programs. A multipronged evaluation approach was utilized, including site visits; document and administrative data review; interviews with program staff, older adults, and caregivers (n=87); and a survey of program stakeholders (n=399). Over 2021/22, a total of 244,875 services were provided through Better at Home. The most common services provided were light housekeeping, friendly visiting, prepared meal delivery, and grocery services. The evaluation identified design and delivery best practices (e.g., building trust and relationships), program opportunities (e.g., leveraging communities of practice), and lessons learned (e.g., increasing awareness of burnout, capacity, and duplication). Some challenges to program efficiency were also identified (e.g., increased demand for services and complexity of client needs, staff and volunteer turnover). Six program improvements were recommended to ensure the long-term sustainability of Better at Home programs: 1) Securing multi-year funding that accounts for inflation, 2) Ensuring sufficient human resources for service delivery, 3) Offering strategic training opportunities, 4) Continuing to invest in existing programs, 5) Growing partnerships and community networks, and 6) Providing comprehensive supports to program staff.

Predictors of turnover amongst volunteers: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

SummaryVolunteers represent a global workforce equivalent to 61 million full‐time workers. A significant decline in volunteering has highlighted the urgency to better understand and address turnover amongst volunteers. To address this, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of turnover amongst volunteers. We also examined whether staying or leaving has different predictors. The meta‐analysis integrated and synthesized 117 studies, encompassing 1104 effect sizes across 55 335 volunteer workers, to identify and quantify relationships between turnover and the broad range of variables that have been examined in the volunteer work domain. Amongst the strongest predictors of volunteer turnover were attitudinal variables, in particular, job satisfaction (ρ = −.58), affective commitment (ρ = −.58), engagement (ρ = −.54) and organizational commitment (ρ = −.54). Contextual variables that showed the largest effects included communication (ρ = .62), organizational support (ρ = −.61) and the quality of the relationship between volunteers and their leader (leader‐member exchange, ρ = −.55). We synthesize our findings into an integrative framework delineating the predictors of volunteer turnover. In doing so, we extend turnover research to consider non‐remunerated work contexts and provide a basis for developing turnover theory that is responsive to the unique experience of volunteers.

Organizational aspects of volunteer work in social enterprises in Russia and India

The text of this article analyzes the processes of managing volunteers at social enterprises in Russia and India. Social enterprises are becoming more popular, but this type of organization remains poorly understood. Social entrepreneurship is a form of business that differs from an ordinary commercial enterprise in that. The goal of a social enterprise is not only to make a profit, but also to solve social problems. It is known that social enterprises involve volunteers in their work, however, the problems faced by representatives of social enterprises when working with volunteers are unknown. The empirical basis of the work was an online survey of representatives of social enterprises from Russia and India. These countries were chosen due to the fact that it is in Russia and India that the sector of social entrepreneurship is currently developing. The focus of our article concerned such issues: what stages of working with volunteers are implemented in social enterprises, what problems they face when working with volunteers, and what processes can help minimize difficulties in working with volunteers. Analysis of the data obtained showed that representatives of social enterprises in Russia and India are actively implementing the selection of volunteers, education and training of volunteers, and discussion of the results of work with volunteers. Among the most significant problems in working with volunteers, representatives of Russian social enterprises consider a high level of volunteer turnover and distrust of volunteers. Representatives of Indian social enterprises consider the insufficient level of training of volunteers, the high turnover of volunteers as significant problems in working with volunteers. Despite the differences in the processes of working with volunteers, representatives of social Russian and Indian enterprises believe that the training and education of specialists working with volunteers and the education and training of volunteers themselves can improve the quality of work with volunteers. The analysis of work and management of volunteers is an extremely broad topic, the text of the article covers only some of its aspects, which were studied based on the results of the survey. The results of the study can be used by researchers for further work in the field of studying the processes of working with volunteers, and the results of the study can also be useful to those who are practitioners in the field of social entrepreneurship and social enterprises.

Lessons Learned From COVID-19 Contact Tracing During a Public Health Emergency: A Prospective Implementation Study.

