essay on leadership and volunteering

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to write a great community service essay.

College Admissions , Extracurriculars

Are you applying to a college or a scholarship that requires a community service essay? Do you know how to write an essay that will impress readers and clearly show the impact your work had on yourself and others?

Read on to learn step-by-step instructions for writing a great community service essay that will help you stand out and be memorable.

What Is a Community Service Essay? Why Do You Need One?

A community service essay is an essay that describes the volunteer work you did and the impact it had on you and your community. Community service essays can vary widely depending on specific requirements listed in the application, but, in general, they describe the work you did, why you found the work important, and how it benefited people around you.

Community service essays are typically needed for two reasons:

#1: To Apply to College

• Some colleges require students to write community service essays as part of their application or to be eligible for certain scholarships.
• You may also choose to highlight your community service work in your personal statement.

#2: To Apply for Scholarships

• Some scholarships are specifically awarded to students with exceptional community service experiences, and many use community service essays to help choose scholarship recipients.
• Green Mountain College offers one of the most famous of these scholarships. Their "Make a Difference Scholarship" offers full tuition, room, and board to students who have demonstrated a significant, positive impact through their community service

Getting Started With Your Essay

In the following sections, I'll go over each step of how to plan and write your essay. I'll also include sample excerpts for you to look through so you can get a better idea of what readers are looking for when they review your essay.

Step 1: Know the Essay Requirements

Before your start writing a single word, you should be familiar with the essay prompt. Each college or scholarship will have different requirements for their essay, so make sure you read these carefully and understand them.

Specific things to pay attention to include:

• Length requirement
• Application deadline
• The main purpose or focus of the essay
• If the essay should follow a specific structure

Below are three real community service essay prompts. Read through them and notice how much they vary in terms of length, detail, and what information the writer should include.

From the Equitable Excellence Scholarship:

"Describe your outstanding achievement in depth and provide the specific planning, training, goals, and steps taken to make the accomplishment successful. Include details about your role and highlight leadership you provided. Your essay must be a minimum of 350 words but not more than 600 words."

From the Laura W. Bush Traveling Scholarship:

"Essay (up to 500 words, double spaced) explaining your interest in being considered for the award and how your proposed project reflects or is related to both UNESCO's mandate and U.S. interests in promoting peace by sharing advances in education, science, culture, and communications."

From the LULAC National Scholarship Fund:

"Please type or print an essay of 300 words (maximum) on how your academic studies will contribute to your personal & professional goals. In addition, please discuss any community service or extracurricular activities you have been involved in that relate to your goals."

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Even after you understand what the essay should be about, it can still be difficult to begin writing. Answer the following questions to help brainstorm essay ideas. You may be able to incorporate your answers into your essay.

• What community service activity that you've participated in has meant the most to you?
• What is your favorite memory from performing community service?
• Why did you decide to begin community service?
• What made you decide to volunteer where you did?
• How has your community service changed you?
• How has your community service helped others?
• How has your community service affected your plans for the future?

You don't need to answer all the questions, but if you find you have a lot of ideas for one of two of them, those may be things you want to include in your essay.

Writing Your Essay

How you structure your essay will depend on the requirements of the scholarship or school you are applying to. You may give an overview of all the work you did as a volunteer, or highlight a particularly memorable experience. You may focus on your personal growth or how your community benefited.

Regardless of the specific structure requested, follow the guidelines below to make sure your community service essay is memorable and clearly shows the impact of your work.

Samples of mediocre and excellent essays are included below to give you a better idea of how you should draft your own essay.

Step 1: Hook Your Reader In

You want the person reading your essay to be interested, so your first sentence should hook them in and entice them to read more. A good way to do this is to start in the middle of the action. Your first sentence could describe you helping build a house, releasing a rescued animal back to the wild, watching a student you tutored read a book on their own, or something else that quickly gets the reader interested. This will help set your essay apart and make it more memorable.

Compare these two opening sentences:

"I have volunteered at the Wishbone Pet Shelter for three years."

"The moment I saw the starving, mud-splattered puppy brought into the shelter with its tail between its legs, I knew I'd do whatever I could to save it."

The first sentence is a very general, bland statement. The majority of community service essays probably begin a lot like it, but it gives the reader little information and does nothing to draw them in. On the other hand, the second sentence begins immediately with action and helps persuade the reader to keep reading so they can learn what happened to the dog.

Step 2: Discuss the Work You Did

Once you've hooked your reader in with your first sentence, tell them about your community service experiences. State where you work, when you began working, how much time you've spent there, and what your main duties include. This will help the reader quickly put the rest of the essay in context and understand the basics of your community service work.

Not including basic details about your community service could leave your reader confused.

Step 3: Include Specific Details

It's the details of your community service that make your experience unique and memorable, so go into the specifics of what you did.

For example, don't just say you volunteered at a nursing home; talk about reading Mrs. Johnson her favorite book, watching Mr. Scott win at bingo, and seeing the residents play games with their grandchildren at the family day you organized. Try to include specific activities, moments, and people in your essay. Having details like these let the readers really understand what work you did and how it differs from other volunteer experiences.

Compare these two passages:

"For my volunteer work, I tutored children at a local elementary school. I helped them improve their math skills and become more confident students."

"As a volunteer at York Elementary School, I worked one-on-one with second and third graders who struggled with their math skills, particularly addition, subtraction, and fractions. As part of my work, I would create practice problems and quizzes and try to connect math to the students' interests. One of my favorite memories was when Sara, a student I had been working with for several weeks, told me that she enjoyed the math problems I had created about a girl buying and selling horses so much that she asked to help me create math problems for other students."

The first passage only gives basic information about the work done by the volunteer; there is very little detail included, and no evidence is given to support her claims. How did she help students improve their math skills? How did she know they were becoming more confident?

The second passage is much more detailed. It recounts a specific story and explains more fully what kind of work the volunteer did, as well as a specific instance of a student becoming more confident with her math skills. Providing more detail in your essay helps support your claims as well as make your essay more memorable and unique.

Step 4: Show Your Personality

It would be very hard to get a scholarship or place at a school if none of your readers felt like they knew much about you after finishing your essay, so make sure that your essay shows your personality. The way to do this is to state your personal strengths, then provide examples to support your claims. Take some time to think about which parts of your personality you would like your essay to highlight, then write about specific examples to show this.

• If you want to show that you're a motivated leader, describe a time when you organized an event or supervised other volunteers.
• If you want to show your teamwork skills, write about a time you helped a group of people work together better.
• If you want to show that you're a compassionate animal lover, write about taking care of neglected shelter animals and helping each of them find homes.

Step 5: State What You Accomplished

After you have described your community service and given specific examples of your work, you want to begin to wrap your essay up by stating your accomplishments. What was the impact of your community service? Did you build a house for a family to move into? Help students improve their reading skills? Clean up a local park? Make sure the impact of your work is clear; don't be worried about bragging here.

If you can include specific numbers, that will also strengthen your essay. Saying "I delivered meals to 24 home-bound senior citizens" is a stronger example than just saying "I delivered meals to lots of senior citizens."

Also be sure to explain why your work matters. Why is what you did important? Did it provide more parks for kids to play in? Help students get better grades? Give people medical care who would otherwise not have gotten it? This is an important part of your essay, so make sure to go into enough detail that your readers will know exactly what you accomplished and how it helped your community.

"My biggest accomplishment during my community service was helping to organize a family event at the retirement home. The children and grandchildren of many residents attended, and they all enjoyed playing games and watching movies together."

"The community service accomplishment that I'm most proud of is the work I did to help organize the First Annual Family Fun Day at the retirement home. My job was to design and organize fun activities that senior citizens and their younger relatives could enjoy. The event lasted eight hours and included ten different games, two performances, and a movie screening with popcorn. Almost 200 residents and family members attended throughout the day. This event was important because it provided an opportunity for senior citizens to connect with their family members in a way they aren't often able to. It also made the retirement home seem more fun and enjoyable to children, and we have seen an increase in the number of kids coming to visit their grandparents since the event."

The second passage is stronger for a variety of reasons. First, it goes into much more detail about the work the volunteer did. The first passage only states that she helped "organize a family event." That really doesn't tell readers much about her work or what her responsibilities were. The second passage is much clearer; her job was to "design and organize fun activities."

The second passage also explains the event in more depth. A family day can be many things; remember that your readers are likely not familiar with what you're talking about, so details help them get a clearer picture.

Lastly, the second passage makes the importance of the event clear: it helped residents connect with younger family members, and it helped retirement homes seem less intimidating to children, so now some residents see their grand kids more often.

Step 6: Discuss What You Learned

One of the final things to include in your essay should be the impact that your community service had on you. You can discuss skills you learned, such as carpentry, public speaking, animal care, or another skill.

You can also talk about how you changed personally. Are you more patient now? More understanding of others? Do you have a better idea of the type of career you want? Go into depth about this, but be honest. Don't say your community service changed your life if it didn't because trite statements won't impress readers.

In order to support your statements, provide more examples. If you say you're more patient now, how do you know this? Do you get less frustrated while playing with your younger siblings? Are you more willing to help group partners who are struggling with their part of the work? You've probably noticed by now that including specific examples and details is one of the best ways to create a strong and believable essay .

"As a result of my community service, I learned a lot about building houses and became a more mature person."

"As a result of my community service, I gained hands-on experience in construction. I learned how to read blueprints, use a hammer and nails, and begin constructing the foundation of a two-bedroom house. Working on the house could be challenging at times, but it taught me to appreciate the value of hard work and be more willing to pitch in when I see someone needs help. My dad has just started building a shed in our backyard, and I offered to help him with it because I know from my community service how much work it is. I also appreciate my own house more, and I know how lucky I am to have a roof over my head."

The second passage is more impressive and memorable because it describes the skills the writer learned in more detail and recounts a specific story that supports her claim that her community service changed her and made her more helpful.

Step 7: Finish Strong

Just as you started your essay in a way that would grab readers' attention, you want to finish your essay on a strong note as well. A good way to end your essay is to state again the impact your work had on you, your community, or both. Reiterate how you changed as a result of your community service, why you found the work important, or how it helped others.

Compare these two concluding statements:

"In conclusion, I learned a lot from my community service at my local museum, and I hope to keep volunteering and learning more about history."

"To conclude, volunteering at my city's American History Museum has been a great experience. By leading tours and participating in special events, I became better at public speaking and am now more comfortable starting conversations with people. In return, I was able to get more community members interested in history and our local museum. My interest in history has deepened, and I look forward to studying the subject in college and hopefully continuing my volunteer work at my university's own museum."

The second passage takes each point made in the first passage and expands upon it. In a few sentences, the second passage is able to clearly convey what work the volunteer did, how she changed, and how her volunteer work benefited her community.

The author of the second passage also ends her essay discussing her future and how she'd like to continue her community service, which is a good way to wrap things up because it shows your readers that you are committed to community service for the long-term.

What's Next?

Are you applying to a community service scholarship or thinking about it? We have a complete list of all the community service scholarships available to help get your search started!

Do you need a community service letter as well? We have a step-by-step guide that will tell you how to get a great reference letter from your community service supervisor.

Thinking about doing community service abroad? Before you sign up, read our guide on some of the hazards of international volunteer trips and how to know if it's the right choice for you.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

• Undergraduate
• High School
• Architecture
• American History
• Asian History
• Antique Literature
• American Literature
• Asian Literature
• Classic English Literature
• World Literature
• Creative Writing
• Linguistics
• Criminal Justice
• Legal Issues
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Political Science
• World Affairs
• African-American Studies
• East European Studies
• Latin-American Studies
• Native-American Studies
• West European Studies
• Family and Consumer Science
• Social Issues
• Women and Gender Studies
• Social Work
• Natural Sciences
• Pharmacology
• Earth science
• Agriculture
• Agricultural Studies
• Computer Science
• IT Management
• Mathematics
• Investments
• Engineering and Technology
• Engineering
• Aeronautics
• Medicine and Health
• Alternative Medicine
• Communications and Media
• Advertising
• Communication Strategies
• Public Relations
• Educational Theories
• Teacher's Career
• Chicago/Turabian
• Company Analysis
• Education Theories
• Shakespeare
• Canadian Studies
• Food Safety
• Relation of Global Warming and Extreme Weather Condition
• Movie Review
• Admission Essay
• Annotated Bibliography
• Application Essay
• Article Critique
• Article Review
• Article Writing
• Book Review
• Business Plan
• Business Proposal
• Capstone Project
• Cover Letter
• Creative Essay
• Dissertation
• Dissertation - Abstract
• Dissertation - Conclusion
• Dissertation - Discussion
• Dissertation - Hypothesis
• Dissertation - Introduction
• Dissertation - Literature
• Dissertation - Methodology
• Dissertation - Results
• GCSE Coursework
• Grant Proposal
• Marketing Plan
• Multiple Choice Quiz
• Personal Statement
• Power Point Presentation
• Power Point Presentation With Speaker Notes
• Questionnaire
• Reaction Paper

Research Paper

• Research Proposal
• SWOT analysis
• Thesis Paper
• Online Quiz
• Literature Review
• Movie Analysis
• Statistics problem
• Math Problem
• All papers examples
• How It Works
• Money Back Policy
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• We Are Hiring

The Positive Impact of Volunteering on Leadership Skills, Essay Example

Pages: 3

Words: 916

Hire a Writer for Custom Essay

Use 10% Off Discount: "custom10" in 1 Click 👇

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

Volunteering is becoming one of the most effective ways of teaching people work skills before they start a job. Several authors (Ockenden & Hutin, 2008; Hudoba, 2014) confirm that volunteering experience helps young people gain experience communicating with diverse populations, and positively impacts their leadership development. A recent NCVO (2012) report also states that volunteering is one of the most successful pathways for people who have been off from work for a long time. It increases their employability, as well as helps improve their leadership skills, confidence, and communication. The below essay paper will look at the various benefits of volunteering, and argues that having an experience as a volunteer would positively impact their career development and chances. Indeed, volunteering provides personal growth opportunities and experience for many young people and those who are looking to return to work.

There are several benefits of volunteering, and these have been confirmed by various authors. Employability improvement is one of the main benefits of volunteering. Ockenden & Stuart (2014, p. 4) created a comprehensive study focusing on the relationship between volunteering experience and employability/leadership development, and found that “young people feel that they develop confidence and self-esteem and learn new skills through volunteering and social action, including organisational skills, communication and group skills”. Further, the author states that young volunteers can benefit from several positive impacts of volunteering, such as developing systems thinking, extended social horizon, a caring attitude, and skills needed for self-development.  Volunteering further provides people with a new perspective of social issues: they get to meet people through their participation in projects from every walk of life.

Volunteers can build essential skills through taking part in volunteering projects. Hudoba (2014) mentions that volunteering opens opportunities for  building leadership skills. This means that influencing and following others are all a part of volunteering experience. Those without any work experience, for example, will be able to learn how to play by the rules and follow directions, and later become those who can come up with their own initiatives and get recognition for them. It is also important to note that volunteer groups –  as Hudoba (2014) confirms – are extremely democratic, therefore, leadership roles are often randomly assigned to individuals who exhibit specific skills. This means that young people who volunteer are more likely to realize their own potential and leadership strengths before they enter the world of employment. They become more aware of their weaknesses and development areas, as well, learn to work as a part of a team. At the same time, they will learn how to create consensus, clearly communicate messages, and engage others in their personal mission. Apart from realizing one’s own potential, volunteering can help individuals find their career direction and their strengths.

