title: Motivations of hospice volunteers.
abstract: To recruit and retain volunteers, coordinators need to understand volunteers' motivations. In this study, 351 volunteers from 32 hospices in the western United States answered questions on a mailed survey about their motivations. The motivations reported were, in order of overall importance: to help others and learn, foster social relationships, feel better, and pursue career goals. Younger volunteers reported stronger career motivations, and retired and unemployed volunteers reported stronger social motivations. Volunteer coordinators should consider these motivations in communicating with potential and current volunteers, with special emphasis on compassion for those in need and the importance of helping, on fostering hospice volunteering as a learning experience, and in accessing and building social networks around hospice volunteering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 84112, USA. sally.planalp@utah.edu
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Planalp
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trost
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001130:Arizona; D002322:Career Mobility; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009009:Montana; D009042:Motivation; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014589:Utah; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data