Background: Contact tracing is a core element of the public health response to emerging infectious diseases including COVID-19. Better understanding the implementation context of contact tracing for pandemics, including individual- and systems-level predictors of success, is critical to preparing for future epidemics.Methods: We carried out a prospective implementation study of an emergency volunteer contact tracing program established in New Haven, Connecticut between April 4 and May 19, 2020. We assessed the yield and timeliness of case and contact outreach in reference to CDC benchmarks, and identified individual and programmatic predictors of successful implementation using multivariable regression models. We synthesized our findings using the RE-AIM implementation framework.Results: Case investigators interviewed only 826 (48%) of 1,705 cases and were unable to reach 545 (32%) because of incomplete information and 334 (20%) who missed or declined repeated outreach calls. Contact notifiers reached just 687 (28%) of 2,437 reported contacts, and were unable to reach 1,597 (66%) with incomplete information and 153 (6%) who missed or declined repeated outreach calls. The median time-to-case-interview was 5 days and time-to-contact-notification 8 days. However, among notified contacts with complete time data, 457 (71%) were reached within 6 days of exposure. The least likely groups to be interviewed were elderly (adjusted relative risk, aRR 0.74, 95% CI 0.61–0.89, p = 0.012, vs. young adult) and Black/African-American cases (aRR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80–0.97, pairwise p = 0.01, vs. Hispanic/Latinx). However, ties between cases and their contacts strongly influenced contact notification success (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) 0.60). Surging caseloads and high volunteer turnover (case investigator n = 144, median time from sign-up to retirement from program was 4 weeks) required the program to supplement the volunteer workforce with paid public health nurses.Conclusions: An emergency volunteer-run contact tracing program fell short of CDC benchmarks for time and yield, largely due to difficulty collecting the information required for outreach to cases and contacts. To improve uptake, contact tracing programs must professionalize the workforce; better integrate testing and tracing services; capitalize on positive social influences between cases and contacts; and address racial and age-related disparities through enhanced community engagement.

Balgran: solving issues of an NGO in Jammu and Kashmir

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes have been prepared in accordance with Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956). After completing the case, the students shall be able to do the following: • describe the challenges faced by the not-for-profit, non-governmental and voluntary organizations operating at a local level in a conflict-ridden zone (knowledge). • Explain the key features, roles and typologies associated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (comprehension), apply such typologies to specific organizations (application) and differentiate between social enterprises and NGOs (analysis). • Analyse various scaling-up techniques and infer the technique(s) used or can be potentially used by a particular organization (analysis). • Synthesize different elements of the organizational environment and reflect on the potential influence of these elements on an organization (synthesis). • Develop frameworks by applying institutional theory and motivations for volunteerism to map challenges of organizational legitimacy and volunteer turnover, respectively, as well as make recommendations to tackle these challenges (synthesis and evaluation) • Develop recommendations for the problems faced by not-for-profit voluntary NGOs (evaluation). Case overview/synopsis Balgran, a local not-for-profit non-governmental voluntary organization operating in the conflict-ridden state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India was established in the year 1975 to empower destitute, orphans, abandoned and socially handicapped children. Since its inception, Balgran has expanded its services at a rapid pace including Bal Bharti public school, health care centre, vocational training and a computer centre. Mr A.K. Khajuria, President of Balgran, was concerned about the high turnover of the voluntary staff, mistrust among the potential donors concerning fund management of NGOs and inadequate funding. Mr Khajuria after a few failed attempts at resolving these issues, called for a meeting of the members of the governing body in February 2019 to decide the future plan of action to resolve these issues. Through this case, the students can understand the challenges faced by local NGOs in general and unique challenges (mistrust among potential donors) faced by NGOs operating in conflict-ridden areas such as J&K. The students will be able to enhance their skills in brainstorming and making recommendations while framing possible solutions to the challenges faced by Balgran. The case seeks to enable the students to comprehend the features and typologies associated with NGOs; the role played by local NGOs in community development; differences between social enterprises and NGOs; scaling-up techniques and paths with special reference to local NGOs and the environmental factors that can potentially influence the operation of NGOs. Complexity academic level This case is suitable for undergraduate and graduate-level students learning social entrepreneurship, social work and management of alternate organizations such as NGOs. This case could be used to discuss concepts related to not-for-profit organizations operating in voluntary settings. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Unboxed: Transgender in a Gay Museum?

<i>Unboxed: Transgender in a Gay Museum?</i>

Improving Volunteer Engagement in Nonprofit Healthcare Organizations

Grounded in the conceptual lens of Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, the strategies nonprofit healthcare leaders use to reduce volunteer turnover were explored in this single-case study. The participations included 5 nonprofit healthcare leaders from a single organization in the Southwestern United States. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, internal and external organizational documents, and publicly available data. Analysis of internal and external organizational documents and publicly available data were manually coded and thematically organized. The use of a methodological triangulation process and member checking increased the reliability of data interpretation. Using the thematic approach, 3 themes emerged: volunteer recognition improved volunteer turnover, open communication improved volunteer turnover, and relationship building improved volunteer turnover. The findings from this study may contribute to positively social change by providing nonprofit leaders with strategies to reduce volunteer turnover, enhance operational processes, and improve organizational performance. The results of this study indicated that nonprofit healthcare leaders who develop volunteer engagement strategies could increase organizational success and develop successful work habits among volunteers to improve economic growth in the communities they serve.

