reviving the relay

Action Research Project

Reviving the Relay for Life:

Motivational Factors to Plan a Cancer Related Fundraiser

Karen Pilarski

Pauline Robert College: Fall 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………..3

INTRODUCTION 4

CONTEXT 7

LITERATURE REVIEW 11

Definition of needs 12

Theatrical Framework: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs…………………………… 13

Impact of Motivation on Retention of Volunteers 16

Retaining Volunteers: Individual and College Gains 17

Retaining College Volunteers 19

Strategies to Engage Volunteers in Fundraising Activity 23

Planning a college Event 23

Event Promotion 24

Breast cancer movement: Research study on volunteering 27

METHODOLOGY 32

POPULATION AND SAMPLE 32

RESEARCH METHOD 33

DATA SOURCES 34

PROCEDURES 34

OPERATIONALIZATION OF CONCEPTS 36

TRUSTWORTHINESS 40

Credibility 40

Applicability 41

Consistency/Auditability 41

ETHICS 42

DATA ANALYSIS 43

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….69

APPENDICES 70

REFERENCES 79

Karen Pilarski Reviving the Relay for Life TLA 750

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ABSTRACT

Research indicates that in order to retain and recruit volunteers it is important to

understand the importance of motivational factors. The purpose of this research was to find out

specifically what motivational factors are prevalent among members of Pauline Robert College.

In finding out the motivational factors, it is possible to draw up some motivational strategies.

The strategies determined will be used for the recruitment and retaining of potential volunteers

for the Relay for Life event. The use of the data is helpful in deciding how gain involvement

from potential participants, planners and donors. Furthermore is the question of how to market

the actual event in order to revive it once again.


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For three consecutive years the Relay for Life event has been held at Pauline Robert

College. The Relay is a cancer fundraiser event created by the American Cancer Society. The

two day event includes a survivor walking lap, luminary ceremony and family friendly activities.

Examples of activities include a disc jockey, face painting and games. A fundraising method

used is to sell white bags for participants to decorate. The luminary bags are used as candles

during a ceremony. Names are read in memory of loved ones who have passed away from

cancer. The The Relay is required to be an overnight event. The Relay at Pauline Robert was

previously scheduled in April since there are fewer students around during the summer. The last

year it was held was in September, 2010. Relay is a large scale event that requires a huge amount

of time, organization and collaboration between students, staff, faculty and Pauline Robert

community. Without time, organization and collaboration amount the Pauline Robert

Community, the Relay for Life may never be planned again.

Problem Statement

According to a memo to the 2010 Relay Team members from the Dean of Students

(10/6/10) it was cautioned that the Relay event could possibly no longer be offered. The reasons

were a lack of volunteers to plan/coordinate the event. The planning is broken up into

committees and is under the direction of two appointed chairs. In a conversation with the Office

Manager of Division of Student Affairs, she stated “After three years of the same people

planning the event, people just got burnt out and didn’t want to continue to take on large amounts

of planning” (5/20/12). A student and a student group both volunteered but were unable to

recruit volunteer coordinators. The lack of volunteers has resulted in no Relay for Life being held

at Pauline Robert College in 2011. Other noted challenges were weather, recruiting teams and

fundraising. Weather has been a challenge because the last two years of the Relay it was very


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windy and cold. In April, 2009, the weather was so windy the participants had to sleep indoors.

Recruiting teams is tied to fundraising. When a team member is recruited he or she pays a fee for

their registration to the event. If enough teams are not recruited then there is a decrease in the

amount of money the event takes in.

Rationale for Continuation of Relay

The Relay for Life is important to me because my aunt Pauline passed away from

pancreatic cancer in 2008. My uncle Robert “Butch” passed away in August 2012 from cancer.

In October 2012, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with stage two breast cancers. I have had other

relatives, friends and colleagues survive and lose battles with cancer. Having a cancer walk or

Relay is a personal way for me to remember my loved ones. As important is the opportunity for

the Pauline Robert community to do the same. As an alum and staff member, I’m invested in

Pauline Robert College and the development of the community.