Leadership development through volunteer group leadership is also a proven benefit. Ockenden and Hutin (2008) examined the role of leaders in groups. The authors found that volunteer-led groups are extremely democratic and provide everyone a chance to take part in the decision-making process. The authors (Ockenden &  Hutin, 2008) state that leaders learn humility and team building skills in their role. This means that leaders understand the importance of clear communication, learn the methods of effective collaboration and engaging people to follow them. All the above skills are needed for further leadership roles.

Finally, according to the NCVO’s policy report (2012), colunteering helps improve communication skills and confidence. Nonetheless, those who are looking for management position will be able to get the basic skills for searching for the right job, managing time and others, taking part in discussion, and evaluating their own performance. While the report does not directly state that volunteering has a positive impact on people’s leadership skills, it confirms that it increases one’s employability.

Patel’s (2010) study also confirms that volunteering improves business and management skills, and increases the individual’s chance for achieving professional success. Through learning new people skills, building confidence, obtaining important organization and planning skills, developing mentoring abilities, communication, and networking, individuals who volunteer can boost their career options. According to the study (Patel, 2010) 94% of all participating employers believed that volunteering added to applicants’  skills. This means that people who take part in volunteering programs will become more skilled in every area, including leadership and management.

Volunteering can improve individuals’ work related skills and employability. At the same time, several studies have noted that important leadership skills can be gained through volunteering, such as communication, collaboration, management, idea creation, and vision development. Therefore, people who volunteer are not only becoming more skilled and more employable than those who do not, but they can learn more about their skills, abilities, and development areas. Through understanding their own abilities, they can become better leaders. Young people without work experience will certainly benefit from volunteering for organizations that have a democratic approach to leadership and often assign responsibilities and leadership roles to individuals in the group. That way, people will become more responsible leaders, better collaborators, and more organized managers than those who simply apply for a position straight after finishing their training.

Hudoba, S. (2014) Volunteering: A key to leadership success. Retrieved from https://chapters.theiia.org/los-angeles/Documents/Volunteering%20The%20Key%20To           %20Leadership%20Success%20v4.pdf

NCVO (2012) V olunteering: a valuable pathway to employability . Retrieved from https://www.ncvo.org.uk/images/documents/practical_support/volunteering/vsc-policy- final.pdf

Ockenden, N. & Stuart (2014) Review of evidence on the outcomes of youth volunteering, social action and leadership . Institute for Volunteering Research. Retrieved from       http://thirdsectorimpact.eu/site/assets/uploads/page/documents-for-researchers/TSI_impact-report_sports-leaders-literature-review-dec-2014.pdf

Ockenden, N., & Hutin, M. (2008). Volunteering to lead: a study of leadership in small, volunteer-led groups.  Institute for Volunteering Research .

Patel, N. (2010) Develop leadership skills through volunteering. Retrieved from http://ieee-nh.org/Docs/2010-08-NP1.pdf

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Nurses in the United States With a Practice Doctorate, Coursework Example

The Security in the Cloud Storage, Research Proposal Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Voting as a civic responsibility, essay example.

Pages: 1

Words: 287

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

Words: 356

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 448

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Pages: 8

Words: 2293

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 999

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

Words: 371

Leadership, Reward Systems, and Training in Volunteering Case Study

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Volunteering is common in the contemporary world whereby individuals offer their time and efforts for a good cause. Usually, volunteers do not get monetary rewards, but they get an opportunity to explore their talents, develop new skills, and have various gainful experiences as they make a difference to other people’s lives. Volunteering helps to save resources, bring people together, and promote personal growth and self-esteem.

Organizations that have financial constraints can also benefit from free services offered by volunteers, thus facilitating operations despite the underlying challenges. Sound leadership is paramount for the implementation of successful volunteering programs since volunteers have to be motivated in a bid to remain enthusiastic in their endeavors (Connors, 2011).

Failure to manage volunteers in an efficient way may lead to understaffing, thus interfering with the execution of an organization’s projects.

This paper will analyze the causes of understaffing and the importance of compatible leadership styles for efficient management and motivation of volunteers at the broadcasting station of the Online University. Additionally, the paper will focus on the various reward systems, communication strategies, and training programs that would alleviate understaffing at the broadcasting station.

Analysis of the causes of understaffing at the Online University

Volunteers are expected to beef up the human resource aspect of an organization. However, factors such as poor office layout, weak leadership or supervision, ineffective communication, working conditions, and interpersonal relationships may cause the volunteers’ resignation.

The departure of a program director and the volunteers at the Online University may have been attributed to the factors mentioned above. This assertion holds because volunteers offer their free services willingly with the aim of creating desirable change to others coupled with benefitting in terms of skills and experience.

The orientation and training of volunteers is a significant aspect of ensuring successful volunteering programs. Volunteers should be well oriented to fit into the values and mission of the organization as their roles are defined (Stevenson, 2013). Failure to conduct effective orientation and training programs to volunteers may have led to the situation of understaffing at the Online University.

Poor orientation may inhibit the compatibility of the organization’s goals with the roles played by volunteers. The training phase is also vital for instilling the roles expected of a volunteer. Poor instructions given to volunteers may trigger the performance of wrong tasks at the broadcast station, thus causing incompatibility of roles with the organization’s mission.

Volunteers need to receive clear communication from the management for the effective execution of tasks (Connors, 2011). In the case of the Online University, online communication platforms such as e-mails could be used to disseminate information to volunteers in a bid to assign tasks and facilitate healthy interaction.

The program director is expected to observe a two-way traffic communication system that enhances the interaction between the volunteers and the management of the broadcasting station. Additionally, the program manager should seek feedback from the volunteers as they enquire about their progress.

Therefore, failure to observe these aspects of communication may have triggered the exit of volunteers from the broadcasting station, thus leading to understaffing.

Successful organizations uphold team building in all departments for streamlined operations. In this sense, interpersonal relationships play an integral part in enhancing synergy among the volunteers and other staff members in the organization.

The program director should have encouraged interpersonal relationships to make the working environment friendly to all the staff members including the volunteers. Poor formal and informal relationships may have caused dissatisfaction among the volunteers, thus forcing them to resign.

Effective leadership styles spearhead the attainment of organizational goals. Factoring in the presence of volunteers within an organization implies that leaders need to pay particular attention to the group since they provide their free services in a bid to create a difference to others as they improve their skills.

Poor organization of activities, poor communication, and lack of the volunteers’ participation in decision-making can make the volunteers feel neglected, thus compromising their performance. In the long-term, this aspect may lead to their resignation due to lack of support from the leaders.

In the broadcasting station’s case, the program director may have lacked essential leadership skills such as communication, creativity, intuitiveness, transformational skills, and respect for volunteers, thus causing their departure.

Importance of a compatible leadership style that would motivate and manage the volunteer staff

The success of an organization is usually credited to effective leadership styles that mobilize resources towards the attainment of the set targets. Managers need to practice a leadership style that cultivates motivation among the members of a particular organization. Therefore, leaders should adopt leadership styles that are compatible with organizational goals.

A leadership style that fosters teamwork is beneficial to both the organization and its members (McCurley & Lynch, 2007). In the case of the Online University, the program director should have employed a leadership style that enhances synergy within the volunteer team. This assertion implies that all volunteers would work together collaboratively in the cause to provide quality services at the broadcast station.

Transformational leadership entails influencing quality team relationships and meaningful work processes, hence affecting volunteer satisfaction. Leaders using this style tend to transform volunteers through interactive processes that have positive implications to their mindsets.

Intellectual stimulation as an element of transformational leadership motivates members to challenge the status quo, hence taking part in problem-solving ( Stevenson, 2013). The Online University program director ought to have implemented transformational leadership techniques to enhance the volunteers’ esteem in the provision of their valuable services at the broadcast station.

The Laissez-faire style of leadership allows followers to make intuitive decisions on their own in a bid to reach certain goals. In this case, emphasis should be put on the maintenance of the acceptable norms and values as defined by the organizational culture (McCurley & Lynch, 2007).

This aspect implies that volunteers could work with strategies that work best for them as they observe values such as ethical behaviors and right attitude at the broadcast station. Therefore, the volunteers would initiate working plans bearing in mind that they are responsible for their actions.

Rewards systems

Volunteers need to be motivated to facilitate their commitment to the volunteering program. The Online University’s management could devise systems that seek to reward top performing volunteers to raise their enthusiasm and that of other team members. Consequently, rewarding volunteers would make them stay longer and even attract more individuals to volunteer for the organization (McCurley & Lynch, 2007).

The Online University could provide fees for education or self-improvement programs to deserving volunteers. This move would help them to advance their skills and facilitate personal growth thereby motivating them to deliver quality services.

Recognizing the exceptionally performing volunteers elevates the levels of enthusiasm. A monthly newsletter or an e-mail blast could be used to bring the attention of other team members as a way of showing appreciation.

The names of top performer could be listed so that motivation can crop up amongst the volunteers and other workers. The Online University’s program director could be taking note of dedicated volunteers before awarding them with “Volunteer of the Month” title.

The provision of meals and refreshments can also build the motivation of volunteers during events. Despite the financial constraints that the Online University is experiencing, budgetary allocations could be made for refreshments and meals that would provide energy and induce enthusiasm amongst the volunteers.

According to Connors (2011), volunteers’ free services should at least be boosted by small rewards such as meals and drinks so that they are not drained by their duties.

Volunteers can be given small incentives and tokens of gratitude like the provision of simple gifts or even rental vouchers. Consequently, this aspect would boost their morale since the organization shows appreciation for their efforts. Additionally, ‘thank you’ cards can be sent to volunteers to show gratitude for their continued commitment towards offering their free services to the organization.

Featuring the volunteers’ personal stories on the organization’s blog or website is another effective reward system (McCurley & Lynch, 2007).

The program director can interview the dedicated volunteers personally and publish their inspiring stories on the Online University’s website. In so doing, both the volunteers and the organization benefits, since the former will have a platform to share their experiences, while the organization can attract more volunteers.

Appropriate communication or training program

An effective training program facilitates the volunteers’ commitment to a cause. The Online University’s management team could have devised a curriculum that aims at training volunteers what they need to know about the organization in terms of its mission and vision. Developing a working training curriculum entails the following –

Developing a work plan – The Program director could have selected individuals to be in the training development team and assign tasks to them. Part of the volunteers could be members of the development teams in a bid to provide leadership skills.

Determining tasks and priorities then follows whereby a list of tasks is provided to each volunteer to foster responsibility. Prioritization is essential at this phase so that volunteers can perform urgent tasks in real time. Subsequently, an analysis of the prioritized tasks should be done to determine their accomplishment (Stevenson, 2013).

Structuring the training program should then follow after an analysis of the prioritized tasks is done. This aspect should comprise the modules, topics, a timeframe, and learning objectives. Methods and materials needed for training should then be developed. In the case of the broadcasting, the method of training could be delivered in person or online.

The trainer then prepares training materials that suit the chosen method. An orientation should then be done to trainers in a bid to familiarize them with the method and materials developed for training coupled with how they operate. Piloting and revising the training course should then be done to ensure that weak points are identified and worked on to ensure that the volunteers are satisfied with the training program.

Finally, the course should be presented and evaluated after the revision to ensure that volunteers are learning from the training program. Feedback from evaluation should be taken seriously since it reflects the volunteers’ view of the training programs, which reflects on its success or failure (Stevenson, 2013).

Voluntary services to an organization should be managed properly through effective leadership to boost motivation amongst the volunteers. Fostering enthusiasm through various reward systems is a good way of showing appreciation for the free services.

Failure to provide excellent leadership and reward systems to volunteers could lead to the resignation of volunteers like in the Online University’s broadcast station department that resulted in understaffing. Therefore, an efficient training program is essential for the empowerment and retention of volunteers.

Connors, T. (2011). The Volunteer Management Handbook: Leadership Strategies for Success. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

McCurley, S., & Lynch, R. (2007). Keeping Volunteers: A Guide to Retention: The Art of Volunteer Retention . Liverpool, UK: Directory of Social Change.

Stevenson, S. (2013). Volunteer Training Primer: Principles, Procedures and Ideas for Training and Education Volunteer. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

• Volunteering at the Institute for Information Management
• Volunteering and Its Numerous Benefits for the Elderly
• Volunteer Management Process
• Theoretical Application of Integrated Information Systems
• Personal, Professional, and Career Development
• Mobile Systems Uses and Impact on Business
• A Revolutionary Model of Leadership
• Pros and Cons of System Project Standards
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, June 24). Leadership, Reward Systems, and Training in Volunteering. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leadership-reward-systems-and-training-in-volunteering/

"Leadership, Reward Systems, and Training in Volunteering." IvyPanda , 24 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/leadership-reward-systems-and-training-in-volunteering/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Leadership, Reward Systems, and Training in Volunteering'. 24 June.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Leadership, Reward Systems, and Training in Volunteering." June 24, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leadership-reward-systems-and-training-in-volunteering/.

1. IvyPanda . "Leadership, Reward Systems, and Training in Volunteering." June 24, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leadership-reward-systems-and-training-in-volunteering/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Leadership, Reward Systems, and Training in Volunteering." June 24, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leadership-reward-systems-and-training-in-volunteering/.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Front Psychol

The Relationship Between Leadership Behaviors and Volunteer Commitment: The Role of Volunteer Satisfaction

Paula benevene.

1 Department of Human Sciences, Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta (LUMSA) University, Rome, Italy

Ilaria Buonomo

Michael west.

2 Department of Organisation Work and Technology, Lancaster University Management School, Bailrigg, United Kingdom

Associated Data

The datasets for this article are not publicly available because of local legal and privacy restrictions (Italian Data Protection Code—Legislative Decree No. 196/2003). Requests to access the datasets should be directed to Paula Benevene, [email protected].

Despite the relative scarcity of studies on the impact of leadership styles on satisfaction and commitment of volunteers within non-profit organizations, this relationship plays a crucial role in fostering sustained volunteerism and volunteers' well-being. A questionnaire was administered to more than 200 volunteers involved in delivering social services in non-profit organizations from Central and Northern Italy. The questionnaire contained the Volunteer Satisfaction Index, the sub-scale on Affective Commitment of the Organizational Commitment Scale, and two sub-scales of the Key Leadership Behaviors, namely: Helping people to grow and lead, and Enabling learning and innovation. Socio-demographic data were collected as well. Findings revealed that leaders' actions oriented toward the enablement of learning and innovation have an effect on volunteers' affective commitment, through the full mediation of volunteer satisfaction. Leaders' actions oriented toward the growth and empowerment of volunteers, instead, did not show significant relationships with volunteer satisfaction and affective commitment.

Introduction

The relevance of the non-profit world.

Non-profit organizations (NPOs) are organizations committed to promoting the well-being of individuals, communities, and society through the delivery of their services (Benevene and Cortini, 2010 ; Kong and Ramia, 2010 ; Dal Corso et al., 2019 ). NPOs are defined as private, independent, self-governed organizations, whose profits are not distributed to individuals or owners of stakeholders, but reinvested in the organizational mission, namely creating social value and contributing to general welfare (Salamon and Anheier, 1992 ; Bahmani et al., 2012 ).