Sustaining Volunteer Organizations: Investigating the Internal and External Predictors of Turnover

Volunteering represents an important and beneficial civic activity. United Nations estimates that the global volunteering workforce is equivalent to 109 million full-time workers. Although volunteers represent a sizable global ‘workforce’, management research on volunteering is fairly limited. The aim of the current symposium is to showcase how management theories and concepts traditionally developed to study paid workforce can be applied and adapted to study volunteers with the goal of improving volunteering sustainability. Collectively, the five presentations investigate the external (e.g., intergroup relations, leadership) and internal (i.e., cognitions, motivations, identification) factors that predict volunteer turnover. Enhancing and extending our understanding of volunteering ‘work’ will assist organizations in better attracting and retaining volunteers. This is an important managerial challenge, considering the enormous contribution made by volunteers to the society. Designing Effective Recruitment Messages to Get Volunteers Through the Door and Keep Them Presenter: Darja Kragt; U. of Western Australia Presenter: Patrick Dunlop; Curtin Business School Presenter: Hawa Muhammad Farid; U. of Western Australia Paid and Unpaid Workers in the Non-Profit Organization: Intergroup Respect Fosters Cooperation Presenter: Edwin J. Boezeman; Leiden U. Effective Volunteer Leadership: A Quasi-Experimental Study Presenter: Vivien W. Forner; U. of Wollongong The Role of Motives and Motive Attributions on Corporate Volunteering Outcomes Presenter: Mina Askovic; U. of Sydney Business School Presenter: Anya Madeleine Johnson; U. Of Sydney Presenter: Leanne Cutcher; U. Of Sydney Why Volunteers Consider Leaving their Organizations Presenter: Djurre Holtrop; Curtin Uni Presenter: Patrick Dunlop; Curtin Business School Presenter: Christine Soo; U. of Western Australia Presenter: Micah Grishina; The Future of Work Institute

Intangible Assets and Performance in Nonprofit Organizations:A Systematic Literature Review.

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) promote citizens’ participation in community life through several different kinds of organizations: some more informal (such as associations and volunteering groups), others more formal or public (such as charities and foundations). This heterogeneity, as well as the well-known peculiarities of NPOs when compared to profit and public ones, poses new challenges to their management. In the constant need to find balance between financial constraints and social value, a main resource for NPOs is the management of intangible assets, such as knowledge, positive relationships within the organization and with users, external image, loyalty and commitment, and so on. From the literature on for-profit organizations, it is well known that proper management of intangible assets improves an organization’s sustainable competitive advantage, not only by enhancing its members’ affiliation and commitment but even by enhancing their productivity. This is particularly relevant when taking into account the main role of volunteers in the third sector. Volunteers, indeed, show different job attitudes and organizational behaviors than paid employees, as their membership and accountability are less formalized and they frequently lack a proper teamwork, due to the high volunteer turnover. At the same time, from the managers point of view, managing volunteers and paid workers require higher skills and competencies than managing human resources in for-profit organizations. Developing these reflections and considerations, we aim to conduct a systematic literature review on the association between intangible assets and performance in NPOs. The literature will be conducted following the indications from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. It provides an evidence-based minimum set of items to be included in the review, as well as a workflow to properly manage and choose the papers to be included. The authors conducted the research using EBSCO, ProQuest, and Scopus databases.

ESTUDO LONGITUDINAL COM CANDIDATOS VOLUNTÁRIOS EM UMA FUNDAÇÃO BRASILEIRA

This study identifies individual’s motivations for volunteering to work at a Foundation in Paraiba, Brazil. It does not draw any conclusions regarding those motivations; for instance, the reasons for volunteer turnover, or the effective benefits that prompt individuals to volunteer in the Brazilian context. This is a longitudinal study, with data collection at two separate times, over two years. The goals of the study are to reduce differences of the motivations of volunteers in Brazil, and to support the managers in general who interact with volunteers through the recruitment of new applications. The data collection was based on a model that is validated in the national context, and was based on the main factors: altruistic values, social justice, affiliation, learning opportunity, and selfish values. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, ANOVA, the Student’s t Test for independent samples, and correlations (bivariate). Altruistic motivations, the search for social justice, and learning opportunity are indicated were the aspects most frequently mentioned in the surveys. Significantly, an inverse relation occurs with the variables “age” and “selfish profile”.

