Volunteers’ preferences

Research: To determine the preferences of volunteering involvement, INEX, Egyesek and IBG sent out research questionnaires to their respective national volunteers. Among the respondents, five volunteers of each organisation were selected randomly for individual in-depth interviews, which were conducted in person or online through video chat-enabled applications. On the basis of this research, the following trends in volunteering preferences have been identified.

General motivation to volunteer

The general motivation to volunteer showed to be quite similar for the interviewed participants among all three organisations. The two biggest motivations to volunteer within the organisations are the possibility

to go abroad for a given project and

to meet new people who are like minded and/or from different backgrounds and create new (lasting) friendships.

Further, the volunteers were intrigued by the

opportunity to combine travelling with volunteering and thus get to know the country and the people in a different way, by getting access to areas which are normally not accessible,

the possibility to make new experiences for personal as well as for professional development,

the possibility to travel with a purpose, do something useful and “give something back to the community”,

the possibility to improve language skills

the topic of the project. Looking at the questionnaire the most interesting topic for the majority of the volunteers of all the organisations is Nature and Environment, followed by Arts and Culture. The other topics, where the interest differs a bit among the organisations are: Animals, Manual Work, Children, Sport and Vulnerable Groups.

Three of the volunteers interviewed stated as well, that a personal recommendation of friends and family were playing a central role in why they chose to participate in volunteering projects.

Motivation after having participated in a workcamp or another volunteering project proposed by INEX, Egyesek or IBG:

After having participated in their first project more than half of the participants stated that they would like to participate in another camp or have already done multiple workcamps after the first experience. Four of the participants from the interview were also interested in or have led a workcamp themselves, after having participated in a volunteering activity to “challenge themselves” or want to learn more about the organisational aspect. Participating in a short-term format has also motivated some of the participants to get involved in long-term volunteering (at least six months). Some of the volunteers also stated that participating in workcamps motivated them to participate in post-return activities of their respective organisation, participate in further trainings or organise workshops locally.

Volunteering on a local or on an international level:

Almost all of the volunteers consider volunteering as an important form of social engagement, no matter where. They perceive volunteering on a local level important, and some are even already involved in different local organisations like the Red Cross or TedTalks Prague. One volunteer from IBG sees local volunteering as a possibility to connect with your community and have an impact where you live. On the other hand one of Inex’ volunteers mentioned that especially in smaller cities there are not a lot of volunteering activities because people who are interested in volunteering go to bigger cities. One of Egyeseks' volunteers stresses the problematic perception of volunteering as “free work”.

While the majority considers local and international volunteering equally important, most are more interested in international volunteering and see an “added value in travelling abroad” and meeting people from other cities or countries to widen their horizons.

Barriers for involvement in other/post-return volunteer activities:

The main barrier for further involvement was perceived in the lack of time as well as the lack of knowledge of the organisation’s activities. Some volunteers also mentioned a lack of volunteering activities on a local level as well as a disinterest in the topics offered. Two of the interviewed volunteers also mentioned the financial aspect, in the sense that for some activities you have to pay, as well as in the sense that they would rather follow up on paid work than engage on a volunteering basis. Further barriers were identified in the language barriers of the events as well as the fear of long-term commitment.

What can the organisations improve?

The main points mentioned by the volunteers in regard of what the organisations can improve were

communication in the sense of better promotion of volunteering activities, regular invitations by mail and updates on their websites,

more extensive information about how and where to volunteer, the projects themselves, the partners, and the possibility of more general information events for example at schools,

the possibility to connect to other volunteers, more local activities to meet up,

a broader diversity of projects, for example more family camps, more intergenerational meetings or Ukrainian-themed activities were mentioned and

more options to get active throughout the year.

Conclusion and recommendations

Based on the results of the questionnaire and the in-depth interviews conducted by INEX, Egyesek and IBG, here's a general conclusion about volunteer preferences, barriers of participation and best practices to keep volunteers engaged after their volunteering project:

Preferences and Interests: Volunteers involved within the organisations tend to prefer international volunteering opportunities over local ones, primarily driven by the desire to travel abroad and meet new people. However, this preference doesn't necessarily indicate a disinterest in local opportunities but rather a preference for the unique experiences offered by international volunteering. Nonetheless local volunteering and local activities are seen as important and a way to get engaged in their daily life and connect with peers. Since the time aspect was mentioned repeatedly, it would make sense to initiate activities and/or projects with different forms of commitment needed.

Many of the volunteers are interested in specific topics of the activities, e.g. nature and environment, refugees, or intergenerational projects and do not join activities offered by the organisations because they do not meet their field of interest. At the same time a huge majority of volunteers questioned do not really know about what kind of activities their national organisation or the network is offering. For the organisations that means that they have to find a way to promote their existing activities in a more effective way as well as developing and offering more diverse activities.

Barriers to further involvement: In general the research shows that in most cases volunteers at workcamps or similar projects do not participate further in other voluntary activities organised by Inex, Egyesek or IBG.

Several barriers hinder volunteers from further engagement, including the impact of COVID-19, time constraints, and a perceived lack of local volunteering opportunities, especially locally. Additionally, many volunteers are unaware of the activities organised by volunteering organisations, indicating a need for better communication and promotion of available opportunities.

A recommendation to address these barriers would be to build and deepen the relationship between the organisation and the volunteers, but also between the volunteers themselves (meetings, sharing of experience...), creating a stronger network between returners (most people motivate each other to participate in events) by establishing (regular) local activities focusing on diverse topics with different levels of commitment needed from the volunteers. To promote the activities of the organisations in a way that they reach the volunteers it would be recommended to share them on a broader level, using social networks, mail and info events.

Best practices: Based on the questionnaire responses, some effective strategies of the organisations for keeping volunteers engaged after their return from a volunteering project include offering discounts for future workcamps, providing regular updates on further involvement opportunities, organising local activities or meet-ups, where the volunteers have the possibility to exchange about their experiences and meet peers, and actively promoting volunteering in educational institutions.

By implementing these recommendations and best practices, volunteering organisations can enhance volunteer engagement, foster a sense of belonging to their organisations and community among volunteers, and ultimately contribute to the sustainability and impact of their initiatives.

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General motivation to volunteer

Conclusion and recommendations

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