Leading volunteers – competition of leisure time
There are 135 000 non-profit associations in Finland and volunteer work is what keeps the going. Volunteers cannot be ignored.
The value of volunteer work in Finland is estimated to be around 3 billion euros (Heimolehto and Collin 2020). 135 000 non-profit associations in Finland are mostly run by volunteers (Huotari 2014). In general people today have more leisure time than before, and it has become more meaningful to them in both quantity and quality (Hanifi 2019). So, what will happen to volunteering in the future? How can we attract younger generations to volunteering?
Third sector is an actor between the market sector, the public sector and households. The third sector is characterized by non-profit and voluntary activities, but paid work in the third sector is also on the increase. Its importance has almost doubled from 1990 to 2010, and in 2011 5% of all person-years of work in Finland were performed by the third sector. (Ruuskanen et al. 2013, 9-11.) Non-profit associations offer a wide range of civil activities. Their members participate in activities ranging from hobbies to education, and from political influencing to health and nursing. Some activities are done for your own personal development and well-being, but a large proportion of non-profit activities are done for the benefit and needs of someone else. If involvement in non-profit associations and volunteer work is no longer seen as attractive, our society could face major problems.
Motivation is the driving force
Motivational reasons for volunteering include adding value, developing understanding, enhancing self-fulfillment, boosting career, having social meaning, and providing a protective counterbalance to other areas of life (Clary and Snyder 1999, 157). These motivational reasons will not change as fast as our technology driven society. Same motivational reasons drive volunteers across generations.
While the core motivational reasons for volunteering might not change, the ways in which people want to volunteer and have volunteer experiences will change. Non-profit associations need to keep pace with this change. Digital tools and up-to-date communication channels offer quick and easy ways to keep in touch with volunteers and also to find new volunteers. By updating the ways of working and offering possibilities for micro-volunteering in small tasks only, it is possible to release time from other volunteers so that they can focus on other tasks.
Future volunteers
Non-profit associations should realize that by targeting their recruitment efforts at younger generations, they can attract new members with new ways of thinking and working. A reshaping process of an association will eventually take place, and then association decision-makers and leaders should consider the needs of association members (Salminen 2015, 36). Younger generations of people are the future decision makers, leaders, volunteers, and members of associations. All associations should soon consider their current ways of recruiting, valuing, and engaging new members.
In order for younger generations of volunteers to be an important resource for non-profit associations, it is important to understand the motivations behind volunteering. Younger volunteers are likely to be inexperienced and looking for good first contact, introduction, and guidance to gain valuable work experience (Kostiainen 2019). It is important to give specific instructions, explain expectations, listen, notice and recognize the efforts of new young volunteers (Finger 2015, 64-66).
Younger generations tend to question authorities while seeking to improve the quality of their lives, and the object of their commitment can change rapidly. This can be seen as an unfocused lifestyle, but it can also provide innovation and opportunities for non-profit associations. Younger generations should be led in an inclusive way, accepting the fact that they express their own opinions and make their own choices, and finding ways for non-profit associations to make the most of this. (Bull 2019, 104-109.)
Key steps to success
Non-profit associations should review their processes, activities and operations and clarify for whom the association exists. Good practices in volunteer recruitment and management, as well as respectful communication and interactions, are essential to improve the volunteering experience and volunteer engagement. Non-profit associations should understand the needs of younger volunteers and meet them with the tasks that are mutually beneficial.
We should all be considered as future volunteers, because volunteering is the foundation of Finland’s rich association culture. In the future, non-profit associations should focus on involving the younger generations. As the world evolves rapidly, so do generations, and so should non-profit associations. Younger people are looking for activities and actions that meet the needs and expectations of their generation. This is a challenge that non-profit associations should take up.
Many older and experienced volunteers and members of non-profit associations may have nostalgic feelings about how they remember their beloved association when it was at its best. Modernizing an association should not be seen as threat or a theft of history. Leaders, decision makers, volunteers, and members of non-profit associations should see new people and their generations’ ways of working as a booster to their association. By integrating themselves as a positive particle in the evolution process of their association, they pass on the heritage of their association with pride and dignity.
References
Bull, R. C. 2010. Moving from project management to project leadership: A practical guide to leading groups. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
Clary, E. G. & Snyder, M. 1999. The Motivations to Volunteer: Theoretical and Practical Considerations. Current Directions in Psychological Science. Vol. 8, No 5, 156–159.
Finger, A. 2015. Engaging Millennial and Younger Volunteers. In the book of Rosenthal, R. J. (Eds), Volunteer engagement 2.0: Ideas and insights changing the world. 1st edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
Hanifi, R. 2019. Vapaa-aika muutoksessa – tekniikka on hämärtänyt arjen ja leikin rajaa. Tilastokeskus. Referenced 23.3.2022. https://www.tilastokeskus.fi/tietotrendit/artikkelit/2019/vapaa-aika-muutoksessa-tekniikka-on-hamartanyt-arjen-ja-leikin-rajaa/
Heimolehto, K. & Collin, P. 2020. Yhdistykset taistelevat pienenevien jäsenmäärien ja taloushuolien kanssa – osalla toiminta jo jäissä, kaikkien tulevaisuus täynnä haasteita. Yle. Referenced 16.10.2022. https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11605423
Huotari, P. 2014. HS vertaili: Yhdistysten jäsenmaksuille saa vastinetta. Helsingin Sanomat. Referenced 15.10.2022. https://www.hs.fi/kuluttaja/art-2000002712368.html
Kostiainen, A. 2019. Nuorten vapaaehtoistyön käsikirja. Kansalaisareena. Referenced 18.9.2022. https://kansalaisareena.fi/nuorten-vapaaehtoistyon-kasikirja/
Ruuskanen, P.; Selander, K. & Anttila, T. 2013. Palkkatyössä kolmannella sektorilla. Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö. Työ ja yrittäjyys 20/2013. Referenced 22.3.2022. https://tem.fi/documents/1410877/2864661/Palkkaty%C3%B6ss%C3%A4+kolmannella+sektorilla+27062013.pdf
Salminen, V. 2015. Yksi maailma, monta maailmankuvaa – kaksikymppiset ja viisikymppiset yhteisessä digiajassa. In the book of Riikkonen, S. & Nyman, T. (Eds). Moninainen ja kehittyvä järjestötoiminta. Elinvoimaisuutta ja uudistavaa ajattelua toimintaympäristön muutoksessa. Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu. Humanistisen ammattikorkeakoulun julkaisuja, 10.