Influence of organizational and social contexts on the implementation of culturally adapted hypertension control programs in Asian American-serving grocery stores, restaurants, and faith-based community sites: a qualitative study.

Hypertension affects a third of U.S. adults and is especially high among Asian American groups. The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health for Asian AmeRicans (REACH FAR) project delivers culturally adapted, evidence-based hypertension-related programs to Bangladeshi, Filipino, Korean, and Asian Indian communities in New York and New Jersey through 26 sites: ethnic grocery stores, restaurants, and Muslim, Christian, and Sikh faith-based organizations. Knowledge of the implementation mechanisms of culturally adapted programs is limited and is critical to inform the design and execution of such programs by and in community sites. We applied four categories of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research-intervention and individuals' characteristics, inner and outer setting-to analyze factors influencing implementation outcomes, that is, site leaders' perceptions about adopting, adapting, and sustaining REACH FAR. We conducted semistructured interviews with 15 leaders, coded them for implementation outcomes, and recoded them to identify contextual factors. Our findings show that REACH FAR resonated in sites where leaders perceived unhealthy diet and lifestyles in their communities (intervention characteristics), sites had historically engaged in health programs as a public-service mission (inner setting), and leaders identified with this mission (individuals' characteristics). Site leaders strived to adapt programs to respond to community preferences (outer setting) without compromising core objectives (inner setting). Leaders noted that program sustainability could be impeded by staff and volunteer turnover (inner setting) but enhanced by reinforcing programs through community networks (outer setting). The findings suggest that to facilitate implementation of culturally adapted health behavior programs through community sites, interventions should reinforce sites' organizational commitments and social ties.

Understanding Transience and Participation in University Student-Led Food Gardens

In an increasingly mobile world, transience is becoming the norm. Sustainable community food initiatives, therefore, must organise to withstand high turnover of volunteers. Using a case study of the United Kingdom’s National Union of Students’ food growing scheme in universities, this paper aims to map the causes and effects of short-term, irregular, and low participation using a causal loop diagram to understand how to mitigate their negative impacts and improve participation. Data was gathered through interviews, workshops, photovoice, a fishbowl discussion, and a reflective diary. We found three amplifying feedback loops increasing short-term, irregular and low participation, their causes, and their impacts. These feedback loops were precariously buffered by a continuous in-flow of new potential participants each academic year. We also found that the stakeholders of these gardens conceptualised time akin to both temporary and permanent organisations, and these differing conceptualisations were a source of tension. Furthermore, although ‘organisational amnesia’ was a problem, the gardens were still learningful spaces. We recommend both upstream and downstream solutions are implemented to buffer the impacts of transience and suggest that university and students’ union staff could play a crucial and subtle supporting role.

“Don't you want to stay?” The impact of training and recognition as human resource practices on volunteer turnover

Managing volunteers is a difficult undertaking. This study draws on human resource (HR) management theory and literature to investigate the effect of two HR practices—training and recognition—on volunteer turnover. We use longitudinal administrative data collected by an Indiana nonprofit organization, which contains individual volunteer characteristics, organizational HR practices, and information on actual turnover behavior. We found that recognizing volunteer contributions with awards predicted volunteer retention in the following year. Training did not have a direct effect on volunteer turnover, but interacted with gender; men who received training were more likely to stay than women. The study contributes to the literature on HR management in the volunteer context, adds to the emerging literature on awards as incentives for volunteers, and addresses the common method bias by using longitudinal data.

Can community action improve equity for maternal health and how does it do so? Research findings from Gujarat, India

BackgroundEfforts to work with civil society to strengthen community participation and action for health are particularly important in Gujarat, India, given that the state has resources and capacity, but faces challenges in ensuring that services reach those most in need. To contribute to the knowledge base on accountability and maternal health, this study examines the equity effects of community action for maternal health led by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) on facility deliveries. It then examines the underlying implementation processes with implications for strengthening accountability of maternity care across three districts of Gujarat, India. Community action for maternal health entailed NGOs a) working with community collectives to raise awareness about maternal health entitlements, b) supporting community monitoring of outreach government services, and c) facilitating dialogue with government providers and authorities with report cards based on community monitoring of maternal health.MethodsThe study combined qualitative data (project documents and 56 stakeholder interviews thematically analyzed) with quantitative data (2395 women's self-reported receipt of information on entitlements and use of services over 3 years of implementation monitored prospectively through household visits). Multivariable logistic regression examined delivery care seeking and equity.ResultsIn the marginalised districts, women reported substantial increases in receipt of information of entitlements and utilization of antenatal and delivery care. In the marginalized and wealthier districts, a switch from private facilities to public ones was observed for the most vulnerable. Supportive implementation factors included a) alignment among NGO organizational missions, b) participatory development of project tools, c) repeated capacity building and d) government interest in improving utilization and recognition of NGO contributions. Initial challenges included a) confidence and turnover of volunteers, b) complexity of the monitoring tool and c) scepticism from both communities and providers.ConclusionWith capacity and trust building, NGOs supporting community based collectives to monitor health services and engage with health providers and local authorities, over time overcame implementation challenges to strengthen public sector services. These accountability efforts resulted in improvements in utilisation of public sector services and a shift away from private care seeking, particularly for the marginalised.