All NPOs rely—partially or totally—on volunteers to deliver their services and carry out other tasks, such as office work, fundraising, and event organization to mention a few (Salamon and Anheier, 1992 ; Benevene and Cortini, 2010 ; Jiménez et al., 2010 ; Bahmani et al., 2012 ; Dal Corso et al., 2019 ). If all those who engaged in volunteering activities formed a country–the so-called “Volunteer Land” –this would be the ninth most populous country in the world, behind Russia and Bangladesh. In Europe alone, there are about 94 million people engaged in volunteering (Salamon et al., 2013 ). As far as the Italian context is concerned, the volunteer rate is 12.6% among the adult population (i.e., more than 6 million people)—out of which 7.9% operate in an organized context (ISTAT, 2019 ).

Thus, volunteers represent a crucial factor in the non-profit world. Their attraction, retention, and management are among the most strategic and challenging actions for NPOs (Anheier and Salamon, 2006 ; Salamon et al., 2013 ; Nencini et al., 2016 ; Alfes et al., 2017 ). In fact, volunteers' management requires taking into consideration the differences between them and employees: unlike paid staff, volunteers can choose the NPOs they prefer and are not bounded by a legal contract, assigning them weekly hours of duty, tasks, and responsibilities; they are not selected or rewarded on the basis of their professional competences and skills; they choose freely when to start participating in the NPO's activities and are free to leave whenever they will (Salamon and Anheier, 1992 ).

Most NPOs struggle to maintain their volunteers' engagement in the long term, although the number of people deciding to engage in volunteering activities is continually increasing and volunteers tend to continue volunteering over the course of their life, whether it is in the same organization, or in a different one (Garner and Garner, 2011 ). In this respect it has to be stressed that sustained volunteerism is an important component of the NPOs' organizational performance not only because these organizations need volunteers to carry out many of their activities, but also because long-term volunteering generates a better trained, more experienced, and more highly skilled volunteer base (Fairley et al., 2013 ).

Current research on sustained volunteerism suggests that when leaders are perceived positively, volunteers are more likely to be retained (Catano et al., 2001 ; Avolio et al., 2004 ; Richardson and Vandenberg, 2005 ; Rowold and Rohmann, 2009 ; Senses-Ozyurt and Villicana-Reyna, 2016 ). Despite this, little is known about the role of leadership styles on sustained volunteerism.

Theoretical Basis of Sustained Volunteerism

Sustained volunteerism is commonly explained in light of the functional theory (Clary et al., 1998 ) and the social exchange theory (Blau, 1964 ).

The functional theory developed by Clary et al. ( 1998 ) and Clary and Snyder ( 1999 ) posits that volunteering provides opportunities to satisfy personal needs and drives. Clary and Snyder ( 1999 , p. 157) identified six main motives pushing people to engage in voluntary work: values (the opportunity to express their values in the actions taken); understanding (the opportunity to learn or exercise skills that are often unused); career (the opportunity of professional growth through the acquisition of skills and knowledge useful for one's career path); social (the opportunity to strengthen one's own social relationships); enhancement (the opportunity to grow and develop psychologically through volunteer activities); protective (the opportunity to reduce negative feelings, such as guilt, or to address personal problems). Individuals may look for fulfillment of different motives in performing their volunteer activities and tasks. In other words, “different people engage in the same volunteer activity but do so to fulfill different motives” (Clary and Snyder, 1999 , p. 156). When volunteers satisfy their motivations through their specific experience within the organization, they achieve higher performance, and greater satisfaction for the activities carried out, which in fact constitute relevant predictive factors for the decision to start and continue volunteering (Clary et al., 1998 ). The other theoretical basis of sustained volunteerism is offered by the Social Exchange Theory (Blau, 1964 ). According to this theory, volunteers decide to join an NPO assessing the cost-benefit balance due to their involvement in the NPO's tasks. It is likely that the higher the benefits perceived as a result of their work, the longer the commitment in the volunteering activity (Blau, 1964 ).

Apart from theoretical underpinnings, some authors pointed out that volunteering is a long-term planned behavior, within a dynamic process where various factors intervene (Omoto and Snyder, 1995 ; Penner, 2004 ). Thus, over time, the variables that come into play in leading someone to become a volunteer tend to change or take on a different weight from those that determined the initial choice. The shift from the initial motivations is somehow inevitable: after the first phase defined as “honeymoon,” where the volunteer is full of enthusiasm and desire to be engaged in the activities, a new phase takes place, connotated by a more realistic knowledge of the organization, based on the direct experience developed within the organization itself. The “post-honeymoon” phase necessarily bears feelings of disillusionment, since the idealization of the first months is replaced by the awareness of the critical aspects of the organization (Wymer and Starnes, 2001 ).

In this second phase, it may happen that the benefits and rewards obtained by volunteering may not be sufficient to compensate for their costs in terms of time, money, and personal resources required to perform the voluntary work. Thus, this new understanding carries the risk of leading the volunteer to leave the organization, if the critical factors are not counterbalanced by other positive factors generated by the actual experiences of volunteering (McCurley and Lynch, 1996 ).

In other words, the actual experience of volunteering changes the initial motivations of the volunteers (Snyder et al., 1999 ), either positively or negatively. These modifications indicate that the leadership of NPOs plays a pivotal role in providing support to the volunteers' choice to stay, shaping their experiences through effective managerial practices and choices (Umezurike, 2011 ; Senses-Ozyurt and Villicana-Reyna, 2016 ; Benevene et al., 2018 ). NPOs' leaders are, in fact, in charge of molding the operational activities of every volunteer; they hold responsibility for providing volunteers with positive organizational activities and experiences, which may compensate for the negative factors associated with volunteering.

Leadership Style and Its Impact on Volunteers' Outcomes (Satisfaction and Commitment)

The knowledge about the impact of leadership styles on volunteers' behaviors is still far away from being fully explored. Whereas, on the one hand, it is well-known in the literature that NPOs' positive leadership is linked with sustained volunteering (Catano et al., 2001 ; Avolio et al., 2004 ; Richardson and Vandenberg, 2005 ; Rowold and Rohmann, 2009 ; Senses-Ozyurt and Villicana-Reyna, 2016 ; Yahaya and Ebrahim, 2016 ). on the other hand, many of the studies carried out on the outcomes of leadership styles on the members of NPO did not make a distinction between paid staff and volunteers (Allen et al., 2018 ; Einolf, 2018 ; Li, 2019 ; Peng et al., 2020 ).

This is an important gap to fill, since the motivations of volunteers are different from those of paid staff, and the management of volunteers must be tailored to their needs and motivations.

Studies carried out among NPOs have proven that the quality of the leadership is a critical factor for the volunteers' satisfaction and commitment, which, in turn, affects their turnover, intention to stay, performance, and well-being (Catano et al., 2001 ; Avolio et al., 2004 ; Richardson and Vandenberg, 2005 ; Senses-Ozyurt and Villicana-Reyna, 2016 ; Yahaya and Ebrahim, 2016 ).

Among the relative paucity of studies on the impact of leadership styles on satisfaction and commitment of volunteers, the most explored construct is transformational leadership. Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their followers to look beyond self-interest and to work together to pursue a collective purpose (Burns, 1998 ). An early study by Catano et al. ( 2001 ) found out that transformational leadership was associated with volunteers' commitment to the organization as well as their will to stay in the organization. Later, Dwyer et al. ( 2013 ) showed that transformational leadership influences volunteer satisfaction. These findings were partially confirmed by Schneider and George ( 2011 ), in a study carried out among volunteers, where transformational leadership did not appear to predict commitment. However, it showed significant positive correlations with satisfaction and intention to stay, through the respectively partial or full mediation of empowerment. On the other hand, the same study highlighted that servant leadership, connoted by ethical behavior and concern for subordinates, was associated with member satisfaction, commitment, and intention to stay in the same NPO, through the full mediation of empowerment (Schneider and George, 2011 ; Greenleaf, 2019 ).

Servant leadership emerged as positively correlated with volunteers' satisfaction and organizational commitment, also in a study by Erdurmazli ( 2019 ). Oostlander et al. ( 2014 ) considered the autonomy-supportive leadership, characterized by the understanding and the acknowledgment of volunteers' perspectives, giving them opportunities for choice, supporting their individuals' competences, and encouraging personal initiative (Deci et al., 2001 ; Gagné and Deci, 2005 ). Their study concluded that volunteer satisfaction and motivation is positively linked with this type of leadership. More recently, a study carried out by Benevene et al. ( 2018 ) observed the impact of ethical leadership on volunteers. Ethical leadership is defined as “the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships and the promotion of such conduct through two-way communication” (Brown et al., 2005 , p.120). This study showed that ethical leadership is connected with job satisfaction and organizational commitment among volunteers and that these factors have a positive impact on volunteers' intention to keep serving in the same NPOs in the long run.

Another recent study considered two dimensions of the Key Leadership Behaviors, which refer to inclusive and shared leadership, able to generate a culture of compassion toward the members of their organization, as well as toward the beneficiaries and end-users of their services (The King's Fund, 2017 ). This instrument is composed of the sub-scales or dimensions (Create a sense of collective identity; Create direction and alignment around strategies and objectives; Develop and empower people; Enable collective learning; Encourage trust and cooperation; Ensure necessary resources are available; Helping to interpret the meaning of events; Nurture commitment and optimism; Organize and coordinate work efforts; Promote social justice and morality). The Key Leadership Behaviors is focused on actual behaviors utilized by leaders, rather than on the perceptions of the members of organizations, thus contributing to the understanding of the leadership process.

Evidence from a study carried out among a group of Italian volunteers that considered two dimensions of this instrument (i.e., “Creating a sense of collective identity” and “Encouraging trust and cooperation”), showed that they are positively associated with work engagement, which, in turn, is positively related to volunteer satisfaction. The relationships between the two dimensions considered and volunteer satisfaction were found to be fully mediated by work engagement and to have an impact on volunteers' intentions to stay in the same organization (Dal Corso et al., 2019 ). These results seem promising.

In fact, the Key Leadership Behaviors were originally developed to be administered among healthcare systems, that is, among members of organizations offering people-oriented service. Therefore, it is possible to suppose that this instrument might be particularly suitable in offering interesting insights on the relationship between NPOs' leaders and volunteers involved in social services. It has to be stressed, in fact, that none of the leadership scale was developed to be administered among volunteers, but rather to paid staff.

Thus, in the present study two other dimensions of the Key Leadership Behaviors were taken into consideration, namely: “Helping people to grow and lead” and “Enabling learning and innovation,” “Helping people to grow and lead” refers to the construct of the empowering leadership, so that empowered followers can fully respond to a shared leadership. According to the Key Leadership Behavior, empowering leaders foster autonomy and build self-confidence and personal growth of their followers, in line with Menon's definition of empowerment (Menon, 1999 , p.161), which is a “cognitive state characterized by a sense of perceived control, competence, and goal internalization.” Empowerment has emerged among both for-profit and non-profit organizations to play a relevant role in determining positive outcomes: empowered members of organizations report greater self-efficacy, which, in turn, fosters higher levels of satisfaction, commitment, effectiveness, and high performance (Kark et al., 2003 ). According to Spreitzer and Sonenshein ( 2004 ), empowerment involves values related to work goals, sense competence and autonomy, and perceived impact on organizational outcomes by means of one's own actions. Thus, empowerment correlates significantly with satisfaction with the activities performed, affective commitment, job satisfaction, and improved performance both among paid staff and volunteers (Galindo-Kuhn and Guzley, 2001 ; Choi et al., 2016 ). Nonetheless, the effects of a leadership able to empower volunteers are still poorly explored (Schneider and George, 2011 ). The relevance of this subscale of the Key Leadership Behaviors for volunteers can be grounded theoretically on the function of enhancement, according to the functional approach of Clary et al. ( 1998 ). Empowering leaders, in fact, may offer the opportunity of personal development (Anderson and Moore, 1978 ) and satisfaction related to personal growth and self-esteem (Jenner, 1982 ) through volunteering.

The other dimension considered, “Enabling learning and innovation,” refers to the involvement of each member of the organization in continuous learning, sharing, and generating new organizational knowledge, in order to reach better performance and higher quality services.

The relevance of the dimension “Enabling learning and innovation” refers to the function of understanding, according to the functional approach of Clary and colleagues (Clary et al., 1998 ; Clary and Snyder, 1999 ). Leaders who promote reflexivity and the sharing of individual knowledge also promote a deeper understanding of the problems that volunteers are dealing with through their actions, a better knowledge of the social environment where they operate and intervene, as well as sustaining their motivation to keep on volunteering.

Learning and skills development are common benefits of volunteering (Green and Chalip, 2009 ; Viel-Ruma et al., 2010 ), but, to the authors' knowledge, the issue of a leadership style promoting learning has been scarcely addressed in the context of volunteering. More precisely, Wisner et al. ( 2005 ) found that a very strong predictor of sustained volunteering is encouraging volunteers to reflect and learn on their work since this is a “way to help volunteers make sense of their experiences—both positive and negative—as they help to accomplish the organization's mission” (Wisner et al., 2005 , p. 148). As Einolf (2018, p.159) points out, reflecting and learning “provides volunteers with an opportunity to think consciously about their experiences with others, to examine their own values and beliefs and to develop problem-solving skills.”

Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment as Key Factors of Volunteers' Management

Studies on the outcome of effective leadership on volunteers' retainment, performance, and well-being took into consideration mainly two main constructs: satisfaction with the activities performed, and organizational commitment (Einolf, 2018 ).

This approach replicated the previous studies carried out in the managerial field, which have proven the strong link between organizational commitment and job satisfaction which, in turn, are highly associated with reduced absenteeism, low intention to quit, work effort and higher performance (Meyer et al., 2002 ; Park and Kim, 2009 ; Vecina et al., 2012 ).

As far as organizational commitment is concerned, Allen and Meyer ( 1990 ) developed a Three-Component Model composed of: affective commitment (referring to an emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organization); continuance commitment (referring to the perceived costs associated with leaving the organization); and normative commitment (referring to the perceived obligation to remain in the organization) (Meyer et al., 2002 , 2006 ). Despite the fact that this concept was initially conceived to be used in the for-profit milieu, many of the studies carried out among NPOs observed organizational commitment, especially the facet of affective commitment when approaching both paid staff and volunteers or just volunteers. This dimension, in fact, is possibly considered the most effective in capturing the strength of the relationship between the volunteers and their organization (Stephens et al., 2004 ; Bang et al., 2013 ; Rodell et al., 2017 ; Ward and Greene, 2018 ). Thus, we aimed to verify the following hypotheses:

• H1: Leaders' actions aimed at developing and empowering volunteers influence volunteer affective commitment;
• H2: Leaders' actions aimed at enabling learning and innovation in volunteers influence volunteer affective commitment.

With regard to job satisfaction, this construct represents the extent to which people like or dislike their job (Spector, 1997 ). It has to do with how people feel about their job, the combination of positive or negative feelings that workers have toward their work. It is described as a set of beliefs and affects related to the daily work experience (Mowday et al., 1979 ). Similar studies on volunteers' affective commitment, as well as studies on employees and volunteers showed the strong relationship between satisfaction for the activities performed in one's own organization and intention to stay (Wisner et al., 2005 ; Vecina et al., 2009 ; Garner and Garner, 2011 ; Waters and Bortree, 2012 ; Nencini et al., 2016 ; Okun et al., 2016 ).

