Motivating Factors for Hispanic American Volunteers: A Phenomenological Study of Non-Profit Environmental Advocacy Organizations in Southern California

Every year, millions of Americans volunteer their time, estimated to be worth over one hundred billion dollars in free labor. Volunteering is essential for most non-profit organizations in the United States because they lack the revenue to afford to pay for this necessary labor. Statistics show volunteer rates in environmental organizations in the United States are second to last. Although Hispanic Americans are the largest minority group in the United States, their presence in environmental advocacy organizations is deficient and not representative of their volunteerism in other sectors. This underrepresentation is at odds with evidence which suggests Hispanic Americans are more concerned about environmental issues than any other demographic in the United States. This qualitative, phenomenological research study aimed to explore the lived experiences of ten Hispanic American volunteers at non-profit environmental advocacy organizations in Southern California regarding their perception of what motivates them to volunteer for and remain with these organizations. This study's findings revealed four themes that significantly motivated the participants' decision to volunteer: Intrinsic Motivation/Internal Locus of Control, Leadership Influence, Social & Cultural Influences, and Experience & Growth Opportunities. This study contributes to an existing body of research on volunteer motivation. The results contribute to the limited research on motivation factors of Hispanic American volunteers in non-profit environmental advocacy organizations.

Grantor dc:publisher

Creighton University

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Martinez, Jerome Jay

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Wardlaw, Michael

• Autonomy-Supportive Leadership
• Environmental Advocacy
• Hispanic American
• Non-Profit
• Self-Determination Theory
• Volunteer

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is retained by the Author. A non-exclusive distribution right is granted to Creighton University and to ProQuest following the publishing model selected above.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://cdr.creighton.edu/handle/10504/153897

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cdr.creighton.edu:10504/153897