Cancer related fundraising events have potential benefits for the Pauline Robert

community. It creates an opportunity for students to have social interaction and build

relationships. Since the event is open to the community, there is a chance to meet new people

(alums, staff members and friends of students). With each new relationship a tie to the

community is made. A student may meet an alumnae or someone who works in the community.

Not only does social interaction occur but the possibility of networking for a job or other

volunteering opportunities. Social interaction is one of the core eight abilities at Pauline Robert

College. The Relay or smaller form of it would be a great outlet to practice the ability.

Fundraising events have the potential to gain attention of the media. This is positive

publicity for Pauline Robert College. Through news stories the Pauline Robert name is put out in


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the media (local news stations, social media, and blogging). This type of attention could impress

potential students and invite them to learn more about the college.

The current economic state is unstable. There are high unemployment rates throughout

the United States. To register for the Relay event the individual has to pay a fee to participate.

The donations benefit the American Cancer Society. Due to the economy it may be difficult for

the community to donate money. Especially college students who have to deal with job

uncertainty, financial aid challenges and higher tuition costs. In a conversation (7/5/12) with the

Dean of Students, it was expressed there is concern students are donating or volunteering

elsewhere. The concern is if students are participating in another charity, they may feel there is

not a great need for this fundraiser. Instead of having a two day Relay event, it could be

beneficial to have a smaller scale event. A one day event may be easier to plan and less of a

commitment to participants. Also a one day event could decrease the financial burden for

students worrying about paying a fee to participate.

Development of Research Question

In feedback conversations with the Office Manager and Dean of Students, the possibility

was raised of designing a smaller scale cancer event at Pauline Robert College. It was felt that a

one day event might have a better response from the Pauline Robert Community. The research

question which guided the action research project is: What motivational strategies are effective

in recruiting and retaining college volunteers so that cancer fundraisers can be successfully

designed and implemented?

First I found literature that defines what motivation is. This helped me build a foundation

of understanding. I researched literature that helped answer the following questions: What are


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benefits for students to volunteer? How can this information be used to gain involvement and

commitment? In addition I researched reasons that prevent college students from staying

involved.

Secondly, I researched the history of the breast cancer movement. Breast cancer is

prevalent especially in a population of mostly women, although men can have breast cancer as

well. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. It is estimated that more

than 1.6 million new cases of breast cancer occurred among women worldwide in 2010”

(komen.org)

Pauline Robert College is primarily a woman’s college and the community might respond

better to a breast cancer event. Through the use of surveys and a focus group to Pauline Robert

community, I found data to support the need for the Relay for Life. I also found data to support

the desire to have a breast cancer awareness event held on campus.

Lastly, I determined good strategies to engage volunteers in fundraising activities. My

literature research also pinpointed some attributes that make volunteers succeed in planning

cancer fund raising events. It is important for a sensitive topic such as cancer to be held in a

compassionate and delicate manner. Time management skills are necessary to complete any task.

In addition it is imperative for volunteers to have adequate problem solving skills. What is a

good screening process to recruit and retain potential volunteers? For example what type of

benefits would encourage volunteers to commit to this fundraising event?

Context

Pauline Robert College is a private four-year, liberal arts, and Catholic college. It is

located in Milwaukee, WI. Pauline Robert College strives for the successful development and


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education of women. The academic institution is primarily a women’s college. With the addition

of Master’s degree programs, men are able to enroll at Pauline Robert as well. As of spring 2012,

there are 1641 weekday students, 245 weekend college students and 377 graduate students.

Pauline Robert College has 357 full time employees and 173 part time employees.

One aspect of Pauline Robert College is to have an ongoing collaborative learning

environment. Faculty, staff and students work together to create a supportive network in which to

learn from each other. Learning doesn’t end when the class ends. Knowledge can be applied to

the real world.

