Self-Reported Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Stewardship Organizations and Their Activities in Southeast New England, USA

In many communities, regions, or landscapes, there are numerous environmental groups working across different sectors and creating stewardship networks that shape the environment and the benefits people derive from it. The make-up of these networks can vary, but generally include organizations of different sizes and capacities. As the Covid-19 pandemic (2020 to the present) shuts down businesses and nonprofits, catalyzes new initiatives, and generally alters the day-to-day professional and personal lives, it is logical to assume that these stewardship networks and their environmental work are impacted; exactly how, is unknown. In this study, we analyze the self-reported effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on stewardship groups working in southeast New England, USA. Stewardship organizations were surveyed from November 2020 to April 2021 and asked, among other questions, “How is Covid-19 affecting your organization?” We analyzed responses using several qualitative coding approaches. Our analysis revealed group-level impacts including changes in group capacity, challenges in managing access to public green spaces, and altered forms of volunteer engagement. These results provide insights into the varied effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and government responses such as stay-at-home orders and social distancing policies on stewardship that can inform the development of programs to reduce negative outcomes and enhance emerging capacities and innovations.

Voluntary Work in Digital Contexts as Gift Exchange

Digital technologies have inspired a change in volunteering in nonprofit organizations. In this context, the engagement of volunteers is mainly self-organized, through online platforms or apps. It is the aim of this paper to analyze the volunteers’ motives, differentiating between self-interest and other-interest. This is important, since effects on organizational volunteer-related outcomes, such as volunteer engagement, recruitment and retention, are likely to occur. A gift exchange perspective is applied and a case study has been used for investigating an online-based nonprofit organization in Germany, consisting of qualitative interviews with experts and volunteers, documentary analysis and participatory observations as well as an online survey. The results show that the volunteers’ instrumental self-interest in gaining food, and their interests in other factors, such as the reduction of food wastage as a societal goal, occur simultaneously. This leads to paradoxes and problems on the organizational level. This study contributes to understanding volunteer engagement, recruitment and retention in digital nonprofit organizations.

4-H Youth Volunteer Retention in Science Projects

Retention of volunteers and participants is a critical concern for programs that rely on their manpower, but limited empirical research exists, especially on youth volunteers. This descriptive, cross-sectional quantitative study examined the influence of volunteer motivation, participation, and science project type on the retention of 4-H youth volunteers ages 12 to 19 years participating in science projects in 3 states. An instrument was created for this study that included both existing survey scales and researcher-developed items based on combined research from the citizen science, volunteer development, and youth development fields. The research revealed that consistency and engagement were correlated with the predictors of retention, but race was not. 4-H science programs have a significantly higher likelihood of retaining youth participants than 4-H citizen science programs. Suggestions for youth educators to develop retention strategies are discussed based on the findings and future research into youth volunteer engagement is proposed.

What Does it Take to Lead Extension Master Gardener Volunteers?

We investigated the importance of volunteer engagement competencies to successful master gardener volunteer administration. We used a web-based survey to collect data from a census of North Carolina Extension agents with master gardener volunteer administration responsibilities. Respondents indicated 52 of the 55 competencies were important to the administration of master gardener volunteers. We concluded that although traditional volunteer management skills are essential, a more comprehensive model encompassing personal and leadership skills is needed to inform development of training and resources that will support attainment of competencies required for successful master gardener volunteer administration.

The Role of Engagement on the Relationship Between Motivation and Future Volunteering Intention: The Case of the 30th Southeast Asian Games

Volunteering in major sporting events has become a trend, for sports volunteers are considered one of the most valuable human resources to the event. This study intended to establish a structural model that describes the role of engagement on the relationship between motivation and future volunteering intention in a sporting event. It aimed to provide implications for organizers and volunteer coordinators to effectively retain experienced volunteers and motivate them to engage in future events. The participants of the study were the 168 sport event volunteers at the 30th SEA Games – Clark Cluster. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling to test the causal relationships of the variables. The study found that skill enrichment, privileges of volunteering, and social enrichment positively influenced volunteer engagement, while community contribution, skill enrichment, positive life experiences, and volunteer engagement positively influenced intention to volunteer in the future. The study concluded that volunteer engagement has no mediating role between motivation and future volunteering intention. Sport event organizers must manage volunteers by satisfying their personal and social needs toward volunteering and providing moral support through proper work design, efficient training, and an inclusive working environment to keep them engaged and committed in sustaining their volunteering act.

503 Burn Camp Volunteer Engagement

Introduction Much has been published in burn literature regarding the positive impact of camp participation on burn survivors. Less has been said about the positive benefits reaped by the volunteers who freely give their time to support burn camp initiatives. Often these volunteers are fire fighters, members of the hospital’s burn team, family members or burn survivors or adult burn survivors. Occasionally, volunteers have no prior ties to the burn injury community. These individuals donate their time to attending burn camp as a counselor or camp volunteer and many serve through the year on planning and organization committees. Prior studies have reported a positive professional benefit from camp participation including improved job effectiveness and motivation. Counselors also reported personal benefits including personal growth and socialization. The same benefits may be present for non-counselor volunteers. Methods This survey-based project explored the attitudes of burn camp volunteers. Surveys were sent to current and past volunteers of one facility’s Pediatric Burn Camp. These include but are not limited to community members, firefighters, medical staff and Burn Team members. Surveys were sent via mail with a follow-up email sent one month later to encourage survey completion. Results Surveys were sent to 40 pediatric burn camp volunteers. 28 respondents reported between 1 and 27 years of camp participation. 75% report no regular contact with burn survivors related to their occupation. 29% of respondents were firefighters, 18% were burn team members and 32% were burn survivors. Respondents answered write in questions related to what they love about camp and how their camp experience could be made better. Nine topics related to attitudes were addressed in a Likert scale format. Statistical analysis will be performed to evaluate trends in volunteer attitudes and to compare attitudes to longevity of camp participation, volunteer age and occupation. Trends in recommended camp improvements will be addressed. Conclusions Longevity of camp participation is directly related to volunteer believes and attitudes. Whether because of other responsibilities, changing vocations or a loss of interest in the cause, often volunteers fail to return year to year. Volunteer engagement is an essential part of keeping burn camp a viable resource for pediatric burn survivors. By assessing volunteer perceptions, camp directors can discover areas for improvement and camp attributes that draw volunteers to burn camp. Volunteer recruit strategies developed with these trends in mind may be more successful in attainment and retention of dedicated volunteers.