Effect of Communication Practices on Volunteer Organization Identification and Retention

Abstract

Volunteering has taken on growing significance as a benefit to society and in initiatives to promote sustainability; it is therefore important to understand the factors driving its success. One increasingly studied variable with a positive effect on volunteer behavior and retention is organization identification. The antecedents influencing the organization identification variable, however, have not yet been explored in the volunteer literature. We address this gap by implementing a survey among volunteers at the OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center in Los Angeles and analyzing results via simple and multivariate linear regression analyses. Specifically, we investigate whether or not communication factors affect both organization identification and volunteer intention to continue. We find that specific communication factors, including a relationship with one’s supervisor, internal communication, and external social media postings significantly increase the level of organization identification and retention. Our findings are consistent with the theories of leader-member exchange and absorption capacity. Practitioners and nonprofits can improve the organizational environment of volunteers by optimizing these communication practices.