However, as Vecina et al. ( 2009 ) noted, the construct of job satisfaction as it is used among for-profit organizations or paid staff does not fit well with volunteers. Volunteer satisfaction is not merely the evaluation of how individuals feel about their organizational role, as for job satisfaction among paid workers (Spector, 1985 ). Unlike paid staff, volunteers do not find their satisfaction for the activities performed in career advancements, monetary recognition or benefits, or recognition of their professional skills. On the contrary, volunteers' satisfaction is a combination of several beliefs and affects the volunteer feels toward the NPO. Such beliefs include the extent to which the volunteering experience is consistent with personal values, whether their volunteering activities are perceived as useful, and whether they feel recognized and valued by the NPO.

Thus, Vecina et al. ( 2009 , 2012 ) developed the Volunteer Satisfaction Index, identifying three peculiar facets in volunteer satisfaction: (1) satisfaction with their motivation to volunteer, (2) satisfaction with the tasks performed, and (3) satisfaction with the management of the NPO in which the volunteer operates. Their studies confirmed the association between volunteers' satisfaction and intention to stay as volunteers (Vecina et al., 2009 , 2012 ). For the purpose of this study, the Volunteers Satisfaction Index was used., in order to verify the following hypotheses:

• H3a: Leaders' actions aimed at developing and empowering volunteers are linked to volunteer satisfaction;
• H3b: Leaders' actions aimed at enabling learning and innovation in volunteers are linked to volunteer satisfaction.

The Mediating Role of Volunteer Satisfaction

Satisfaction and affective commitment of volunteers are both related to their well-being, performance, and intention to stay. However, while satisfaction is more determinant for newer volunteers, affective commitment is more crucial for veteran volunteers (Chacón et al., 2007 ; Vecina et al., 2012 ). This happens because volunteers' satisfaction is more linked to the first phase of the actual experience within the organization, and more subject to change, while affective commitment is built over time and tends to be more stable, being built over a more factual knowledge of the NPOs where volunteers operate (Mowday et al., 1979 ; Jiménez et al., 2010 ). In fact, the primary difference between these constructs relies on the stability of beliefs and affects related to them. Thus, somehow, satisfaction acts as a precursor of affective commitment in the volunteering experience, which, in turn, promotes sustained volunteerism (Chacón et al., 2007 ). Satisfied volunteers have higher chances to become more committed to the NPO over time (Jiménez et al., 2010 ; Cady et al., 2018 ). It seems, indeed, that satisfaction for the volunteering experience protects volunteers from the strain occurring from their activities and, at the same time, enhances the affective commitment toward the organization's mission and objectives, when a more realistic knowledge of their organization has been developed (Chacón et al., 2007 ).

Consequently, the authors also developed the following hypothesis:

• H4: Volunteer satisfaction is linked to volunteer affective commitment.

Since volunteers' satisfaction is positively associated with their affective commitment, and both are linked with sustained volunteerism, effective NPO management needs to endorse leadership styles and strategies that generate volunteer satisfaction and affective commitment. This link is a crucial factor in guaranteeing the quality and the sustainability of their organization's activities.

Based on the functional theory of Clary et al. ( 1998 ) and Clary and Snyder ( 1999 ) it is possible to hypothesize that leaders who promote learning and understanding among those who freely devote their time and energies in the NPOs' activities, as well as leaders who are able to empower and support individual growth, are likely to offer a proper answer to the volunteers' needs and expectations, thus responding to the drives that push them toward volunteering (Chacón et al., 2007 ; Jiménez et al., 2010 ). The satisfaction with the volunteers' personal motivations to volunteer, together with the satisfaction with the tasks performed and with the management of the NPO, would lead to greater volunteer satisfaction and, in turn, would generate affective commitment.

Thus, the following hypotheses were developed:

• H5a: Volunteer satisfaction mediates the relationship between leaders' actions aimed at developing and empowering volunteers and volunteer commitment
• H5b: Volunteer satisfaction mediates the relationship between leaders' actions aimed at enabling learning and innovation and volunteer commitment.

Key Contributions of This Study

This work aims to partially fulfill the gap regarding the role of leadership behaviors on volunteer retention. More specifically, building on the theoretical framework of the three-stage model of volunteers' duration of service (Chacón et al., 2007 ), this work aims to deepen the knowledge on the relationship between two leadership behaviors with the constructs tackling the first two stages of Chacon and colleagues' model, namely volunteer satisfaction and commitment. Furthermore, such a model would allow testing some aspects of the functional approach to volunteerism (Clary et al., 1992 , 1998 ), namely enhancement and understanding.

Overall, the proposed model, shown in Figure 1 , verifies the mediating role of volunteer satisfaction in the relationship between leadership behaviors, namely actions oriented toward the enablement of learning and innovation and actions oriented toward the growth and empowerment of volunteers, and the volunteer commitment.

Theoretical model.

Materials and Methods

Participants and procedure.

Two hundred and twenty-four volunteers in health and social service-related NPOs (52.2% female) from Central and Northern Italy took part in this study. Their ages ranged from 14 to 76 ( M = 38.42 years, SD = 16.24). Regarding educational level, 39.5% of participants have a high school degree, 31.2% an elementary or junior high school degree, 22.1% a graduate degree, and 7.2% a post-graduate degree. Regarding their occupational status, 26.2% were students, 22.1% employees, 12.8% freelancers, 12.4% retirees, 9.2% homemakers, 8.2% unemployed, 5.1% workmen, 1.5% teachers, 1.5% executives, and 0.5% merchants. Finally, regarding the duration of their service as volunteers, most of the participants (69.7%) had been a volunteer for one year or more, 19% for 6–12 months, 11.3% for <6 months. The participant volunteers constitute a convenience sample, not representative of the entire population of Italian volunteers.

Data were gathered by the research group at the end of NPOs board meetings. More specifically, by the end of the meeting a brief presentation of the research and its scope was given by one of the researchers, with the aim of informing the volunteers about the chance to take part, anonymously and voluntarily, in this study. All the volunteers willing to participate in the research were administered a copy of the protocol in an individual setting. This sampling strategy could have excluded volunteers not participating in the meeting during the established dates. At the same time, the authors preferred a one-day gathering to avoid the use of mixed gathering method (e.g., paper-pencil and online data gathering), or the influence of concomitant events between eventual multiple gathering sessions. The entire process was anonymous. Participants took part in the study after having received written information on Italian privacy regulations and having signed informed consent. The presentation of the study from an independent research group (and not from a NPO manager or employee), the provision of an individual setting to complete the protocol, and the anonymity and confidentiality of the procedures regarding data gathering and informed consent signing were the measures implemented to address a potential social desirability bias.

The research was conducted following the APA's ethical principles and code of conduct (APA, 2017 ). When an Italian validation was not available, the original versions of questionnaires were initially translated from English or Spanish into Italian and then back-translated into English or Spanish to check the alignment with the original versions.

In order to assess the constructs under investigation, we used the following measures. Helping people to grow and lead and enabling learning and innovation variables were assessed with eleven items taken from Key Leadership Behaviors—The King's Fund Cultural Leadership Programme (The King's Fund, 2017 ). Each item was measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The Cronbach's alpha is 0.89 for helping people to grow and lead and 0.88 for enabling learning and innovation. Sample items for the helping people to grow and lead scale (five total items) are: “(S)he supports the growth and development of team members”; “(S)he empowers team members to do the work in the way they think best”; “(S)he helps us to believe in ourselves to rise to new challenges.” Sample items for the Enabling learning and innovation scale (six total items) are: “(S) he motivates us to keep learning about ways of improving our services; “(S)he ensures we regularly take time to think through ways to improve our work”; “(S) he encourages us to reflect on what we can learn from times when work goes well.”

Volunteer satisfaction was assessed with the Volunteer Satisfaction Index (Vecina et al., 2009 ). The scale has 18 items, measured on a ten-point Likert scale ranged from 1 (I totally disagree) to 10 (I totally agree). The items are combined to provide three subscales: satisfaction with methods, satisfaction with tasks, and satisfaction with organizational management. The Cronbach's alpha for all the items is 0.90. Sample items are: “My volunteering allows me to express my personal values,” “The tasks that I perform are very useful.”

Affective commitment was assessed with six items from the Organizational Commitment Scale (Allen and Meyer, 1990 ). Each was measured on a 7-point Likert Scale, ranging from 1 (I totally disagree) to 7 (I totally agree). The Cronbach's alpha is 0.92. Sample items are: “I really feel like that's the organization's problems” (reverse-scored), “I enjoy discussing my organization with people outside it.”

Data Analysis

First, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) (Kline, 2011 ) was performed in order to examine the measurement model with MPlus version 8 (Muthén and Muthén, 2017 ). To enhance the reliability and parsimony of our model, item parcels were created for ‘Helping people to grow and lead' and “Enabling learning and innovation” (10 items) and “Affective Commitment” (six items). Each factor was defined by two parcels, to obtain fewer free parameters to estimate and to reduce the sources of sampling error (Little et al., 2002 , 2013 ; Coffman and MacCallum, 2005 ), and each parcel was created by sequentially summing items assigned based on the highest to lowest item-total corrected correlations (Little et al., 2002 , 2013 ; Coffman and MacCallum, 2005 ). The Robust Maximum Likelihood Approach (MLR) was used to deal with non-normality in data (Wang and Wang, 2012 ).

Next, the structural model (Model 1) was tested by using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach (Kline, 2011 ). The model was conceptualized by using “Helping people to grow and lead” and “Enabling learning and innovation” (as measured by Key Leadership Behavior), “Volunteer satisfaction” (as measured by the Volunteer Satisfaction Index, as satisfaction with methods, tasks, and organizational management), and affective commitment (as measured by the Organizational Commitment Scale). We hypothesized both direct and indirect (through volunteer satisfaction) effects of “Helping people to grow and lead” and “Enabling learning and innovation” on affective commitment.

According to a multi-faceted approach to the assessment of the fit of the model (Tanaka, 1993 ), the following indices were used to evaluate the goodness-of-fit: the Chi-square likelihood ratio statistic, the Tucker and Lewis Index (TLI), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), with its confidence intervals, and the Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR). We accepted TLI and CFI values >0.95 (Hu and Bentler, 1998 ), RMSEA values lower than 0.08 (Browne and Cudeck, 1992 ; Hooper et al., 2008 ) and SRMR values lower than 0.08 (Hu and Bentler, 1998 ; Hooper et al., 2008 ).

The following procedures of data exploration were applied: (a) uni- and multivariate outlier analysis (Mahalanobis's distance was set to p < 0.001) (Gath and Hayes, 2006 ); (b) score distribution analysis (skewness and kurtosis cut-off points were set to [−2; +2] (George and Mallery, 2003 ); (c) missing value analyses (missing values were skipped listwise) (Little, 1992 ). At the end of these procedures, we obtained the sample described above.

Measurement Model

The measurement model showed a good fit to the data: χ ( 28 ) 2 = 29.882, p = 0.094, CFI = 0.983, TLI = 0.990, RMSEA = 0.043 (90% CI = 0.000–0.076, p = 0.588), SRMR = 0.037, confirming validity and distinguishability of the four theoretical constructs. The means, standard deviations, and correlations among the studied variables are presented in Table 1 . As expected, affective commitment was associated with both Helping people to grow and lead ( r = 0.444, p = 0.000) and Enabling learning and innovation ( r = 0.475, p = 0.000), as well as to volunteer satisfaction ( r = 0.496, p = 0.000). At the same time, volunteer satisfaction was correlated with Helping people to grow and lead ( r = 0.474, p = 0.000) and Enabling learning and innovation ( r = 0.481, p = 0.000). Socio-demographic and volunteering-related variables are not shown, as their associations with the variables of interest are not significant.

Means, Standard deviations and Correlations among leader actions, volunteer satisfaction and volunteer commitment.

M, Mean; SD, Standard Deviation

Final Model

Model 1 ( Figure 2 ), hypothesizing both direct and indirect (through volunteer satisfaction) effects of Helping people to grow and lead and Enabling learning and innovation on affective commitment, proved to be an adequate fit to the data: χ ( 28 ) 2 = 29.882, p = 0.094, CFI = 0.983, TLI = 0.990, RMSEA = 0.043 (90% CI = 0.000–0.076, p = 0.588), SRMR = 0.037. Overall, Enabling learning and innovation was associated with Volunteer Satisfaction ( b = 0.38, p = 0.010), but not with affective commitment ( p = ns). Furthermore, Helping people to grow and lead did not show significant associations, neither with Volunteer satisfaction, nor with Affective Commitment. Finally, Volunteer satisfaction showed a significant direct effect on Affective commitment ( b = 0.36, p = 0.000). The percentages of variance explained were 27.8% for volunteer satisfaction and 38.9% for affective commitment. Helping people to grow and lead and Enabling learning and innovation are significantly associated ( b = 0.84, p = 0.001).

Final model. Standardized direct effects were reported. ** = p ≤ 0.01, n.s. = not significant.

Volunteer satisfaction fully mediated the effect of Enabling learning and innovation on affective commitment ( b DIRECT = ns, b INDIRECT = 0.14, p = 0.022; total indirect effect = 0.42, p = 0.016); Hayes ( 2013 ). At the same time, Helping people to grow and lead had no direct, nor indirect, significant effect on Affective commitment.

Managing volunteers is recognized as one of the most challenging tasks of NPOs' leadership, in the light of the high turnover rates of volunteers. At the same time, leadership style is a pivotal factor in volunteers' retention, productivity, and well-being (Garner and Garner, 2011 ). In fact, NPOs' leaders shape not only the organizational activities but also volunteers' behaviors through their actions, choices, and communication (Schneider and George, 2011 ). NPO leadership is responsible for keeping up volunteers' satisfaction and commitment, which are strong antecedents of volunteers' retention, performance, and well-being. Our findings suggested an involvement of leaders' actions oriented toward learning and innovation, but not of those oriented toward volunteers' growth and empowerment, in enhancing volunteers' satisfaction and commitment. Further sections will detail the theoretical and practical contribution of these results.

Links With Previous Literature and Theoretical Contributions

Our study aimed at deepening the understanding of the association of leadership style with volunteer satisfaction and affective commitment, since these two constructs are linked to sustained volunteerism (Chacón et al., 2007 ). Thus, the objective of the present study was to observe how two subscales of the Key Leadership Behaviors (namely: “Helping people to grow and lead” and “Enabling learning and innovation”) are positively associated with volunteer satisfaction and affective commitment.

Research findings showed that leaders' actions oriented toward the enablement of learning and innovation have an effect on volunteer affective commitment, through the full mediation of volunteer satisfaction. Leaders' actions oriented toward the growth and empowerment of volunteers, instead, did not show significant relationships with volunteer satisfaction and volunteer affective commitment.

More precisely, our findings provided support for H3b (Leaders' actions aimed at enabling learning and innovation in volunteers are linked to volunteer satisfaction). These findings are in line with previous studies carried out almost exclusively in the for-profit organizations, showing a positive association between leaders' actions oriented at supporting collective learning and followers' satisfaction (Chang and Lee, 2007 ; Dirani, 2009 ; Bess et al., 2011 ; Razali et al., 2013 ; Dekoulou and Trivellas, 2015 ). These results might also be read in the light of the fact that volunteers do not often make full use of their professional skills to carry out their activities. Instead, they are urged to develop new skills through their direct volunteering experiences, such as team working, or communication or emotional regulation, just to mention a few of them. Thus, the development of new abilities and competencies might, at least in part, explain the positive association of volunteers' learning with their satisfaction. Again, this effect is theoretically explained by the function of understanding, according to the functional theory (Clary et al., 1998 ).