Pauline Robert College has an acclaimed ability based program. Unlike other higher

education institutions, Pauline Robert College does not measure students by grades but by

ability. Pauline Robert College ranked first in the Midwest for doing "the best job of educating

undergrads," in U.S. News & World Report. (Pauline Robert College website, 2012). The

education at Pauline Robert is not based on competition nor letter grades. The education is well

rounded by gaining knowledge that spans different fields of study. A personal example is taking

a creative writing course and then I used those skills in a paper for a religious studies class. The

assignment asked me to provide my own definition of what heaven is. I used creative writing

techniques and applied them to the assignment.

Pauline Robert has eight core abilities that undergrad students need to master. They are

communication, problem solving, social interaction, effective citizenship, analysis, valuing,

developing a global perspective and aesthetic engagement.

The community is committed to creating ties to the community. As part of college’s

mission, Pauline Robert continues to develop and foster relationships with businesses,


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non-profit organizations and professionals in various industries. These relationships help

understand and meet the needs of a changing workplace, effectively preparing you to not

only enter a career, but to become a leader. (Pauline Robert College website, 2012, para.

7)

2012 is a landmark year for Pauline Robert. The prestigious college is celebrating its 125th

anniversary. As a way of acknowledging the anniversary, an initiative called Caring Counts was

developed. The community is encouraged to volunteer and log in hours spent giving back to the

community. The goal is to record 125,000 hours by December 31, 2012. As of June 2012, 156,

365 hours have been recorded. Students are the current top volunteer contributors followed

closely by the School Sisters of St. Francis. The goal of the Caring Counts initiative has been

surpassed. The initiative doesn’t have to end on December 31st, 2012. Planning and organizing a

cancer related event would support the Caring Counts initiative by encouraging the college

community to keep volunteering.

For my research project, the initial collaborators were the Pauline Robert College Student

Affairs department. The Dean of Students has been an employee since 1980. The Office

Manager has been an employee since 2002. Both are alums of the college. They have been part

of the Relay for Life event from the start. Both women bring a wealth of knowledge and

organization that is needed to plan events for the community. Student Affairs works with the

community to create and deliver programs and services to support students. The department

office is located by the athletic office and fitness center. On the Pauline Robert website the

following is stated as the resources the department offers:

Advocating for students when appropriate


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Communicating College policies and procedures

Serving as a resource and providing information about the College and campus

Assisting with student grievances, behavior issues, sexual assault, harassment,

violence, and crisis situations

Provide leadership and support for the departments within Student Affairs

“Student Affairs prepares students personally and professionally for success at Pauline

Robert College and beyond. We encourage students and their families to take advantage of

our various programs and services” (Pauline Robert College website, 2012, para 2). The key

ingredient is to understand how the community can be persuaded to volunteer and take an

active role in planning of programs that supports the Pauline Robert atmosphere.

Student Affairs consists of seven employees and four student workers. There is the Dean,

Assistant Dean (who also works in Residence Life), Student Affairs Office Manager and

Administrative Assistant. I work in Admissions Office as a Document Secretary. My role in

Student Affairs is voluntary for this research project.

The results of my research project will be presented to the Dean of Students and Office

Manager of the Division of Student Affairs. The purpose of this presentation is to help plan and

design a cancer related fundraising event that fits the needs of the Pauline Robert College

community. The action part of my research seeks to determine what type of event should be

created.

For my research design I used a mixed methods approach. First I conducted a survey to

the Pauline Robert Community. I asked them to respond to questions about cancer related events.

Based on responses from the survey, I facilitated a focus group. In the focus group(s) I discussed


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the survey results. I asked participants of the focus group to give feedback on common responses

from the survey. In order to get a better idea of the thoughts of the Pauline Robert community, I

engaged them in group activity.

