Pinpointing suitable 'direct service' volunteers

Volunteering managers are challenged with finding individuals who are interested in performing a broad range of volunteering roles, which could include for example, board members, accountants and gardeners. This study extends the work of Heidrich (1990) by demonstrating that by splitting the segment of “direct service” volunteers into specific functions, groups of individuals with distinct lifestyle characteristics can be identified. Theoretically, the implication is that considering volunteering as a generic entity is of limited use, and that heterogeneity of volunteering functions must be accounted for. Practically, the contribution lies in providing insight to volunteer managers about to the importance of developing customised marketing campaigns to attract volunteers for specific functions, the interests of whom match the volunteering organisation’s recruitment needs.