A Systematic Literature Review on Motivation of Volunteerism
Khairol Anuar Kamri1*, Mohd Mahadee Ismail2, Lee Yok Fee3, Ku Hasnita Ku Samsu4, Nur Shaqirah Md Yunan5, Marzudi Md Yunus6, Hairol Anuar Mak Din7
1Department of Social Science, Centre for General Studies and Cocurricular, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
2,3,4,5Department of Government and Civilizational Studies, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
6Academy of Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur
7Department of Nationhood and Civilization, Selangor International Islamic College University, Bandar Seri Putra, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
This study aims to analyze national and yearly trends in past research and to explore motivations for volunteerism over seven recent years using a Systematic Literature Review approach. The PICo strategy was employed to ensure the selection of relevant studies, focusing on key concepts and considering contextual factors. The PRISMA Guideline Framework guided the review process, with articles systematically selected from the SCOPUS database. Findings revealed that the majority of studies on volunteerism motivation in SCOPUS were conducted in the United States. The analysis consistently identified two main motives: intrinsic (value motive, enhancement motive, psychological motive, protective motives, cognitive motive, and spiritual motive) and extrinsic (social motive, career motive, skill motive, culture motive, experience motive, material motive, status motive, network motive, pressure motive, and ideological motive). Each finding was contextualized within the specifics of past studies. While volunteers engage in various domains like politics, welfare, and sports, this study focuses on volunteers broadly, without specific categorization.
Keywords: extrinsic, intrinsic, motive, motivation, volunteerism
This research tries to identify the characteristics of motivation for volunteerism action by conducting a systematic evaluation of the most recent literature for 2018–2023. The detailed examination of 44 publications yielded two main characteristics of motivation which are intrinsic/internal motivation and extrinsic/external motivation. Internal motivation consists of six sub-characteristics of motivation while external motivation consists of ten sub-characteristics of motivation.
Volunteerism is a cornerstone of societal growth, benefiting both communities and individuals via acts of kindness and service (Carida et al., 2022). Its significance is rooted not just in the practical advantages it gives to people in need, but also in the tremendous influence it has on volunteers and the larger social fabric. Understanding the motives for volunteerism is critical because it allows organizations and policymakers to successfully harness volunteer power and generate significant, long-term possibilities for civic involvement and social change (Heley et al.,2022).
At its heart, volunteerism is critical for addressing a wide range of societal issues and needs. Volunteers play an important role in filling gaps in social services, increasing the effect of charity organizations, and addressing urgent community concerns (Garcia et al., 2022). Many crucial services and activities would not be feasible without volunteers’ devotion and commitment, emphasizing volunteerism’s critical role in furthering the common good (Abidin et al., 2023).
Furthermore, volunteering promotes a feeling of community and social cohesiveness by bringing individuals together to work toward common goals and ideals. Volunteering allows people from many backgrounds to interact, collaborate, and form meaningful connections based on mutual respect and solidarity in an increasingly fragmented and individualistic world (Butcher & Einolf, 2017). Volunteerism builds the social fabric by bridging differences and encouraging understanding across lines of difference. It also fosters a sense of belonging and collective identity (Renn, 2022).
Understanding the motivations behind volunteerism is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it allows organizations to effectively recruit, retain, and support volunteers by aligning opportunities with individuals’ interests, values, and aspirations. By understanding what drives people to volunteer, organizations can create meaningful and fulfilling experiences that maximize volunteers’ impact and satisfaction. Moreover, knowing the motivations behind volunteerism enables organizations to tailor their outreach and engagement strategies to attract a diverse range of volunteers, ensuring that volunteer opportunities are accessible and inclusive to all members of the community (Alzareer et al., 2023).
Furthermore, knowing the motives behind volunteers allows policymakers and stakeholders to create laws and programs that encourage and support civic involvement and social responsibility. Recognizing the elements that impact people’s volunteer decisions allows politicians to devise tailored interventions and incentives that encourage more people to participate. Policymakers may establish an enabling climate that supports a culture of volunteerism and community participation by implementing tax incentives, volunteer recognition programs, or supporting volunteer-led initiatives (Saz-Gil et al., 2020).