The goal of this action research was to gain an understanding of the needs of the Pauline

Robert community in relation to volunteering opportunities. Pauline Robert College is a

collaborative learning environment and by encouraging reflective responses it aligns with that

core value of the college.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The research question which guided this action research project was: What motivational

strategies are effective in recruiting and retaining college volunteers so that fundraisers can be

successfully designed and implemented? The following literature review consists of scholarly

articles that define what motivation is; how motivation is related to the retention of volunteers in

general and in the college community; and what constitutes a successful design and

implementation of a fundraiser. In addition, there is a brief history on breast cancer, which is the

inspiration for developing a fundraiser at Pauline Robert College. The cancer fundraising event

will bring awareness to this deadly disease. I used Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1954) as a

framework to understand what motivates people and how physiological and emotional needs

effect motivations.


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Definition of Needs

Needs or motivations are reasons that make a person act. Mannell and Kleiber (as cited in

Gage & Thapa, 2012) describe a motivational model that explains four components: needs

(motivations), behaviors (activities), goals (satisfaction), and feedback. Motivations are factors

that trigger a person to do an action. An example is a person wanting to meet new people. The

motivation is for social reasons. The activity or behavior is volunteering through an organization.

The goal would be to make relationships. The feedback would be shown through continuing of

the activity. If the person didn’t make friends the feedback would most likely be negative. If the

feedback is negative then the person would not continue with volunteering at the organization.

The reason is because the goals were not met.

There are two stages of motivations that cause a person to act. “First disequilibrium is

created that causes a desire to correct the imbalance” (Gage & Thapa, 2012, p.408). The

disequilibrium is an imbalance. The imbalance could be from hunger or thirst (physical

reactions) or sadness. Another example is a college student who feels sadness over a family

member having cancer.

The second stage is when the college student realizes or thinks a certain action will

satisfy the imbalance. Gage and Thapa (2012) further explain that only after the need is realized

can the individual do the action to ‘satisfy’ the need. An example would be the college student

dealing with a family member with cancer. She or he may seek out ways to feel better. Some

ways could be finding a support network or volunteering for an event that honors the loved one.

After the person does the action, the satisfaction of completing the action can be measured.


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When an action is completed, the action satisfies a need. The authors state “The

individual will feel satisfied and will show positive feedback” (Gage and Thapa, p. 408). Positive

feedback could be performing an action such as volunteering again in the future. If the action

(behavior) fails to satisfy a need, the individual will have a negative reaction. In terms of

volunteering, a negative reaction could be losing interest in the activity. In summary, it is

important to understand volunteer participant physiological and emotional needs in order to

satisfy them. When a volunteer’s needs (emotional or physical) are met, they will be more

motivated to stay committed to an organization.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Hierarchy refers to stages of a feeling, person or thing arranged in a ranked order of

importance. Physiological drives are biological impulses that have been with a person since

birth. “The needs that are usually taken as the starting point for motivation theory are the so-

called physiological drives” (Maslow, 1954, p. 35). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs framework

describes the emotional and physical needs of a person. The model is typically displayed in a

pyramid with psychological needs on the bottom and self-actualization at the top of the pyramid.


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The specific needs are:

1. Psychological Needs

2. Safety

3. Love

4. Esteem Needs

5. Self-Actualization

Examples of psychological needs are sleep, food, sex and thirst (Maslow, 1954). The

psychological need can be satisfied by getting a good rest, eating, being intimate or drinking a

beverage. Similar to the motivation model (Gage and Thapa, 2012), when there is an imbalance


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of needs, a person tries to correct the imbalance by an action/behavior. “In a human being who is

missing everything in life in an extreme fashion, it is most likely that the major motivation would

be for the physiological need rather than others” (p. 37). Maslow uses the example of a person

who is lacking food, safety, love and esteem would want and seek food over anything else.

Maslow states that “if needs are not satisfied then they are ‘dominated’ by the physiological

needs, all the other needs may become simply nonexistent or pushed into the background” (p.

37).

The safety needs are stability, security and freedom from anxiety and fear (Maslow, 1954)

Maslow says people want a safe, orderly and lawful world. People want the feeling of peace.