Similarly, H4 (Volunteer satisfaction is linked to volunteer affective commitment) and H5b (Volunteer satisfaction mediates the relationship between leaders' actions aimed at enabling learning and innovation and volunteer commitment) were also confirmed. The positive association of volunteers' satisfaction and their affective commitment, as well as the mediating role played by volunteer satisfaction in the relationship between positive behaviors and actions of the leadership on the one hand, and affective commitment on the other, are consistent with previous literature carried out among volunteers (Vecina et al., 2009 ; Benevene et al., 2018 ; Dal Corso et al., 2019 ). The results about the positive effects of leadership, enabling followers' collective learning and innovation on their affective commitment and satisfaction, are quite promising.

This finding deserves further attention, since creating workplace learning has proven to influence not only job satisfaction (Rowden and Conine, 2005 ; Iliopoulos et al., 2018 ; Ryu and Moon, 2019 ), but also job performance (Judge et al., 2001 ) and knowledge generation (de Grip, 2015 ). Promoting learning among the members became a strategic issue in the management of organizations since 1990 (Senge, 1991 ). According to Senge, an effective leader is required to be able to foster collective learning by catalyzing the whole organization around learning, rather than on the individual members (Senge, 1991 , 2006 ). Being able to learn constantly has become a crucial factor of all organizations, private and governmental, for-profit, and non-profit, since this factor allows an organization to survive and grow, as well as to be able to cope with the challenges of a continuously changing environment. Learning is necessary to improve the services provided, to cope with new needs and new challenges, through a bottom-up approach. However, organization learning always starts from individual learning through critically re-thinking the activities performed, and then socializing the individual knowledge developed. In this way the knowledge of each member of an organization may be turned into organizational knowledge, according to the theory of the spiral of knowledge (Nonaka, 1991 ). The new knowledge may then be turned into innovation and improved service. Thus, the more the leader fosters organizational learning, the higher the organizational adaptability to community requests (Heifetz and Laurie, 1997 ; Kouzes and Posner, 2007 ). NPOs' leadership holds responsibility over promoting and sustaining this process, which has a two-fold outcome: volunteers' satisfaction which, in turn, is associated with affective commitments and higher organizational performance. In spite of the fact that this leadership dimension has been poorly observed before among volunteers and empirical data is by far scarce, this could be an interesting avenue for further study that would anchor leaders who operates in the direction of collective learning and volunteers' outcomes.

H2 (Leaders' actions aimed at enabling learning and innovation in volunteers influence volunteer affective commitment) was not confirmed, since our findings show no direct association of the dimension of leadership “Enabling learning and innovation” with the affective commitment of volunteers. Results from previous studies, carried out until now only among non-profit organizations and dealing with the relationship between learning and organizational commitment, are not always consistent. Several studies carried out also in non-Western countries proved the impact of learning on organizational commitment (Rose et al., 2009 ; Budihardjo, 2013 ; Lau et al., 2017 ). For instance, Jerez-Gómez et al. ( 2005 ) found out that learning behaviors increase organizational citizenship behaviors, job performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, belief in information, goal commitment, satisfaction with the leader, and low intentions to quit. Similarly, Kamali et al. ( 2017 ) pointed out a positive and direct relationship between organizational learning and organizational commitment of staff. Conversely, Suifan and Allouzi ( 2018 ) found no direct effect of staff learning on affective commitment.

Nonetheless, the association of leadership enabling collective learning ad innovation with affective commitment through the full mediation of job satisfaction might be read in the light of the “Three-stage model of volunteers' duration,” developed by Chacón et al. ( 2007 ). According to this model, sustained volunteering goes through different phases: the first one is the satisfaction with the initial motivations, the second one is the commitment with the organization they serve, and the third one is the role identification as volunteers. Thus, our findings seem to suggest the key role played by volunteers' satisfaction in generating their affective commitment, at least in the relationship between leadership enabling collective learning and innovation on one side, and affective commitment on the other.

Like H2, also H1 (Leaders' actions aimed at developing and empowering volunteers influence volunteer affective commitment), H3 (Leaders' actions aimed at developing and empowering volunteers are linked to volunteer satisfaction) and H5a (Volunteer satisfaction mediates the relationship between leaders' actions aimed at developing and empowering volunteers and volunteer commitment) were not confirmed by our study. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first dealing with the effect of empowering leadership on volunteers' affective commitment and satisfaction. A number of studies carried out among for-profit and public organizations showed the positive association between this leadership style on the two considered variables, as well as on work engagement and psychological empowerment (Vecchio et al., 2010 ; Hassan et al., 2013 ; Amundsen and Martinsen, 2015 ; Kim et al., 2018 ; Kim and Beehr, 2020 ).

Interestingly, some studies showed the effects of empowering leadership on job satisfaction through either the full or partial mediation of other factors, such as the psychological empowerment (which refers to the perception of being empowered, through the dimensions of meaningfulness of the activities performed, competence, self-determination, and impact of one's own work) or the leader-member exchange relations (Albrecht and Andreetta, 2011 ; Hassan et al., 2013 ; Amundsen and Martinsen, 2015 ).

It might be hypothesized, then, that empowerment operates on job satisfaction through the mediation of other factors. Therefore, in the future, it would be interesting to explore the mediating role of psychological empowerment between the empowering leadership and volunteers' satisfaction or affective commitment. In other words, empowering leaders might not have an effect on the satisfaction and commitment of their followers if these do not perceive their own empowerment.

Another explanation for the lack of positive association of empowering leadership with volunteers' satisfaction and affective commitment might arise from a couple of previous studies carried out among volunteers, which proved that empowering leadership is positively associated with volunteers' engagement (Tuckey et al., 2013 ; Kang, 2016 ). From these studies, it emerged that empowering leadership develops volunteers' engagement through the improvement of their working conditions. In fact, according to Tuckey et al. ( 2013 , p. 23) “empowering leadership optimized the combination of cognitive job demands and cognitive job resources for followers to achieve at work (a form of extrinsic motivation) and feel fulfilled (a form of intrinsic motivation). Thus, leaders who empowered their followers … created better working conditions for workers. The end result was an increase in engagement.”

These findings suggest that empowerment leadership has an effect on volunteers, generating positive feelings about their activities-related issues, and counteracting the effect of negative emotions, such as emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Empowering leadership may then promote positive work emotions among their followers, helping them to foster their personal resources. This means that empowering leadership has definitely a relationship with the positive feelings of volunteers about how they perceive their activities, while it might not be directly associated with the volunteers' satisfaction (that is: with their motivation to volunteering, or the tasks performed, or with the NPO in which the volunteer operates) or with their affective commitment with their organization.

The relationship between empowering leadership and affective commitment of volunteers is worthy of future research, since other leadership styles showed different results. Ethical leadership, for instance, has proven to be positively associated with volunteer affective commitment both directly and partially through the full mediation of volunteer satisfaction. From the study carried out by Schneider and George ( 2011 ), transformational leadership did not significantly predict affective commitment, unlike the findings of Erdurmazli ( 2019 ) on the relationship between servant leadership and affective and normative commitment.

Moreover, a further point has to be stressed: the study developed by Dal Corso et al. ( 2019 ) found out that two other dimensions of the Key Leadership Behaviors (namely: “Creating a sense of collective identity” and “Encouraging trust and cooperation”) are positively associated with job satisfaction, but through the full mediation of work engagement. On the other hand, our study on two other dimensions of the same instrument showed different results.

This is an interesting point to address, also in the light of the previous different results reached by studies that observed other types of leadership in their outcomes on volunteers. It might be hypothesized that some types or some dimensions of a specific leadership style could better suit volunteers than others (Spears, 1998 ; Erdurmazli, 2019 ). It could also be hypothesized that culture and contingencies might exert a role in determining the relationship between leadership style and volunteers' satisfaction and affective commitment or, more generally, with volunteers' outcomes. For these reasons, it would be worth to develop multilevel and cross-cultural studies. The volunteers reached by this study were all working in delivering social services. Perhaps other volunteers, committed with other tasks and volunteer environment (such as in a library or with firefighters), might show different outcomes (Waters and Bortree, 2012 ; Henderson and Sowa, 2018 ; Oh, 2019 ).

Practical Implications

This work has interesting implications for NPO management. It shows the relevance of making NPOs' managers aware of their leadership style in retaining volunteers and promoting their well-being. First of all, this study shows the value of learning practices for volunteers. Having the opportunity to learn new things is one of the motivations for volunteering (Clary et al., 1998 ; Clary and Snyder, 1999 ), as well as one of the main benefits of being a volunteer (Green and Chalip, 2009 ; Viel-Ruma et al., 2010 ). Our findings show the importance of giving value to organizational learning processes, in terms of impact on volunteer satisfaction and commitment and, likely, on their retention. In order to achieve such outcomes, NPO managers should give more value to formal and informal knowledge creation and management processes. At the same time, the manager should be actively involved in the enablement of such practices, for example, by encouraging the team to assess and review practices, structures, and working styles, or implementing regular meetings aimed at improving the work. Overall, higher volunteer satisfaction, commitment, and retention would allow the NPO to perform better.

Secondly, it is interesting to note that volunteer satisfaction fully mediates the effect of promoting organizational learning. This implies that NPO managers should address volunteers' motivations and subsequent satisfaction levels, in order to verify whether and how the organization could contribute to improving them. Previous studies showed that when managers address efficaciously volunteer motivations, their volunteers are more likely to be highly satisfied with their work in the NPO (Schneider and George, 2011 ; Dwyer et al., 2013 ; Oostlander et al., 2014 ).

Thirdly, a number of studies addressed how personality traits may influence the decision to volunteer but, from a strictly managerial point of view, it is more productive to dwell on the organizational and managerial aspects than on dispositional or personality traits of volunteers since the former are the more directly controllable by the organization. In fact, the analysis of personality and dispositional traits could undoubtedly constitute a factor to be evaluated in the selection phase of new volunteers. However, very few organizations can afford to discard any volunteers based on their mismatch between these traits and organizational aspects (Elshaug and Metzer, 2001 ; Pushkar et al., 2002 ; Li et al., 2007 ; Van Vianen et al., 2008 ).

Limitations

Firstly, this study is based on correlational data. Longitudinal, as well as qualitative, studies would allow researchers to better understand to what extent leaders supporting individual and collective needs promote volunteer satisfaction and engagement. Furthermore, considering the concerns regarding the existence of common method bias, and despite applying some suggestions from Conway and Lance ( 2010 ) (e.g., preservation of anonymity, removal of unengaged/outlier responses, testing each scale reliability and the general measurement model), we were unable to provide a multi-informant source for our data.

Secondly, some studies (Haivas et al., 2012 ; Oostlander et al., 2014 ) shed light on the chance that the collective dimensions of volunteering could not be as salient as shown in this paper or in the cited researches (Boezeman and Ellemers, 2009 ). More research is needed to clarify better the role of group and collectivity in the volunteering experience. More specifically, it could be useful to study specific kinds of NPOs and verify which leaders' actions are more valued by volunteers, according to NPOs' tasks and objectives. For example, it is plausible that NPOs oriented toward psychological assistance (e.g., helplines) could require more competence and a higher sense of empowerment and skills growth in volunteers when compared to less helping-oriented organizations.

Data Availability Statement

Ethics statement.

Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

PB, IB, and MW developed the research project and collected the data. IB conducted the analyses. PB and IB wrote the first draft of the paper. MW reviewed the paper. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Funding. This work was supported by LUMSA University to PB.

