When Joining is not Enough: Emergency Services Volunteers and the Intention to Remain (2018)
25/05/2020
Published: October 2018
Authors: Darja Kragt, Patrick Dunlop, Marylène Gagné, Djurre Holtrop and Aleksandra Luksyte, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA
Published by: Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Vol 33, No. 4.
Many communities in Australia rely on the crucial services provided by emergency service volunteers especially in the states and territories that are relatively less densely populated like WA. Thus, volunteer turnover is a continuous concern for emergency service organisations. This paper examined how meeting the initial expectations of volunteers when they join an emergency service was related to the volunteer’s intention to remain with that service.
A survey was undertaken in 2015-2017 by 539 emergency services volunteers in WA after volunteering for about a year with a response rate of about 12%. This survey included questions such as 1) why volunteers joined the service, 2) activities that they expected to undertake as a volunteer, 3) their evaluation of the volunteering experiences in the first year and d) their intention to stay.
Results showed three types of volunteers a) “focused volunteers” who had well-defined expectations [57%], b) “lost volunteers” who lacked clear expectations except for serving the community [30%] and c) “overenthusiastic” volunteers who expected status, reputation and career progression as well as expecting to be involved in many different activities [13%].
Having a well-defined set of expectations meant that “focused volunteers” had better experiences in their first year with the service. They participated in more activities and had a higher intention of remaining as a volunteer. Having too few, or too many, expectations seemed to have negative consequences on the volunteer.
The authors concluded that emergency services organisations should strive to understand and shape volunteer expectations to match their experience by using better aligned recruitment practices. The organisations must be mindful that they provide positive, accurate and realistic information about the volunteering opportunity lest new volunteers be disappointed by a mismatch between their expectations and experiences.
Please contact Volunteering WA for further information: info@volunteeringwa.org.au