They do not want to be afraid of being murdered or going to jail. Participants in cancer

fundraisers do not want to be scared of getting cancer. The point of having a cancer event is to

raise awareness not fear.

“If both the physiological and safety needs are fairly well gratified, there will emerge the

love and belongings needs.” (Maslow, 1954, p. 39). Some reasons for college volunteerism have

to do with making friends or feeling like a part of the group. Maslow explains that a person who

met the psychological and safety needs will feel saddened by the loss or lack of friends. “He will

hunger for affectionate relationships with people in general, namely for a place in his group or

family, and he will strive greatly to achieve this goal” (p. 39). For people involved in breast

cancer walks, they may seek relationships with people who are dealing with cancer in their lives.

They want to be around people who are going through similar experiences.

Maslow (1954) says all people in our society have a need for a stable vision of

themselves which relates to the esteem need. He also says people want others to think highly of

them too. He describes two types of the self-esteem needs. The first type of self-esteem need is


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the desire for strength, achievement, and confidence to face the world. The second type is

reputation of one’s self. People want recognition, attention and appreciation. When someone

feels they are making a difference or having an impact (measured through appreciation) on a

cause they feel a personal connection. Providing that connection is a good method to motivate

the college community to keep volunteering.

Maslow cautions that “if all these needs are satisfied, we may still often expect that a

new discontent and restlessness will develop, unless the individual is doing what he is fitted for”

(Maslow, 1954, p. 46). He uses the example of a musician and how he must make music to feel

satisfied. His philosophy of doing what you are ‘fitted’ for can be applied to volunteerism. If

college student is good at art, then she could design posters for a cancer fundraiser. A college

student who loves to write could help write out meeting minutes or a press release. It is important

to find one’s fit in order to feel satisfied and have self-actualization. Understanding needs and

motivations will help to gain retention of volunteers. Volunteers don’t want their time wasted

just standing around. There needs to be an inventory of skills among volunteers to determine the

appropriate fit. Lastly, putting the right people in the right role is a good motivational strategy to

keep volunteers invested in an event.

Impact of Motivation on Retention of Volunteers

In order to retain volunteers it is important to understand the impact of motivations.

Unlike a job, volunteering is unpaid and takes up personal time. “Attracting and retaining

volunteers are two great challenges facing agencies that are dependent on individuals to give

their time and talents without financial remuneration” (Harteian & Lilly, 2009, p. 97). The

authors discuss underlying motivations and the effect on volunteer retention. Altruistic and


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egotistical motivations are noted as two types of motivation to volunteer. Altruistic motivation is

defined as “concern about other’s welfare and engage in behaviors designed to help others, often

at a great personal expense” (p. 97). Egotistical motivation is defined as a reason to improve

one’s welfare. Due to the desire to improve one’s welfare, egotistical reasons are generally seen

as negative. The authors explain because more concern is for a person’s own agenda (e.g. getting

a raise, making friends, looking good in front of coworkers) the motivation is seen as negative.

Harteian and Lilly (2009) clarify that personal reasons for volunteering are not

necessarily selfish. Both altruistic and egotistical motivations can reside in the same person.

“When a person volunteers, he or she simultaneously fulfills an external need to help others” (p.

98).

Gaga and Thapa (2012) agree with Harteian and Lilly (2009) that in order to

retain volunteers there needs to be an understanding of reasons that push people to volunteer.

Gage and Thapa state “Although altruism may lead a person to volunteer initially, self-interested

motivations are more important for continued participation” (p. 40). Self-interested motivations

are potential personal rewards such as praise from a boss or a potential job opportunity. Laverie

and McDonald (2007) also discuss personal rewards or benefits. “Enduring involvement is

motivated by the volunteer’s experience of personal benefits including social, service, self-

confidence and self-esteem” (p. 276). Pinpointing the potential benefits to motivate a person to

volunteer could help increase recruitment and retention of volunteers.