• Albrecht S. L., Andreetta M. (2011). The influence of empowering leadership, empowerment and engagement on affective commitment and turnover intentions in community health service workers: test of a model . Leadersh. Heal. Serv. 24 , 228–237. 10.1108/17511871111151126 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Alfes K., Antunes B., Shantz A. D. (2017). The management of volunteers-what can human resources do? A review and research agenda . Int. J. Human Res. Manag. 28 , 62–97. [ Google Scholar ]
• Allen N. J., Meyer J. P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization . J. Occup. Psychol. 63 , 1–18. 10.1111/j.2044-8325.1990.tb00506.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Allen S., Winston B. E., Tatone G. R., Crowson H. M. (2018). Exploring a model of servant leadership, empowerment, and commitment in nonprofit organizations . Nonprofit Manag. Leadersh. 29 , 123–140. 10.1002/nml.21311 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Amundsen S., Martinsen Ø. L. (2015). Linking empowering leadership to job satisfaction, work effort, and creativity: the role of self-leadership and psychological empowerment . J. Leadersh. Organ. Stud. 22 , 304–323. 10.1177/1548051814565819 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Anderson J. C., Moore L. F. (1978). The motivation to volunteer . J. Volunt. Action Res. 7 , 120–129. 10.1177/089976407800700312 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Anheier H. K., Salamon L. M. (2006). Volunteering in cross-national perspective: initial comparisons . Law Contemp. Probl. 62 , 43–65. 10.2307/1192266 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• APA (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct . Ethical Principles Psychologists Code Conduct. [ Google Scholar ]
• Avolio B. J., Zhu W., Koh W., Bhatia P. (2004). Transformational leadership and organizational commitment: mediating role of psychological empowerment and moderating role of structural distance . J. Organ. Behav. 25 , 951–968. 10.1002/job.283 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bahmani S., Galindo M. Á., Méndez M. T. (2012). Non-profit organizations, entrepreneurship, social capital and economic growth . Small Bus. Econ. 28 , 271–281. 10.1007/s11187-010-9274-7 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bang H., Ross S., Reio T. G. (2013). From motivation to organizational commitment of volunteers in non-profit sport organizations: the role of job satisfaction . J. Manag. Dev. 32 , 96–112. 10.1108/02621711311287044 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Benevene P., Cortini M. (2010). Human resource strategic management in NPOs: an explorative study on managers' psychosocial training . J. Work. Learn. 22 , 508–521. 10.1108/13665621011082873 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Benevene P., Dal Corso L., De Carlo A., Falco A., Carluccio F., Vecina M. L. (2018). Ethical leadership as antecedent of job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment and intention to stay among volunteers of non-profit organizations . Front. Psychol. 9 :2069. 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02069 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bess K. D., Perkins D. D., Cooper D. G., Jones D. L. (2011). A heuristic framework for understanding the role of participatory decision making in community-based non-profits . Am. J. Community Psychol. 47 , 236–252. 10.1007/s10464-010-9396-8 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Blau P. (1964). Power and Exchange in Social Life . New York, NY: Wiley and Sons. [ Google Scholar ]
• Boezeman E. J., Ellemers N. (2009). Intrinsic need satisfaction and the job attitudes of volunteers versus employees working in a charitable volunteer organization . J. Occup. Organ. Psychol. 82 , 897–914. 10.1348/096317908X383742 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Brown M. E., Treviño L. K., Harrison D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: a social learning perspective for construct development and testing . Organ. Behav. Hum. Decis. Process. 97 , 117–134. 10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Browne M. W., Cudeck R. (1992). Alternative ways of assessing model fit . Sociol. Methods Res. 21 , 230–258. 10.1177/0049124192021002005 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Budihardjo A. (2013). The relationship between job satisfaction, affective commitment, organizational learning climate and corporate performance . GSTF J. Bus. Rev. 2 , 58–64. 10.5176/2010-4804_2.4.251 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Burns J. M. (1998). Transactional and transforming leadership . Lead. Organ. 5 , 133–134. [ Google Scholar ]
• Cady S. H., Brodke M., Kim J. H., Shoup Z. D. (2018). Volunteer motivation: a field study examining why some do more, while others do less . J. Community Psychol. 46 , 281–292. 10.1002/jcop.21939 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Catano V. M., Pond M., Kevin Kelloway E. (2001). Exploring commitment and leadership in volunteer organizations . Leadersh. Organ. Dev. J. 22 , 256–263. 10.1108/01437730110403187 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Chacón F., Vecina M. L., Dávila M. C. (2007). The three-stage model of volunteers' duration of service . Soc. Behav. Pers. 35 , 627–642. 10.2224/sbp.2007.35.5.627 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Chang S. C., Lee M. S. (2007). A study on relationship among leadership, organizational culture, the operation of learning organization and employees' job satisfaction . Learn. Organ. 14 , 155–185. 10.1108/09696470710727014 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Choi S. L., Goh C. F., Adam M. B. H., Tan O. K. (2016). Transformational leadership, empowerment, and job satisfaction: The mediating role of employee empowerment . Hum. Resour. Health 14. 10.1186/s12960-016-0171-2 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Clary E. G., Ridge R. D., Stukas A. A., Snyder M., Copeland J., Haugen J., et al.. (1998). Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: a functional approach . J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 74 , 1516–1530. 10.1037/0022-3514.74.6.1516 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Clary E. G., Snyder M. (1999). The motivations to volunteer: theoretical and practical considerations . Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 8 , 156–159. 10.1111/1467-8721.00037 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Clary E. G., Snyder M., Ridge R. (1992). Volunteers' motivations: a functional strategy for the recruitment, placement, and retention of volunteers . Nonprofit Manag. Leadersh. 2 , 333–350. 10.1002/nml.4130020403 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Coffman D. L., MacCallum R. C. (2005). Using parcels to convert path analysis models into latent variable models . Multivariate Behav. Res. 40 , 235–259. 10.1207/s15327906mbr4002_4 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Conway J. M., Lance C. E. (2010). What reviewers should expect from authors regarding common method bias in organizational research . J. Bus. Psychol. 25 , 325–334. 10.1007/s10869-010-9181-6 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Dal Corso L., Carluccio F., Buonomo I., Benevene P., Vecina M. L., West M. (2019). “I that is we, we that is i”: the mediating role of work engagement between key leadership behaviors and volunteer satisfaction . TPM 26 , 561–572. 10.4473/TPM26.4.5 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• de Grip A. (2015). The Importance of Informal Learning at Work . Bonn: Iza World of Labor; 10.15185/izawol.162 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Deci E. L., Ryan R. M., Gagné M., Leone D. R., Usunov J., Kornazheva B. P. (2001). Need satisfaction, motivation, and well-being in the work organizations of a former eastern bloc country: a cross-cultural study of self-determination . Personal. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 27 , 930–942. 10.1177/0146167201278002 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Dekoulou P., Trivellas P. (2015). Measuring the impact of learning organization on job satisfaction and individual performance in greek advertising sector . Proc. Soc. Behav. Sci. 175 , 367–375. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1212 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Dirani K. M. (2009). Measuring the learning organization culture, organizational commitment and job satisfaction in the lebanese banking sector . Hum. Resour. Dev. Int. 12 , 189–208. 10.1080/13678860902764118 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Dwyer P. C., Bono J. E., Snyder M., Nov O., Berson Y. (2013). Sources of volunteer motivation: transformational leadership and personal motives influence volunteer outcomes . Nonprofit Manag. Leadersh. 24 , 181–205. 10.1002/nml.21084 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Einolf C. (2018). Evidence-based volunteer management: a review of the literature . Volunt. Sect. Rev. 9 , 153–176. 10.1332/204080518X15299334470348 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Elshaug C., Metzer J. (2001). Personality attributes of volunteers and paid workers engaged in similar occupational tasks . J. Soc. Psychol. 141 , 752–763. 10.1080/00224540109600586 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Erdurmazli E. (2019). Satisfaction and commitment in voluntary organizations: a cultural analysis along with servant leadership . Voluntas 30 , 129–146. 10.1007/s11266-018-9992-z [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Fairley S., Lee Y., Christine Green B., Kim M. L. (2013). Considering cultural influences in volunteer satisfaction and commitment . Event Manag. 17 , 337–348. 10.3727/152599513X13728763846492 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Gagné M., Deci E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation . J. Organ. Behav. 26 , 331–362. 10.1002/job.322 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Galindo-Kuhn R., Guzley R. M. (2001). The volunteer satisfaction index: construct definition, measurement, development, and validation . J. Soc. Serv. Res. 28 , 45–68. 10.1300/J079v28n01_03 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Garner J. T., Garner L. T. (2011). Volunteering an opinion: organizational voice and volunteer retention in nonprofit organizations . Nonprofit Volunt. Sect. Q. 40 , 813–828. 10.1177/0899764010366181 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Gath E. G., Hayes K. (2006). Bounds for the largest mahalanobis distance . Linear Algebra Appl. 419 , 93–106. 10.1016/j.laa.2006.04.007 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• George D., Mallery P. (2003). SPSS for Windows Step by Step: Answers to Selected Exercises. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. [ Google Scholar ]
• Green B. C., Chalip L. (2009). “Paths to volunteer commitment: lessons from the Sydney Olympic games,” in Volunteering as Leisure/Leisure as Volunteering: an International Assessment , eds R. Stabbins, and M. Graham (Wallingford: CABI International; ), 49–67. 10.1079/9780851997506.0049 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Greenleaf R. K. (2019). The Servant as Leader . Indianapolis: Greenleaf Center [ Google Scholar ]
• Haivas S., Hofmans J., Pepermans R. (2012). Self-determination theory as a framework for exploring the impact of the organizational context on volunteer motivation: a study of romanian volunteers . Nonprofit Volunt. Sect. Q. 41 , 1195–1214. 10.1177/0899764011433041 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hassan S., Mahsud R., Yukl G., Prussia G. E. (2013). Ethical and empowering leadership and leader effectiveness . J. Manag. Psychol. 28 , 133–146. 10.1108/02683941311300252 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hayes A. (2013). Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis (Methodology in the Social Sciences) . New York, NY: The Guilford Press. [ Google Scholar ]
• Heifetz R. A., Laurie D. L. (1997). The work of leadership . Harv. Bus. Rev. 75 , 124–134. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Henderson A. C., Sowa J. E. (2018). Retaining critical human capital: volunteer firefighters in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania . Voluntas 29 , 43–58. 10.1007/s11266-017-9831-7 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hooper D., Coughlan J., Mullen M. R. (2008). Structural equation modelling: guidelines for determining model fit . Electron. J. Bus. Res. Methods 6 , 53–60. 10.1037/1082-989X.12.1.58 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hu L. T., Bentler P. M. (1998). Fit Indices in covariance structure modeling: sensitivity to underparameterized model misspecification . Psychol. Methods 3 , 424–453. 10.1037/1082-989X.3.4.424 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Iliopoulos E., Morrissey N., Baryeh K., Polyzois I. (2018). Correlation between workplace learning and job satisfaction of NHS healthcare professionals . Br. J. Heal. Care Manag. 24 , 226–233. 10.12968/bjhc.2018.24.5.226 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Italian Institute of Statistics (2019). Report: Struttura e Profili del Settore Non profit [Structure and Profile of Non-profit Sector] . Retrieved from: https://www.istat.it/it/files//2019/10/Struttura-e-profili-settore-non-profit-2017.pdf (accessed November 2020).
• Jenner J. R. (1982). Participation, leadership, and the role of vollinteerism among selected women volunteers . Nonprofit Volunt. Sect. Q. 11 , 27–38. 10.1177/089976408201100404 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Jerez-Gómez P., Céspedes-Lorente J., Valle-Cabrera R. (2005). Organizational learning capability: a proposal of measurement . J. Bus. Res. 58 , 715–725. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2003.11.002 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Jiménez M. L. V., Fuertes F. C., Sueiro Abad M. J. (2010). Differences and similarities among volunteers who drop out during the first year and volunteers who continue after eight years . Span. J. Psychol. 13 , 343–352. 10.1017/S1138741600003905 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Judge T. A., Thoresen C. J., Bono J. E., Patton G. K. (2001). The job satisfaction–job performance relationship: a qualitative and quantitative review . Psychol. Bull. 127 , 376–407. 10.1037/0033-2909.127.3.376 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kamali M., Asadollahi S., Afshari M., Mobaraki H., Sherbaf N. (2017). Studying the relationship between organizational learning and organizational commitment of staffs of well-being organization in yazd province . Evid. Based Heal. Policy, Manag. Econ. 1 , 178–185. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kang M. (2016). Moderating effects of identification on volunteer engagement: an exploratory study of a faith-based charity organization . J. Commun. Manag. 20 , 102–117. 10.1108/JCOM-08-2014-0051 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kark R., Shamir B., Chen G. (2003). The two faces of transformational leadership: empowerment and dependency . J. Appl. Psychol. 88 , 246–255. 10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.246 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kim M., Beehr T. A. (2020). Empowering leadership: leading people to be present through affective organizational commitment? Int. J. Hum. Resour. Manag. 31 , 2017–2044. 10.1080/09585192.2018.1424017 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kim M., Beehr T. A., Prewett M. S. (2018). Employee responses to empowering leadership: a meta-analysis . J. Leadersh. Organ. Stud. 25 , 257–276. 10.1177/1548051817750538 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kline R. B. (2011). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling, 3rd Edn . New York, NY: Guilford Publications. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kong E., Ramia G. (2010). A qualitative analysis of intellectual capital in social service non-profit organisations: a theory–practice divide . J. Manag. Organ. 16 , 656–676. 10.5172/jmo.2010.16.5.656 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kouzes J. M., Posner B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed.) . San Francisco, CA: Wiley and Sons. [ Google Scholar ]
• Lau P. Y. Y., McLean G. N., Hsu Y. C., Lien B. Y. H. (2017). Learning organization, organizational culture, and affective commitment in Malaysia: a person-organization fit theory . Hum. Resour. Dev. Int. 20 , 159–179. 10.1080/13678868.2016.1246306 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Li H. (2019). Leadership succession and the performance of nonprofit organizations: a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis . Nonprofit Manag. Leadersh. 29 , 341–361. 10.1002/nml.21339 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Li I. C., Lin M. C., Chen C. M. (2007). Relationship between personality traits, job satisfaction, and job involvement among Taiwanese community health volunteers . Public Health Nurs. 24 , 274–282. 10.1111/j.1525-1446.2007.00634.x [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Little R. J. A. (1992). Regression with missing X's: a review . J. Am. Stat. Assoc. 87 , 1227–1237. 10.2307/2290664 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Little T. D., Cunningham W. A., Shahar G., Widaman K. F. (2002). To parcel or not to parcel: exploring the question, weighing the merits . Struct. Equ. Model. 9 , 151–173. 10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_1 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Little T. D., Rhemtulla M., Gibson K., Schoemann A. M. (2013). Why the items versus parcels controversy needn't be one . Psychol. Methods 18 , 285–300. 10.1037/a0033266 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• McCurley S., Lynch R. (1996). Volunteer Management: Mobilizing all the Resources in the Community . Downers Grove, IL: Heritage Arts. [ Google Scholar ]
• Menon S. T. (1999). Psychological empowerment: definition, measurement, and validation . Can. J. Behav. Sci. 31 , 161–164. 10.1037/h0087084 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Meyer J. P., Becker T. E., Van Dick R. (2006). Social identities and commitments at work; toward an integrative model . J. Organ. Behav. 27 , 665–683. 10.1002/job.383 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Meyer J. P., Stanley D. J., Herscovitch L., Topolnytsky L. (2002). Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: a meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences . J. Vocat. Behav. 61 , 20–52. 10.1006/jvbe.2001.1842 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Mowday R. T., Steers R. M., Porter L. W. (1979). The measurement of organizational commitment . J. Vocat. Behav. 14 , 224–247. 10.1016/0001-8791(79)90072-1 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Muthén L. K., Muthén O. B. (2017). Mplus User's Guide, 8th Edn . Los Angeles, CA: Muthén and Muthén. [ Google Scholar ]
• Nencini A., Romaioli D., Meneghini A. M. (2016). Volunteer motivation and organizational climate: factors that promote satisfaction and sustained volunteerism in NPOs . Voluntas 27 , 618–639. 10.1007/s11266-015-9593-z [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Nonaka I. (1991). The knowledge-creating company . Harv. Bus. Rev. 69 , 96–104. [ Google Scholar ]
• Oh D. G. (2019). Analysis of the factors affecting volunteering, satisfaction, continuation will, and loyalty for public library volunteers: an integrated structural equation model . J. Librariansh. Inf. Sci. 51 , 894–914. 10.1177/0961000617747338 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Okun M., Infurna F. J., Hutchinson I. (2016). Are volunteer satisfaction and enjoyment related to cessation of volunteering by older adults? J. Gerontol. Ser. B Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci. 71 , 439–444. 10.1093/geronb/gbu159 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Omoto A. M., Snyder M. (1995). Sustained helping without obligation: motivation, longevity of service, and perceived attitude change among AIDS volunteers . J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 68 , 671–686. 10.1037/0022-3514.68.4.671 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Oostlander J., Güntert S. T., Wehner T. (2014). Linking autonomy-supportive leadership to volunteer satisfaction: a self-determination theory perspective . Voluntas 25 , 1368–1387. 10.1007/s11266-013-9395-0 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Park J. S., Kim T. H. (2009). Do types of organizational culture matter in nurse job satisfaction and turnover intention? Leadersh. Heal. Serv. 22 , 20–38. 10.1108/17511870910928001 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Peng S., Liao Y., Sun R. (2020). The influence of transformational leadership on employees' affective organizational commitment in public and nonprofit organizations: a moderated mediation model . Public Pers. Manage. 49 , 29–56. 10.1177/0091026019835233 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Penner L. A. (2004). Volunteerism and social problems: making things better or worse? J. Soc. Issues 60 , 645–666. 10.1111/j.0022-4537.2004.00377.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Pushkar D., Reis M., Morros M. (2002). Motivation, personality and well-being in older volunteers . Int. J. Aging Hum. Dev. 55 , 141–162. 10.2190/MR79-J7JA-CCX5-U4GQ [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Razali M. Z. M., Amira N. A., Shobri N. D. M. (2013). Learning organization practices and job satisfaction among academicians at Public University . Int. J. Soc. Sci. Humanit. 3 , 518–522. 10.7763/IJSSH.2013.V3.295 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Richardson H. A., Vandenberg R. J. (2005). Integrating managerial perceptions and transformational leadership into a work-unit level model of employee involvement . J. Organ. Behav. 26 , 561–589. 10.1002/job.329 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rodell J. B., Booth J. E., Lynch J. W., Zipay K. P. (2017). Corporate volunteering climate: mobilizing employee passion for societal causes and inspiring future charitable action . Acad. Manag. J. 60 , 1662–1681. 10.5465/amj.2015.0726 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rose R. C., Kumar N., Pak O. G. (2009). The effect of organizational learning on organizational commitment, job satisfaction and work performance . J. Appl. Bus. Res. 25 , 55–66. 10.19030/jabr.v25i6.995 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rowden R. W., Conine C. T. (2005). The impact of workplace learning on job satisfaction in small US commercial banks . J. Work. Learn. 17 , 215–230. 10.1108/13665620510597176 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rowold J., Rohmann A. (2009). Transformational and transactional leadership styles, followers' positive and negative emotions, and performance in German nonprofit orchestras . Nonprofit Manag. Leadersh. 20 , 41–59. 10.1002/nml.240 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ryu G., Moon S. G. (2019). The effect of actual workplace learning on job satisfaction and organizational commitment: the moderating role of intrinsic learning motive . J. Work. Learn. 31 , 481–497. 10.1108/JWL-05-2019-0061 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Salamon L. M., Anheier H. K. (1992). In search of the non-profit sector. I: The question of definitions . Voluntas 3 , 125–151. 10.1007/BF01397770 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Salamon L. M., Sokolowiski S. W., Haddock M. A., Tice H. S. (2013). Latest findings from the implementation of the UN nonprofit handbook . Work. Pap. Johns Hopkins Comp. Nonprofit Sect. Proj. 49 :18. [ Google Scholar ]
• Schneider S. K., George W. M. (2011). Servant leadership versus transformational leadership in voluntary service organizations . Leadersh. Organ. Dev. J. 32 , 60–77. 10.1108/01437731111099283 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Senge P. (2006). Systems citizenship: the leadership mandate for this millennium . Lead. Lead. 2006 , 21–26. 10.1002/ltl.186 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Senge P. M. (1991). The fifth discipline, the art and practice of the learning organization . Perform. Instr. 30 , 37–37. 10.1002/pfi.4170300510 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Senses-Ozyurt S., Villicana-Reyna N. (2016). Leadership characteristics and volunteer retention in nonprofit organizations . J. Nonprofit Educ. Leadersh. 6 , 350–374. 10.18666/JNEL-2016-V6-I4-6521 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Snyder M., Omoto A. M., Crain A. L. (1999). Punished for their good deeds: stigmatization of AIDS volunteers . Am. Behav. Sci. 42 , 1175–1192. 10.1177/0002764299042007009 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Spears L. C. (1998). Insights on leadership: service, stewardship, spirit, and servant-leadership . Choice Rev. Online 35 , 35–51. 10.5860/CHOICE.35-5169 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Spector P. E. (1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: development of the job satisfaction survey . Am. J. Community Psychol. 13 , 693–713. 10.1007/BF00929796 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Spector P. E. (1997). Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Cause, and Consequences . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 10.4135/9781452231549 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Spreitzer G. M., Sonenshein S. (2004). Toward the construct definition of positive deviance . Am. Behav. Sci. 47 , 828–847. 10.1177/0002764203260212 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Stephens R. D., Dawley D. D., Stephens D. B. (2004). Commitment on the board : a model of volunteer directors levels of organizational commitment and self-reported performance . J. Manag. Issues 16 , 483–504. [ Google Scholar ]
• Suifan T. S., Allouzi R. A. R. (2018). Investigating the impact of a learning organization on organizational performance: the mediating role of organizational commitment . Int. Bus. Manag. 12 , 230–237. [ Google Scholar ]
• Tanaka J. S. (1993). “Multifaceted conception of fit in structural equation models,” in Testing Structural Equation Models , eds K. A. Bollen, and J. S. Long (Newbury Park, CA: Sage; ), 10–39. [ Google Scholar ]
• The King's Fund (2017). Culture and Leadership Programme. London: NHS Improvement . Available online at: https://improvement.nhs.uk/documents/1629/01-NHS101_02_Improvement_Mini_Guide-Why__100417_I.pdf%0Ahttps://improvement.nhs.uk/uploads/documents/01-NHS101-toolkits_150816_L.pdf (accessed November, 2020).
• Tuckey M. R., Bakker A. B., Dollard M. F. (2013). Empowering leaders optimize working conditions for engagement: a multilevel study . J. Occup. Health Psychol. 17 , 15–27. 10.1037/a0025942 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Umezurike J. A. (2011). Behaviors of nonprofit leaders who attract, motivate, and retain volunteers (Doctoral dissertation: ), University of La Verne, La Verne, CA, United States. [ Google Scholar ]
• Van Vianen A. E. M., Nijstad B. A., Voskuijl O. F. (2008). A person-environment fit approach to volunteerism: volunteer personality fit and culture fit as predictors of affective outcomes . Basic Appl. Soc. Psych. 30 , 153–166. 10.1080/01973530802209194 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vecchio R. P., Justin J. E., Pearce C. L. (2010). Empowering leadership: an examination of mediating mechanisms within a hierarchical structure . Leadersh. Q. 21 , 530–542. 10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.03.014 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vecina M. L., Chacón F., Sueiro M., Barrón A. (2012). Volunteer engagement: does engagement predict the degree of satisfaction among new volunteers and the commitment of those who have been active longer? Appl. Psychol. 61 , 130–148. 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2011.00460.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vecina M. L., Chacón F., Sueiro M. J. (2009). Satisfacción en el voluntariado: estructura interna y relación con la permanencia en las organizaciones . Psicothema 21 , 112–117. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Viel-Ruma K., Houchins D., Jolivette K., Benson G. (2010). Efficacy beliefs of special educators: the relationships among collective efficacy, teacher self-efficacy, and job satisfaction . Teach. Educ. Spec. Educ. J. Teach. Educ. Div. Counc. Except. Child. 33 , 225–233. 10.1177/0888406409360129 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Wang J., Wang X. (2012). Structural Equation Modeling: Applications Using Mplus . Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Ltd; 10.1002/9781118356258 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ward J., Greene A. M. (2018). Too much of a good thing? The emotional challenges of managing affectively committed volunteers . Nonprofit Volunt. Sect. Q. 47 , 1155–1177. 10.1177/0899764018783276 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Waters R. D., Bortree D. S. (2012). “Can we talk about the direction of this church?”: the impact of responsiveness and conflict on millennials' relationship with religious institutions . J. Media Relig. 11 , 200–215. 10.1080/15348423.2012.730330 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Wisner P. S., Stringfellow A., Youngdahl W. E., Parker L. (2005). The service volunteer-loyalty chain: an exploratory study of charitable not-for-profit service organizations . J. Oper. Manag. 23 , 143–161. 10.1016/j.jom.2004.07.003 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Wymer W. W., Starnes B. J. (2001). Conceptual foundations and practical guidelines for recruiting volunteers to serve in local nonprofit organizations: part I . J. Nonprofit Public Sect. Mark. 9 , 63–96. 10.1300/J054v09n01_05 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Yahaya R., Ebrahim F. (2016). Leadership styles and organizational commitment: literature review . J. Manag. Dev. 35 , 190–216. 10.1108/JMD-01-2015-0004 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