Dynamics in motivations and reasons to quit in a Care Bank: a qualitative study in Belgium.

The aim of this study was to contribute to the understanding of why volunteers in a time bank known as "NeighborhoodPension," which involves community-based care, are motivated to start, continue, and quit volunteering. The time bank started in 2013 and is the first time bank in Brussels, Belgium. A planned prospective longitudinal study involving qualitative focus group interviews was used to study a group of volunteers at four time points over 1year. There were two main themes, the first of which pertains to older adults' motives for volunteering with the time bank. These motives are largely attributable to the volunteer organization's contextual factors. The second theme focuses on reasons for quitting volunteering. Factors for retaining volunteers relate strongly to the purpose of the volunteer organization. Co-production (i.e., engaging the volunteers in the design of the project) and having an attention officer (i.e., a confidant who listens to the volunteers' worries) are examples of retention strategies. Moreover, earning time credits did not appear to be a motive for continued volunteering. These theoretical perspectives could help to improve organizational support of volunteers and increase the participation of older citizens in community-based volunteering. The complexity associated with retaining volunteers stems from the fact that although initial motives for volunteering are generally clearly defined, other contextual factors (such as relationships with other volunteers and organizational structure) change the initial motives and can result in volunteer turnover.

Can I make a difference here? The impact of perceived organizational support on volunteer commitment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of perceived organizational support (POS) on organizational commitment in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector. The study extends the work done so far on the mediating roles of self-expression and perceived influence.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports an empirical research study which examined the impact of POS on organizational commitment in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector. Survey data were collected from a sample of health services workers (n=275) from a large not-for-profit organization.FindingsAnalyses showed that perception of organizational support positively influenced self-expression. In addition, self-expression mediated the relationship between perception of organizational support and organizational commitment, and both self-expression and perceived influence were statistically significant in their relationship with organizational commitment.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, because of the cross-sectional nature of the authors’ design, it is difficult to establish the direction of causality. For example, POS and organizational commitment may be reciprocally related. It is possible that volunteers who are committed may perceive themselves as being valued and contributing members of the organization. Second, the measures used in this study were based on self-report, suggesting therefore that method variance could possibly influence the results. Because the measures reflect individual perceptions, it was not possible to obtain data from sources other the participants. However, preliminary CFA analysis showed that each measure was distinct which should minimize concerns about method variance. Further, some scholars argue that common method variance may be overstated and not as severe as is generally claimed (Lindell and Whitney, 2001).Practical implicationsGiven the need to maintain adequate levels of volunteerism, it is of critical importance for volunteering organizations to understand how to retain their volunteers for the long-term, particularly because volunteer turnover can be very costly in terms of decreased organizational morale, recruitment and training, and decreased ability to effectively serve the public. The authors’ study serves to underscore the fact that those organizations needs to be mindful that volunteers need to perceive adequate organizational support and feel the opportunity for self-expression if those volunteers are to remain committed.Social implicationsThe authors’ study extends the work done so far on the mediating roles of self-expression and perceived influence in the relationship between POS and organizational commitment in voluntary and other not-for-profit organizations. The results suggest that POS positively influenced self-expression but not perception of influence. It also suggests that self-expression mediated the relationship between POS and organizational commitment, and both self-expression and perceived influence are statistically significantly related to organizational commitment. Even though prior research has examined POS as an antecedent, outcome, and a mediator, there is a paucity of research that has examined the proposed model within the context of voluntary and other not-for-profit sectors. Given the current rate of expansion in the voluntary sector, it is the authors’ hope that the present study will provide an impetus for additional research in this area.Originality/valueFew studies have examined the impact of POS on self-expression and perceived influence, and the resulting impact on organizational commitment in the voluntary sector. This paper makes a notable contribution to the literature by empirically exploring this understudied relationship.