Retaining Volunteers: Individual and College Gains

The relationship between volunteers and non-profit organizations such Pauline Robert

College is mutually beneficial (Garner & Garner, 2010). Pauline Robert College receives


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positive publicity such as broadcasted news stories. The volunteer gets his/her needs met such as

making friends or gaining a potential job skill. Garner and Garner caution that when something

goes wrong the volunteer may not stick with the volunteer activity. The reason is the volunteer is

not being paid for their service and there is no set incentive like a paid employee would have. As

Galindo-Kuhn and Guzley ( As cited in, 2010,) discuss four dimensions of satisfaction. The first

two are satisfaction with organizational support and satisfaction with participation efficacy.

Organizational support is when the volunteer is satisfied with training, planning and support for

the tasks that they do. Participation efficacy is the feeling of making a difference from the tasks

that are completed. The third dimension is empowerment which is the freedom of completing the

tasks as the volunteer sees fit. The fourth dimension is satisfaction with group integration. This is

how content volunteers are with relationships within the volunteer activity. The authors explain

that volunteers have to choice to give feedback or state reasons for lack of satisfaction. They

state “when volunteers are dissatisfied they have the option to voice their dissatisfaction, to leave

the organization, silently live with the dissatisfaction, or reduce their effort they put into their

duties” (p. 816).

Garner and Garner (2010) discuss that motivation is an important variable in

understanding the relationships between communication and satisfaction of the volunteer. They

ask the question of how a person is motivated to volunteer without a reward of being paid.

Garner and Garner (2010) state that non-profit organizations should consider motivations

when recruiting volunteers. One strategy to screen volunteers is to use an intake questionnaire or

interview. The questionnaire or interview asks about motivations of volunteers. The purpose of

such a questionnaire is to put volunteers in the right volunteering position that has the best fit the

organization and the volunteer’s needs. Organizations should place volunteers in positions that


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provide them the ability to make relationships. Constructive feedback about the volunteer’s

experience should be encouraged. The feedback will assist in retaining the volunteer in the

organization. Receiving feedback helps organizations understand frustrations and constraints of

volunteers in order to address them. This is similar to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The

motivations represented show more emphasis on self-esteem benefits (recognition). Providing an

outlet for volunteers to air frustrations can be a tool in retaining them as volunteers.

Retaining College Volunteers

“Burnout in college students is an issue of concern due to the various demands of

college life and the probable adverse impact on their learning as well as their well-being” (Kao,

2009). Kao references a study done by Dahlin and Runeson (2007) of medical students who felt

burned out. The conclusion of the study states that “to feel self-worth, students feel compelled to

achieve extraordinary accomplishments” (p. 3). A lack of self-worth leads to exhaustion and

disengagement. There is an ‘emotional payoff’ in the form of new skills that will provide job

recognition. Job recognition means students can increase their employability by gaining skills

such teamwork or problem solving to their resumes. This puts college students in a good position

to gain a better job. This type of motivation or benefit will keep students committed to the

volunteer activity.

There are also constraints that can hinder student volunteers (Kao, 2009, p. 3). A possible

constraint is that volunteering may take time away from the student’s studies. How students

measure their workload (studies, work, and relationships) is subjective. If college students feel

they have too much to do, students will feel burned out. Garner and Garner (2010) discussed the

need for constructive feedback of volunteers who feel burned out. “Students who are aware of


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their emotions can use that awareness to apply constructive strategies to reduce the tension and

stress caused by demanding situations” (p. 3). Sharing feelings and perceptions influences the

group morale. Expressing frustrations helps release stress. The authors discuss how the freedom

to give feedback creates an atmosphere where people feel safe to share feelings. The more

positive the group is the higher the morale is. The positivity of the group will help decrease the

feeling of burn out among students.

