Are initial volunteer goals or alignment with coordinators’ goals important for success?
Daniel Schuler School for Field Studies Centre for Rainforest Studies Yungaburra, Queensland AUS December 6, 2008
Leading Advisor: David Manahan Research Partners: Joseph Balich, Nora Oliver, Alice Reznickova, and Kathy Sprowles
Abstract: Non-governmental organizations rely on the efforts and passions of volunteers to obtain group goals. This study investigated the role of goals in volunteer effectiveness in three conservation organizations of far north Queensland, AUS: Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands (TREAT), the Tolga Bat Hospital, and the Yungaburra Landcare group. Aims of the study were to conclude when volunteers set goals, why they set goals, and how they compare to those of the organizations’ coordinators. Using participant observation, a study survey, along with formal and informal interviews I was able to identify elements that influence the success of the organizational structure, initial goal setting, as well as the dynamics of the volunteer/coordinator relationship in these three conservation agencies. I concluded that volunteer effectiveness is limited, and does not necessarily correlate with initial vertical goal alignment. A secondary conclusion was found that volunteer goal setting often occurs retrospectively. The implications of these findings suggest that volunteer goals can successfully be fostered to align with mission goals, as well as the notion that concrete success of an organization is not necessarily needed to gain volunteers’ trust.
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