Finally, volunteerism is critical for developing stronger, more resilient communities while also promoting social justice and communal well-being. Understanding the motives for volunteerism allows organizations, politicians, and stakeholders to successfully leverage the power of volunteers to address major social concerns and affect good change (Bailey et al., 2023). By acknowledging and supporting volunteers’ vital efforts, we can create a more compassionate, inclusive, and sustainable society for future generations. To get a better understanding of the motives for volunteerism, this study will achieve two research objectives which are:
Formulation of the Research Question
The study question was formulated from two sources: first, concepts from previous studies by Dalton et al. (2016), Mount and Cabras (2016), and Nethercote (2017). All previous articles have dealt with the motivation to participate in volunteerism action and the variables that contribute to its enhancement. Second, Lockwood et al. (2015) used the mnemonic PICo, which stands for ‘P’ (Population or Problem), ‘I’ (Interest), and ‘Co’ (Context). This study developed the research topic using three primary aspects based on PICo ideas. The elements for Population in this study are worldwide society, the elements for Interest are related to i) motivation, ii) national and year tendency, and the elements for context are related to volunteerism. This notion has led to the establishment of two research questions which are:
Searching Strategies
This section will go into detail on the article’s extraction process for identifying elements related to motivation in volunteerism action. The authors employed the PRISMA technique, which included collecting and filtering publications, selecting eligibility and exclusion criteria for this study, conducting a systematic review, including identification, screening, eligibility, data abstraction, and content analysis.
PRISMA
The PRISMA Statement standards (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) were followed for the review. The PRISMA framework sets a clear research question that allows for a systematic review; filters articles using inclusion and exclusion criteria to organize them according to the authors’ research question; and swiftly evaluates a vast database. Using PRISMA allows for a thorough examination of the components associated with volunteerism motivation.
Resources
This review’s resources are from Scopus journal databases. Scopus is the primary database utilized in this systematic review paper. It was created in 2004 and has over 10,000 publishers globally. It encompasses a wide range of academic disciplines, including social science, medicine, physical science, and agriculture.
Eligibility and Exclusion Criteria
First, this review focused solely on journal publications. The review articles, books, book series, book chapters, and conference proceedings were excluded. Second, the search focused solely on English articles to improve comprehension. When examining non-English literature, linguistic misunderstandings and translation difficulties may arise. Third, due to the large number of papers that show motivation in volunteerism action, this evaluation only includes the most recent seven years of publishing (2018-2024). This timeline option assures the most recent pattern of elements related to volunteerism’s motivation. Finally, to observe the global pattern of elements associated with motivation for volunteerism action, this article review does not focus on a single location or nation.
Table 1: Inclusion and exclusion criteria
| Criteria | Inclusion | Exclusion |
| Document Type | Article Journal | Review articles, book series, books,
Chapter in a book, conference proceeding |
| Language | English | Non-English |
| Publication Timeline | 2018-2024 | <2018 |
Systematic Review Process
The first stage is identification. At this stage, the keyword for the search process is determined. Table 2 includes relevant terms to find motivation factors in volunteerism action based on literature analysis, previous research, and thesaurus searches. At this level, 345 studies were found by using the search string as in Table 2.
The second phase is screening, which rejected 253 out of 345 studies based on the category of document type, language, and publication date. The next phase is eligibility, which involves reviewing the entire set of articles. Following a thorough review, 48 publications were deleted because they lacked information related to motivation in volunteerism action, lacked empirical evidence, and did not focus on volunteerism context.
Figure 1: PRISMA Framework
Data Abstraction and Analysis
44 papers were reviewed and thoroughly assessed. The analysis focused on studies that addressed the research topic for this review. The result was reached by reading the abstract and then reading the entire article in depth to gain the article’s subject and sub-theme of motivation in volunteerism-related components.
The content analysis was then employed in the qualitative analysis to discover a theme relating to elements associated with volunteerism’s motivation. Table 3 is the list of 44 papers included in this systematic literature review on the motivation of volunteerism around the world.
