Motivational characteristics associated with health and human service volunteers

The author examines various motivational characteristics associated with volunteering, specifically in the health and human services. The data for this study were taken from a representative national sample of 2,719 adult Americans. In-home face-to-face interviews were conducted in 1996 by The Gallup Organization for the Independent Sector. This secondary analysis, using logistic regression, shows that those who volunteer in health and human services, in comparison to those who do not, were more likely to be motivated by an opportunity to "gain a new perspective on things." In addition, human service volunteers were also more apt to be motivated by altruistic reasons. Managers in social work are advised to use program evaluation information to educate volunteers about the broader significance of their volunteer assignments.