‘It’s Simply intrinsic’ : Exploring Motivations of Full-Time Volunteers in Humanitarian and Spiritual NGO of India.

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study centers around humanitarian and spiritual non-government organizations (H&S NGOs) of India, many of which are essentially driven by full-time volunteers. Semi-structured interviews of twenty-two full-time volunteers in a large and renowned H&S NGO helped us explore their volunteering journey, which moved through three phases of casual volunteering, fixed time volunteering, and finally full-time volunteering. Thematic analysis of the interviews led to different types of motivation in different phases. We used self-determination theory to understand their needs and found out that their decision of full-time volunteering was driven by relatedness needs, autonomy needs, and competence needs. These needs are thoroughly discussed using the lens of Indian ethos in volunteering traditions. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.Practice PointsHumanitarian and spiritual non-government organizations of India are essentially driven by full-time volunteers.The age-old tradition of “seva” (service) and “daana” (charity) are imbibed in the spiritual, religious, and cultural discourse of the country which influences volunteering motivation.Full-time volunteers generally move through three phases volunteering – casual volunteering, fixed time volunteering, and finally full-time volunteering.Casual volunteering phase show all three kinds of motivation – amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation.Full-time volunteers are driven by intrinsic motivation and respond to relatedness needs, autonomy needs, and competence needs.KEYWORDS: Full-time volunteeringIndiaMotivationneedsNgosDisclaimerAs a service to authors and researchers we are providing this version of an accepted manuscript (AM). Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proofs will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). During production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal relate to these versions also. Declaration of interest statementWe wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.Figure 1: Phases of volunteering motivation based on self-determination theoryDisplay full sizeAdditional informationNotes on contributorsSantoshi SenguptaSantoshi Sengupta is serving as a Professor in School of Management, Graphic Era Hill University, Bhimtal campus. Over a span of nineteen years of her career, she has authored numerous research articles in journals of global repute and as book chapters. Her current research interests encompass studying experiences and life narratives of full-time volunteers of India.Ruchika JoshiRuchika Joshi is serving as an Assistant Professor in Institute of Business Management, Mathura. She has her doctorate in consumer behavior. She has presented her work in various international conferences and has to her credit research papers in journals of repute.