Table 2: Search string
| DATABASE | SEARCH STRING |
| SCOPUS | TITLE-ABS-KEY ( motive AND motivation AND volunteers ) AND PUBYEAR > 2017 AND PUBYEAR < 2025 AND ( LIMIT-TO ( PUBSTAGE, “final” ) ) AND ( LIMIT-TO ( DOCTYPE, “ar” ) ) AND ( LIMIT-TO ( LANGUAGE, “English” ) ) |
Table 3: List of papers included in the study
| No. | Article | Year | Country | Title |
| 1 | [55] | 2024 | Australia | Exploring the relationship between loneliness and volunteering amongst Australian adults: a cross-sectional study |
| 2 | [3] | 2024 | Saudi Arabia | Exploring the experiences, motivations, and skillsets of nurse volunteers during Hajj: implications for enhancing volunteer programs |
| 3 | [2] | 2024 | Saudi Arabia | Understanding volunteerism among dental students and professionals to reach Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals |
| 4 | [57] | 2023 | United States | Meta-analysis of Volunteer Motives Using the Volunteer Functions Inventory to Predict Volunteer Satisfaction, Commitment, and Behavior |
| 5 | [47] | 2023 | Kyrgyzstan | Understanding community health workers’ activities in a community-based child health promotion project in Kyrgyzstan |
| 6 | [4] | 2023 | Australia | Exploring Motivations and Benefits of Volunteering: The Perspectives of High School Students in Selected Australian Islamic Schools |
| 7 | [8] | 2023 | German | Motives of Peer Support Volunteers with Experiences of Mental and Addictive Disorders: An Innovative Approach in the Context of Employment Promotion in Germany |
| 8 | [58] | 2023 | Lebanese | Motives for physical activity participation among Lebanese |
| 9 | [14] | 2022 | United States |
Highly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird |
| 10 | [9] | 2021 | Poland | Sectional study |
| 11 | [52] | 2021 | Portugal | Engagement in civic organizations in old age: Motivations for participation and retention |
| 12 | [51] | 2021 | Japan | Association between Japanese community health workers’ willingness to continue service and two categories of motives: Altruistic and self-oriented |
| 13 | [54] | 2021 | Russia | The motivation of differently-aged volunteers who help people and stray animals |
| 14 | [35] | 2021 | United States | Motives for Citizen Science Program Participation and the Role of the Organization: Lessons from Water Quality Monitors in Texas |
| 15 | [7] | 2021 | Pakistan | Volunteering: what drives and retains it? An analysis of motivational needs together with organizational policies and practices |
| 16 | [34] | 2020 | United States | The diverse motivations of citizen scientists: Does conservation emphasis grow as volunteer participation progresses? |
| 17 | [6] | 2020 | United States | Motivations of federal workers to volunteer in public sector special events |
| 18 | [36] | 2020 | Canada | Characteristics of volunteer motivation to mentor youth |
| 19 | [45] | 2019 | United Kingdom | ‘The lure of war’: reconsidering the motivations of nurses to volunteer in the First World War |
| 20 | [30] | 2019 | Guinea | What motivates individuals to volunteer in the Ebola epidemic response? A Structural Approach in Guinea |
| 21 | [40] | 2019 | Japan | What Motivates Japan’s International Volunteers? Categorizing Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVS) |
| 22 | [5] | 2019 | Spanish | Motivations for volunteerism, satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion: The moderating effect of volunteers’ age |
| 23 | [19] | 2019 | Istanbul | On the Servant Leadership Behaviors Perceived in Voluntary Settings: The Influences on Volunteers’ Motivation and Organizational Commitment |
| 24 | [28] | 2019 | Poland | Why do People Help Each Other? Motivations of Volunteers Who Assisted Persons with Disabilities During World Youth Day |
| 25 | [29] | 2019 | Australia | Volunteering benefits life satisfaction over 4 years: The moderating role of social network size |
| 26 | [38] | 2019 | Italy | Self-conception and volunteering: The mediational role of motivations |
| 27 | [39] | 2019 | Bulgaria | Self-enhancement and helping behavior: Motivations of volunteers in registration and reception centers for refugees in Bulgaria |
| 28 | [20] | 2019 | Austria | Motivation for environmental volunteering – A comparison between Austria and Great Britain |
| 29 | [43] | 2019 | India | Factors influencing participation of healthy volunteers in clinical trials: Findings from a cross-sectional study in Delhi, North India |
| 30 | [32] | 2019 | Australia | What pre-event motives determine the decision to volunteer at a sporting event: How can Herzberg’s two-factor theory help? |
| 31 | [16] | 2019 | German | Experiences and psychological strain in volunteer medical doctors providing medical visual examination for asylum seekers in a reception center in Germany–a qualitative interview study |
| 32 | [42] | 2019 | Saudi Arabia | A Regression Analysis of Motivations for Saudi University Male Student Volunteers |
| 33 | [36] | 2018 | Italy | The contribution of caregiving orientations to volunteering-related motives, costs, and benefits |
| 34 | [18] | 2018 | Belgium | Dynamics in motivations and reasons to quit in a Care Bank: a qualitative study in Belgium |
