Predicting Success in Volunteer Community Service1

Abstract

A group of 60 volunteers in a Big Brothers-Big Sisters agency were divided into two smaller groups of those who had successfully completed the preestablished program ( n = 25) and those who did not meet their commitment to that program ( n = 35). Significant differences were found on five personality factors of the 16 PF Questionnaire, with successful volunteers showing higher scores on intelligence and on trust, lower on social inhibition, while higher on imagination and on self-assurance than unsuccessful volunteers. Demographic data also yielded significant differences for age and education, with successful volunteers tending to be older and more highly educated.