This site uses cookies, including third-party cookies, to improve your experience and deliver personalized content.

By continuing to use this website, you agree to our use of all cookies. For more information visit IMA's Cookie Policy .

Change username?

Create a new account, forgot password, sign in to myima, grow leadership skills through volunteering.

January 01, 2022

By: Lisa Book , CMA, CSCA, CFM

Ask the right questions when selecting a volunteer role to help maximize your impact and the leadership skills you can gain.

Volunteering—particularly with an industry or professional organization—provides an opportunity to develop your leadership skills in many ways. Volunteers can gain different perspectives, build relationships, and master new skills—often, ones they might not have the time for or opportunity to work on at their jobs.

To explore the ways volunteering can build leadership skills, I spoke with IMA ® (Institute of Management Accountants) Leadership Academy faculty members Rinku Bhattacharya and Pem Smith about our experiences volunteering for IMA. Here are our top seven tips for making the most of your efforts.

1. Learn planning and organization skills . Volunteers learn to plan effective meetings, organize events, and coordinate with other volunteers. After I joined IMA’s Louisville Chapter board, I spearheaded our student nights, continuing professional education (CPE) conferences, and other events. The inventories and activities I coordinated for the chapter required leading a diverse group outside my day job, learning to plan and execute time-sensitive activities with many moving parts, and building in contingencies. I was able to translate those skills developed as a volunteer into my professional role as a cost accountant, which enabled me to better plan and execute the company’s physical inventories.

2. Improve your time management . Volunteering pushes you to learn how to juggle work, family, and volunteer priorities to maintain a reasonable balance. A friend and mentor advised Smith that volunteering in a professional association could help his career, but it requires active involvement, making reasonable commitments, and prioritizing meeting them. It taught him the value of splitting tasks into manageable pieces and getting the essential work done on time.

3. Develop mentoring skills . Most volunteer roles rely on more experienced volunteers to share information and knowledge with newer recruits, and as you change roles, you mentor new members who assume a role you previously filled. Bhattacharya was unfamiliar with the concept of mentoring when she moved to the United States to attend university. As a young professional, she was appreciative of the support she received from other professionals, but she was unsure how to pay it forward. She identified several structured mentoring outlets. In her particular environment, she has developed her skills while serving as a mentor for IMA’s Young Professional Leadership Experience. She serves on IMA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is spearheading an initiative to create a meaningful and rewarding experience for emerging volunteer leaders from a variety of backgrounds. And this can be done likewise within countless organizations and institutes.

4. Grow your people skills . Learn to motivate, communicate, and collaborate by working with people from diverse backgrounds and persuading others to assist in your cause. In my own volunteer work, I found myself leading significantly more experienced board members, many of whom had a decade or more of active service. It was great practice for how to develop a team and inspire change as a relative newcomer. I leveraged this experience when I stepped into my first supervisory role leading my company’s accounts payable department. Learning the value of diversity, mutual respect, strong communication, and cooperation in my previous volunteer roles helped me to build a successful team.

5. Find networking opportunities . Expand your network organically by breaking out of typical work circles and partnering with others from various industries and career stages. Smith hadn’t considered professional networking before joining IMA; like many, all his professional relationships came from colleagues at his job. Volunteering in IMA’s San Diego Chapter helped him to build relationships with hiring managers, recruiters, and professional peers. He was able to leverage these relationships to find mentors to further his professional development and offer advice to him. These relationships were deeper than casual acquaintances formed at events because they had worked together on volunteer projects and boards.

6. Experiment . Volunteering gives you the space to take risks without fear of financial or career repercussions. Having the freedom to experiment helps you to become a more versatile leader. Faced with dwindling attendance at our monthly CPE meetings, my local IMA chapter was stuck in a rut of repeating the same lineup every year and hoping for a different outcome. I appreciate the support of the chapter members in allowing me to experiment by switching to a full-day CPE conference and incorporating more high-profile speakers. It also sparked in me the inspiration to put aside preconceptions at work. For example, when developing Indiana University Southeast’s first online introductory financial accounting class, I didn’t simply tweak my face-to-face class. I started from scratch. I found better ways of delivering my course and then translated those to my face-to-face sections. Along with a colleague, I developed an approach called “supported learning,” which received an innovation award, and I’ve since mentored other accounting faculty members in using this approach.

7. Get out of your comfort zone . Volunteering challenges you to work with new people and explore new surroundings. Bhattacharya isn’t comfortable speaking publicly. Being a part of the IMA Leadership Academy and making presentations with more confident, eloquent speakers has improved­­ her effectiveness making presentations and communicating effectively.

You can develop all these important leadership qualities by volunteering with IMA. It’s all about asking the right questions and taking a strategic approach to your volunteer roles. The Volunteer Service Leader Framework can help you navigate IMA’s various volunteer opportunities and choose the most appropriate role based on what leadership skills you want to hone, the level of impact you want to have (local, regional, or global), what interests you, and how much time you have available. The framework uses personas in combination with a deployment matrix of questions, considerations, and guidelines to help you scale your volunteerism. Your career will get a boost from building your leadership skills through strategic volunteering.

About the Authors

January 2022

• IMA’s San Diego Chapter

Publication Highlights

Hiring Top Talent in 2022

Explore more.

Copyright Footer Message

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

HIGH SCHOOL

• ACT Tutoring
• SAT Tutoring
• PSAT Tutoring
• ASPIRE Tutoring
• SHSAT Tutoring
• STAAR Tutoring

GRADUATE SCHOOL

• MCAT Tutoring
• GRE Tutoring
• LSAT Tutoring
• GMAT Tutoring
• AIMS Tutoring
• HSPT Tutoring
• ISAT Tutoring
• SSAT Tutoring

Search 50+ Tests

Loading Page

math tutoring

• Elementary Math
• Pre-Calculus
• Trigonometry

science tutoring

Foreign languages.

• Mandarin Chinese

elementary tutoring

• Computer Science

Search 350+ Subjects

• Video Overview
• Tutor Selection Process
• Online Tutoring
• Mobile Tutoring
• Instant Tutoring
• How We Operate
• Our Guarantee
• Impact of Tutoring
• Reviews & Testimonials
• About Varsity Tutors

Volunteerism: My Experience by Nori

Noriof Syracuse's entry into Varsity Tutor's May 2018 scholarship contest

Volunteerism: My Experience by Nori - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

Community service has become a major aspect of my life that has shaped me into who I am today. Volunteering is a way that I can give back to the world that does so much for me. There is no one way to define community service, because everyone has their own definition. However, it is not the definition itself that matters; it is what community service means to you. Is it the laughter of the special needs children when I help them bounce on the trampoline at cheer practice? Is it the squeals of the recreational cheer team that I coached when they win a competition? Maybe it is the joy on the faces of the veterans when they win a round of bingo. To me, volunteering and community service are all of these things. Volunteerism is a donation of my time in order to enhance someone’s life, even if it is only slightly. I view volunteering as a window through which I have an opportunity to change the lives of people, as well as my own. However, volunteering is not only about aiding others. It offers so much more. Through volunteering, I learned valuable community and social skills, and well as gained valuable work experience. I learned how to work with children, the elderly, and those with special needs. In addition, I learned what it is like to have a job and responsibilities. Volunteering has played in a significant role in the shaping of who I am today. Community service has been a resource for me to express myself and gain control of my life. After my father passed and my mother suffered a major stroke, leaving her permanently impaired, I sought an outlet, or an escape. I desperately needed a positive activity to take my mind off of the hardships I was experiencing. That outlet was community service. After a visit to my mother in the hospital, I would go to the public library and volunteer with their children’s activities. Seeing the overwhelming smiles of children after reading them a story made me forget about my problems at home. Volunteering has always been a way to bring joy into my life and to make my day (as well as someone else’s) a little bit better! My first significant volunteer experience was coaching a special needs cheerleading team. As a special needs coach, I had to control a group of special needs children. They struggled to do many things on their own, and looked to me to lead them. It is from this experience that I learned to be a leader. I volunteered as their coach during my freshman year of high school, and that is when my leadership skills truly began to develop. I was responsible for instructing the team on cheerleading and ensuring that they did everything safely. When they would go out and compete, they would bring tears to my eyes. I have never met such an inspiring group of kids, and it is from them that I learned that no matter what comes in my way, anything is possible if you give it your best effort, and that all hardships can be overcome. Coaching Team FIRE was not always an easy job. There were many meltdowns and times when I would want to give up. However, the joy that lit up their faces when times were good motivated me to keep going. From them, I learned perseverance. They would be elated when they successfully completed a forward roll, or learned a new dance. Every day, with their joy, they would remind me to enjoy the small things in life, and I will forever appreciate the endless giggles we’ve shared. That team made me proud and made me recognize how lucky I am to be healthy and well. They taught me that someone is always in need of help, and with my help, that person can succeed. Community service made me realize that I wanted to participate in a profession that helped people. At first, I was unsure of what I aspired to be when I grew up, but I knew one thing: I wanted to make an impact in people’s lives. I developed a love of science, and asked myself how I could help people with science. I decided that my goal was to become a forensic chemist, so I could help solve crimes. That way, if a crime was inflicted upon someone or a loved one, those people would receive justice thanks to me. I truly feel as if volunteering has helped me recognize what it is I aspire to be in the future. In addition, I have goals of participating in more volunteer work throughout my life. Volunteering is a significant way to make the world a better place and to grow as a person. I have impacted numerous lives through volunteering, and that is something that I take great pride in. Whether it was reading to children at the library, helping veterans play bingo, giving Thanksgiving meals to the less fortunate, or anything else, I made someone’s day better, and that is an amazing feeling. In addition, I have developed numerous skills through volunteer work. I feel as if I have grown significantly through my community service. Community service has shaped me into a responsible leader. I am grateful for all that volunteering has done for me.