| 35 | [24] | 2018 | China | What motivates volunteers to help at business events? Reciprocal altruism and reflexivity |
| 36 | [52] | 2018 | Malaysia | Predicting youth participation in urban agriculture in Malaysia: insights from the theory of planned behavior and the functional approach to volunteer motivation |
| 37 | [48] | 2018 | London | Volunteering for sports mega-events: a non-host region perspective |
| 38 | [12] | 2018 | United States | Generation Z’s sustainable volunteering: Motivations, attitudes and job performance |
| 39 | [27] | 2018 | United Kingdom | Participant and Public Involvement in Refining a Peer-Volunteering Active Aging Intervention: Project ACE (Active, Connected, Engaged) |
| 40 | [25] | 2018 | Germany | S.O.S. on my phone: An analysis of motives and incentives for participation in smartphone-based volunteering |
| 41 | [50] | 2018 | Germany | German Version of the Inventory of Motivations for Hospice Palliative Care Volunteerism: Are There Gender Differences? |
| 42 | [17] | 2018 | China | Why volunteer teaching tourism? Empirical evidence from China |
| 43 | [29] | 2018 | Saudi Arabia | Individualism behind Collectivism: A Reflection from Saudi Volunteers |
| 44 | [31] | 2018 | Australia | Uncovering the motives and experiences of locally sourced volunteers at two events in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia |
RESULT
First research objective: to identify the motivation for volunteering based on national and year tendencies
Figure 2 shows the tendencies of the number of motivation on volunteering publications in several countries around the world. Based on the diagram, a total of twenty-two countries have published articles on motivation for volunteering. The United States was the most dominant country and contributed six articles (13.63%), followed by Germany and Saudi Arabia representing 9.09% of the total articles. The United Kingdom contributed three articles (6.81%), as well as Japan, Poland, Italy, and China, which accounted for 4.54% of articles, respectively. The other fourteen countries accounted for 2.27% of each country.
Figure 2: The national tendency of publication
Figure 3 shows the tendencies of the publication year of motivation on volunteering. Evidently, in the past seven years from 2018 to 2024, many motivational on volunteering articles were published. Only 44 articles were published in the SCOPUS database throughout this period and the number of publications during this period is inconsistent. This is because in the early two years (2018-2019) the publications of the studies consistently increased but declined drastically from 2020 until 2024.
Figure 3: The year tendency of publication
Second research objective: to identify the characteristics of volunteerism motivation in society around the world
In seven years’ latest research, the review identified two motives and sixteen sub-motives associated with motivation for volunteering. The two motives are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. There are six sub-motives in the intrinsic motivation and ten sub-motives in the extrinsic motivation. The collection of the study was published between 2018 and 2024. Three latest studies were carried out in 2024, five studies in 2023, and one in 2022. Next, six studies were published in 2021, three studies in 2020, fourteen studies in 2019, and the other twelve studies were published in 2018.
Table 4 is the thematic analysis of volunteerism motivation results based on 44 studies that have been carried out from 2018 until 2024. In the intrinsic motivation, the top to lower sub-motives identified by the past study are values motive (31.91%), enhancement motive (21.28%), psychological motive (18.09%), protective motive (13.83%), cognitive motive (11.70%), and spiritual motive (3.19%). In the extrinsic motivation, the top to lower sub-motives identified by past studies are social motive (27.59%), career motive (18.39%), skill motive (17.24%), culture motive (12.65%), experience motive (8.04%), material motive (5.71%), status motive (4.59%), network motive (2.29%), pressure motive (2.29%), and ideological motive (1.14%).
This paper is a systematic review of seven years’ latest study on the motivation of volunteerism in society around the world. Additionally, this paper also presents the national and year tendency of research related to the motivation of volunteerism involved in this study. Finding national and annual publishing patterns is important because it gives information on the geographical distribution of research contributions and the evolution of academic activity over time. Understanding these patterns can help researchers discover locations with high research activity, prospective cooperation possibilities, and developing trends within certain
Table 4: The thematic analysis of volunteerism motivation result
geographies or periods. Furthermore, it enables a more complete awareness of the worldwide academic research scene, supporting informed decision-making and strategic planning in academia and beyond (Zhang et al., 2020).
