Should I Stay, or Should I Go Now? The Impact of Psychological Contract Breach in Volunteerism

Abstract

Given the extent of the contribution of volunteers to nonprofit organizations, one aspect of managing volunteers effectively is the potential importance of understanding the nature of psychological contract breaches and how they impact the volunteering experience and future intentions of volunteers. Three elements are considered to comprise the PC of a volunteer: (1) a transactional element that covers whether an organization provides adequate nonmonetary benefits, training, and preparation in exchange for a volunteer’s time, skills, and effort; (2) a relational element where organizations provide support for volunteers via supervisors or managers in return for volunteer’s loyalty or commitment to the organization; and (3) an ideological element or connection to the organization based on an alignment between an individual’s beliefs and values and those espoused by the organization or the cause that is supported by the organization (Hoye & Kappelides, 2021). We explore these concepts in the context of therapeutic camps in Australia where volunteer camp leaders are central to the experience of campers, leading program activities, providing guidance and support or even personal care. We conducted 32 in-depth interviews with volunteers from nonprofit therapeutic camping organizations to examine the degree to which psychological contract breach(es) may impact volunteers' intention to continue volunteering. The purpose of the study was to establish the main forms of PC breach in therapeutic camping organizations, and determine the association of the ideological element of a PC held by volunteers toward mitigating the impact these breaches might have on future program contribution and retention of therapeutic camping volunteers. Evidence from this study indicated that the ideological element of a volunteer’s psychological contract may play a central role in the decision to continue volunteering in the face of violations of the relational or transactional elements of their psychological contract with their organization. In this context, the concept of the ideological element of PCs can provide organizations with a deeper understanding of volunteers’ expectations and behaviors from the start of a relationship by setting clear standards and roles surrounding how to best support a valued cause from the start of a relationship that may be key to reducing the risk of PC breaches. Organizations may improve volunteer retention by providing support and opportunities that are specific to the ideological components of the PC that volunteers are seeking.