Servant Leadership and Volunteerism

• First Online: 01 July 2017

Cite this chapter

• Edward J. Breslin 3  

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Leadership and Followership ((PASTLEFO))

3506 Accesses

2 Citations

The purpose of this general review is to present philosophical foundation of the tenets of Greenleaf’s take on the concept of servant leadership and how it applies to volunteerism from the participant’s perspective. The author describes discovering and following the call to volunteerism from the perspective of the volunteer, and explains how the precepts of servant leadership apply to volunteers and their altruistic approach to volunteerism. An extensive review of the literature, including recent journal articles and works, considers various aspects of servant leadership as it pertains to the volunteer community. Findings include an explanation of how higher epistemic cognition is achieved in volunteerism through follower growth by means of self-actualization. Practical and social implications are also given.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Azman, I., Hasan, M., Ahmad, S., Mohd, M., & Munirah, Y. (2011). An empirical study of the relationship between transformational leadership, empowerment, and organizational commitment. Business and Economics Research Journal, 2 (1), 89–107. Retrieved from http://www.berjournal.com/

Barbuto, J. E., & Wheeler, D. W. (2006). Scale development and construct clarification of servant leadership. Group and Organizational Management, 31 (3), 300–326. doi: 10.1177/1059601106287091 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Bass, B. M., & Bass, R. (2008). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, & managerial application . New York, NY: The Free Press.

Google Scholar  

Baugher, J. E. (2008). Facing death: Buddhist and western hospice approaches. Symbolic Interaction, 31 (3), 259–284. doi: 10.1525/si.2008.31.3.259 .

Beck, C. D. (2014). Antecedents of servant leadership: A mixed methods study. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 21 (3), 299–314. doi: 10.1177/1548051814529993 .

Bodla, M. A., & Hussain, G. (2010). Need for leadership: Empirical evidence from Pakistan. International Journal of Management and Information Systems, 14 (5), 79–86. Paper presented at the 2010 EABR & ETLC Conference Proceedings Dublin, Ireland. Retrieved from http://www.cluteinstitute.com/proceedings/2010_Dublin_EABR_Articles/Article%20430.pdf

Boezeman, E. J., & Ellemers, N. (2014). Volunteer leadership: The role of pride and respect in organization identification and leadership satisfaction. Leadership, 10 (2), 160–173. doi: 10.1177/1742715012467487 .

Breslin, E. (2013). Leadership, management practices, and volunteer retention. The International Journal of Volunteer Administration, 30 (1), 74–84.

Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership . New York: Harper and Row.

Burns, J. S. (2002). Chaos theory and leadership studies: Exploring uncharted seas. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 9 (2), 42–56. doi: 10.1177/107179190200900204 .

Christensen, L. B., Johnson, R. B., & Turner, L. A. (2011). Research methods, design, and analysis (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Conklin, T. A. (2011). Work worth doing: A phenomenological study of the experience of discovering and following one’s calling. Journal of Management Inquiry, 21 (3), 298–317. doi: 10.1177/1056492611414426 .

Corporation for National & Community Service. (2015). Volunteering in America 2011: National, state and city information . Retrieved from http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/volunteering/index.asp

Department of Labor. (2015). Industries at a glance: Hospitals . Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/

Dolnicar, S., & Randle, M. (2007). What motivates which volunteers? Psychographic heterogeneity among volunteers in Australia. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 18 , 135–155. doi: 10.1007/s11266-007-9037-5 .

Ellis, S. J. (2010). From the top down: The executive role in successful volunteer involvement . Philadelphia, PA: Energize.

Farrell, C., & Bryant, W. (2009). Voluntary work for adults with mental health problems: An exploration of the perspective of recruiters. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72 (5), 188–196. Retrieved from http://landing.highbeam.com/journals-3/?refid=lp_journals&gclid=CJOHpMGOybICFYyPPAodbwwAeg

Finkelstein, M. A. (2008). Volunteer satisfaction and volunteer action: A functional approach. Social Behavior and Personality, 36 (1), 9–18. Retrieved from http://www.sbp-journal.com/index.php/sbp

Gambrell, K. M., Matkin, G. S., & Burbach, M. E. (2011). Cultivating leadership: The need for renovating models to higher epistemic cognition. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 18 (3), 308–319. doi: 10.1177/1548051811404895 .

Haski-Leventhal, D. (2009). Altruism and volunteerism: The perceptions of altruism in four disciplines and their impact on the study of volunteerism. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 39 (3), 271–299. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-5914.2009.00405.x .

Hustinx, L., & Handy, F. (2009). Where do I belong? Volunteer attachment in a complex organization. Administration in Social Work, 33 , 202–220. doi: 10.1080/03643100902769129 .

Jamison, I. (2003). Turnover and retention among volunteers in human service agencies. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 23 (2), 114–132. doi: 10.1177/0734371X03023002003 .

Kilburn, B., & Cates, T. (2010). Leader behavior: Gatekeeper to voluntary upward feedback. Management Research Review, 33 (9), 900–910. doi: 10.1108/01409171011070314 .

Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

McCurley, S., & Lynch, R. (2006). Volunteer management . Plattsburg, NY: Interpub Group Corporation.

Neuman, W. L. (2006). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Park, S. M., & Rainey, S. G. (2008). Leadership and public service motivation in U. S. federal agencies. International Public Management Journal, 11 (1), 109–142. doi: 10.1080/10967490801887954 .

Parris, D. L., & Peachey, J. W. (2013). Encouraging servant leadership: A qualitative study of how a cause-related sporting event inspires participants to serve. Leadership, 9 (4), 486–512. doi: 10.1177/1742715012470675 .

Peschl, M. (2007). Triple-loop learning as foundation for profound change, individual cultivation, and radical innovation: Construction processes beyond scientific and rational knowledge. Constructivist Foundations, 2 (2–3), 136–145.

Phillips, L. C., & Phillips, M. H. (2010). Volunteer motivation and reward preference: An empirical study of volunteerism in a large, not-for-profit organization. SAM Advanced Management Journal , 12–39. Retrieved from http://www.cob.tamucc.edu/sam/amj/Default.htm

Rehberg, W. (2005). Altruistic individualists: Motivations for international volunteering among young adults in Switzerland. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 16 (2), 109–122. doi: 10.1007/s11266-005-5693-5 .

Reiter, S., Stewart, G., & Bruce, C. (2011). A strategy for delayed research method selection: Deciding between grounded theory and phenomenology. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 2–9 (1), 35–46. Retrieved from http://www.ejbrm.com/issue/current.html

Ruiz, P., Ruiz, C., & Martínez, R. (2010). Improving the “leader-follower” relationship: Top manager or supervisor? The ethical leadership trickle-down effect on follower job response. Journal of Business Ethics , 587–608. doi: 10.1007/s10551-010-0670-3 .

Searle, T. P., & Barbuto, J. E. (2013). A multilevel framework: Expanding and bridging micro and macro levels of positive behaviors with leadership. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 20 (3), 274–286. doi: 10.1177/1548051813485133 .

Sendjaya, S., & Sarros, J. C. (2002). Servant leadership: Its origin, development, and application in organizations. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 9 (2), 57–64. doi: 10.1177/107179190200900205 .

Sherer, M. (2004). National service in Israel: Motivations, volunteer characteristics, and levels of content. Nonprofit & Volunteer Sector Quarterly, 33 (1), 94–108. doi: 10.1177/0899764003260659 .

Shier, M. L., & Handy, F. (2014). Research trends in nonprofit graduate studies: A growing interdisciplinary field. Nonprofit and Volunteer Sector Quarterly, 43 (5), 812–831. doi: 10.1177/0899764014548279 .

Skoglund, A. G. (2006). Do not forget about your volunteers: A qualitative analysis of factors influencing volunteer turnover. Health and Social Work, 31 (3), 217–220. Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/library/p455/health-and-social-work

Souza, K. A., & Dhami, M. K. (2008). A study of volunteers in community-based restorative justice programs. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice , 31–57. doi: 10.3138/cjccj.50.1.31 .

Spink, E. R. (2011). Volunteer engagement: Defining the future of the profession. E-Volunteerism, 11 (2). Retrieved from https://www.e-volunteerism.com/

Tang, F., Morrow-Howell, N., & Choi, E. (2010). Why do older adult volunteers stop volunteering? Ageing and Society, 30 (5), 859–878. doi: 10.1017/S0144686X10000140 .

Van Vianen, A., Nijstad, B. A., & Voskuijl, O. F. (2008). A person-environment fit approach to volunteerism: Volunteer personality fit and culture fit as predictors of effective outcomes. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 30 (2), 153–166. doi: 10.1080/01973530802209194 .

Weiss-Gal, I., & Caduri, A. (2015). Social workers and volunteers in Israel. Journal of Social Work, 15 (6), 586–605. doi: 10.1177/1468017314552157 .

Willis, J. W. (2007). Foundations of qualitative research . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Yeung, A. B. (2004). The octagon model of volunteer motivation: Results of a phenomenological analysis. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 15 (1), 21–46. doi: 10.1023/B:VOLU.0000023632.89728.ff .

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

631 Rosewood Way, Niceville, FL, USA

Edward J. Breslin

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

University of Phoenix, Junction City, Kansas, USA

Crystal J. Davis

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Breslin, E.J. (2017). Servant Leadership and Volunteerism. In: Davis, C. (eds) Servant Leadership and Followership. Palgrave Studies in Leadership and Followership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59366-1_1

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59366-1_1

Published : 01 July 2017

Publisher Name : Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-319-59365-4

Online ISBN : 978-3-319-59366-1

eBook Packages : Business and Management Business and Management (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the UC Essay on Leadership Experience

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Vinay Bhaskara in a CollegeVine Livestream. You can watch the full Livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

What exactly is leadership, consider different types of leadership, mistakes to avoid.

The first of the University of California’s essay prompts states: 

Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

This prompt is all about conveying your leadership experience. However, keep in mind that your essay does not need to be limited to an example of school-based leadership. Many of the better versions of this essay convey leadership in ways that are about neither academic leadership nor direct or positional extracurricular leadership.

It’s really easy to get lost in a definition of what leadership means with this prompt. Remember that leadership has a very expansive definition. What leadership looks like to each student will vary drastically, but, in other words, the prompt is asking you to describe how you have utilized your personal experience for the betterment of yourself and others. 

This prompt focuses on concrete actions that create tangible benefits for members of an organization, or even for an individual within the organization. Many students focus on how they have inspired their classmates or helped to resolve a conflict. While these are good examples of being a leader, try not to limit yourself to formal leadership positions and actions when brainstorming your response.

Leadership can range from formal leadership positions, such as being president of a club, to informal positions, such as mentoring a younger peer. Some examples of more formal leadership would be leadership positions in extracurricular activities including athletics , academics, and even work with non-profit organizations. Informal leadership, on the other hand, is leading in any capacity that is out of the ordinary, specifically when you do not have an official title.These are events or instances that you may not think of as leadership, but discussing such examples may actually help your essay stand out even more. 

A really powerful example of this could be a student helping peers deal with and overcome mental health struggles. Another example could be a student taking on more responsibility within their family by helping a sibling with their homework. The most compelling essays tend to be about informal examples of leadership, which are then supplemented by the formal leadership positions on your resume . 

Though there is no right or wrong answer for this essay prompt, here are a few things that you should avoid in your response.

Cliche Responses

A cliche essay response is any topic that reviewers may see repeatedly, and therefore is something you want to try and avoid in order to stand out among the applicant pool. Cliche responses for this essay prompt generally include examples about a club, such as a sports team, orchestra, or group, failing at something initially, and then the student helping the group succeed. It is possible to tackle such topics if you are an incredible writer, but if you aren’t then it may be hard for your essay to really make a lasting impact.

Restating Your Resume

Always avoid using the leadership experience prompt to restate your resume! It often seems that the most direct way to complete this essay is to speak about the leadership that can be found in your Activities section. Remember, however, that colleges already can see what’s on your resume. Therefore if you’re only expanding on the information in your application and using your essay to further list the clubs you led or your accomplishments, you’re not conveying anything new. You are missing an opportunity to add additional context to your application by doing this.

What the schools are really looking for are the qualities of leadership demonstrated through your experience – not the accomplishments or awards that you’ve accumulated from leadership positions. Instead of focusing on a title, focus on the impact of your leadership on others or on the approach used to build personal dynamics and relationships in leadership. Remember you want your essay to show which of your concrete actions have driven tangible benefits for others.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Volunteering — My Volunteering Experience: A Journey of Giving

My Volunteering Experience: a Journey of Giving

• Categories: Personal Experience Volunteering

About this sample

Words: 1267 |

Updated: 16 November, 2023

Words: 1267 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Works Cited

• National Service.gov. (2021). Volunteer at a National Park.
• Corporation for National & Community Service. (2021). Benefits of Volunteering. Retrieved from https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve-your-community/benefits-volunteering
• Goodwill Industries International. (2021). About Goodwill.
• The Salvation Army USA. (2021). About Us.
• Cradles to Crayons. (2021). About Us.
• Points of Light. (2021). Corporate Volunteering. Retrieved from https://www.pointsoflight.org/what-we-do/corporate-engagement/corporate-volunteering/
• National Council of Nonprofits. (2021). Engaging Volunteers.
• Independent Sector. (2021). State of the Nonprofit Sector. Retrieved from https://independentsector.org/resource/state-of-the-nonprofit-sector/
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy. (2021). Nonprofit News For Nonprofit Leaders.
• VolunteerMatch. (2021). Find Volunteer Opportunities Near You.

Video Version

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 840 words

6 pages / 2752 words

7 pages / 3269 words

3 pages / 1418 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Volunteering

Environment is the most essential foundation for our lives. Environment and human always have a strong relationship and influence each other all the time. I believe individuals should learn something about environment and try to [...]

The author's dedication to being a good student and the associated pressure Introduction of the author's hobby, volunteering at a care center Description of the author's initial experiences at the care center [...]

While most teenage girls are busy doing their nails and downloading the latest music, Faye Carey is helping re-home dozens of abandoned dogs. The 16-year-old Waikato teen volunteers with her local branch of Animal Control, [...]

Vikas Swarup’s Q & A tells the story of a young orphan who miraculously transforms from being penniless to possessing more money than he could ever imagine. It seems Ram’s ability to answer all of the questions on a quiz [...]

A commonality among most of the human race is the fear of what aging does to the body. Crafting a character famous for a sharp mind, not for bodily infirmity, Arthur Conan Doyle brought Sherlock Holmes to life and into the homes [...]

In crafting this leadership application essay, I am prompted to reflect on the formative experiences that have shaped my leadership abilities and underscore my aspiration to serve as a peer leader. As the oldest boy among four [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free