The United States is first ranked in terms of the national tendency of study related to motivation of volunteerism in SCOPUS Databased with 6 total of study from the year 2018-2024. This is due to the United States’ long history of civic participation and community service, with many people understanding the value of giving back to their communities (Guo et al., 2021). Second, there is a culture of philanthropy and social responsibility in the United States, with individuals and organizations actively finding ways to make a good difference in society (Chu et al., 2020). Third, research and academic institutions in the United States place a major emphasis on social sciences and behavioral studies, which gives a solid framework for understanding volunteer motivation (Solovey, 2020). Furthermore, the United States has a broad and large nonprofit sector, with several organizations and projects relying on volunteers to carry out their purposes (Ott & Dicke, 2021).
Next, this study shows that the trend of publications related to the motivation of volunteerism declined after the year 2020. As the motivation of volunteerism is continuously important for sustaining community engagement and addressing societal needs, the decline in publications after 2020 can have a variety of reasons. This included global interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in academic institution closures, limits on research activity, and delays in paper submissions and peer review procedures. Additionally, economic constraints, shifting objectives, and changes in funding availability may have influenced research productivity during this period.
On the other hand, the final review of this study has shown that motivation in volunteerism is broadly classified as intrinsic or extrinsic, with each having a unique motive in molding human actions. Motivation is the driving factor behind human behavior, shaping our behaviors, decisions, and objectives. Understanding motivation is critical in determining what drives people to achieve their goals, especially in volunteerism action. Motivation is important in volunteers because it may sustain engagement, build commitment, and motivate people to donate their time and energy to help communities and causes (Ashfaq et al., 2021). Understanding and fostering volunteers’ motives is critical for generating meaningful and enjoyable experiences, which improves the efficacy and impact of volunteer programs.
In the intrinsic motivation of volunteerism, the top motive are values motive (31.91%). The values motive in volunteerism demonstrates people’s natural desire to connect their activities with their sincerely held ideas and convictions. This motivation, based on personal ethics, morals, and beliefs, pushes volunteers to participate in activities that reflect their basic values, such as compassion, justice, and social duty (Zhou et al., 2023). Volunteers inspired by ideals are motivated by a feeling of responsibility and a desire to make a positive change in the world. They find enjoyment in donating to causes that correspond with their values, and they feel a strong sense of purpose and satisfaction in their contribution (Joanna, 2021). By capitalizing on this inner drive, organizations may build dedicated and passionate volunteers who are sincerely committed to furthering shared ideals and achieving good social change.
Additionally, the social motive is the highest extrinsic motivation in volunteerism found in this study (27.59%). The social motive in volunteerism emphasizes people’s desire to connect with others and contribute to the well-being of their communities. This motivation, based on a sense of belonging and solidarity, leads volunteers to participate in collaborative initiatives aimed at tackling common difficulties and creating social cohesion (Vorobieva & Skipor, 2021). Volunteers motivated by social reasons look for chances to develop relationships, networks, and support systems within their communities, understanding the value of cooperation and mutual support in attaining common goals. Volunteering allows them to not only contribute to real results but also to feel a feeling of camaraderie and belonging that comes from working together for a common goal (Lopez, 2021). Embracing the social purpose may strengthen community relationships and enable individuals to contribute meaningfully to the general good.
This systematic review has recognized the motive of volunteerism in society around the world from seven years latest study. It identified the pattern of national and year tendency of study-related publication in the SCOPUS database. This study also found two categories of motivation in volunteerism which are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. There are 6 sub-motives in the intrinsic motivation namely values motive, enhancement motive, psychological motive, protective motive, cognitive motive, and spiritual motive. Next, there are 10 sub-motives in the extrinsic motivation, namely social motive, career motive, skill motive, culture motive, experience motive, material motive, status motive, network motive, pressure motive, and ideological motive.
In conclusion, this systematic literature review gives a thorough grasp of the many factors that drive volunteers, including intrinsic values, social relationships, and extrinsic rewards. Recognizing and utilizing these incentives is critical for organizations seeking to effectively attract and retain volunteers, hence increasing the effectiveness of volunteer programs in tackling social concerns and boosting community well-being. By recognizing the intricate interplay between individual motives and volunteer participation, stakeholders may create more focused and long-term approaches to volunteer management, establishing a culture of compassion and civic engagement that benefits both volunteers and the communities they help.
This research was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) through Fundamental Research Grant Scheme FRGS/1/2021/SS0/UPM/02/6.