Gage and Thapa (2012) say “many people seek out opportunities to help others as a way

to satisfy their own needs” (p. 406). They point out that self-interested (egotistical) motives are

important for retention of volunteers. Egotistical reasons are what Kao (2009) stated as

‘emotional payoff’ or incentives to stay invested in the volunteer activity. In a study by Gage and

Thapa (2012), the purpose was to investigate the motivational factors of undergraduate students

to volunteer. The study researched volunteer characteristics, scope of volunteerism, and type of

contributions of volunteers. In addition, the researchers looked at constraints of volunteers. The

respondents in the study were selected from a beginning level undergraduate course with three

sections at a large university. The university was located southeastern United States. Each

section had 100 students. The study was conducted in spring 2009. The respondents consisted of

freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. This university had a large student body and was

located in a rural area. There were an abundance of volunteer opportunities around and on the

campus. Students had access to parks, human service organizations and other volunteer options

near the campus.

Gage and Thapa (2012) developed an online survey on motivations for volunteering.

The survey had four sections: volunteer participation, volunteer motivations, constraints in


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volunteer participation, and socio demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and race, year

of schooling, major, and city of residence. There was no credit offered for doing the survey.

The researchers used a seven point Likert-type scale to measure the responses of the

survey. The scale that was used ranged from one (not at all important) to seven (extremely

important). The response rate was 88.5%. The respondents consisted of 62.1% women; and

78.3% were 21 years and younger. Of those who responded 60.6% were seniors in college. The

results of the survey indicated that in 12 months prior to the study 80.0% of the respondents had

volunteered for an organization. Of those who responded 40.2% said family introduced them to

volunteerism.

The second set of questions of the survey asked about motivations of volunteers (Gage &

Thapa, 2012). A descriptive analysis with mean scores of each item was conducted. Responses

regarding motivations to volunteer with the highest mean scores were “I feel it is important to

help others;” “I am concerned with those less fortunate than myself.” Some responses with the

lowest mean scores were “By volunteering, I feel less lonely” or “Volunteering is a good escape

from my own troubles.” One highlight of this study is that college students were found to be

more interested in furthering their career paths through volunteerism. The researchers suggested

this could be the result of the fact that many college students are not being employed on a full

time basis. Students seeking full time employment may volunteer because it could possibly lead

to a job.

The third research section consisted of questions on constraints of volunteers. The

mean values were calculated. Some of the highest mean responses were “I have too many

commitments;” also “I have no time to volunteer.” Fewer respondents indicated “I have an


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injury; handicap or ill health” or “I do not feel safe at volunteer sites.” The most common

objection college students had toward volunteerism was that it took up too much time. The time

would be better spent doing academic activities such as homework, reading and studying.

Gage and Thapa (2012) indicated that findings are not general in terms to the general

population of college students; the reason is because the sample was drawn from only one

university. Another limitation was the research was conducted in a state where volunteerism is a

standard or highly encouraged in high school. This could have produced some bias in the

responses.

Gage and Thapa (2012) concluded that volunteer managers on college campuses should

make good use of the student’s time. They encourage managers of volunteers to provide

programs that add an element of socialization and advancement of career goals. Both would be a

reward for volunteer participants. “Programs should highlight the importance of the program and

offer awards or recognition to volunteer” (p. 425).

Students often feel compelled to do great things such as volunteering or getting good

grades. If students feel a lack of self-worth, it may lead to exhaustion (burnout). Burnout in

college students is an issue of concern since it has negative effects on volunteerism. One way to

decrease the feeling of burnout is having volunteer activities that have some type of benefit. An

example of a benefit is acquiring a job skill to their resume. Another benefit is social relations

such as making friends. These two benefits satisfy the self-esteem and love and belonging need

(Maslow, 1954). The key to retaining volunteers is to make good use of student’s time and meet

their needs. In the following section are strategies on how to engage volunteers in fundraising

activities.


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Strategies to Engage Volunteers in Fundraising Activity

Planning a college event. In 1987 the National Girls and Women in Sports Day

(NGWSD) was created to honor Flora Hyman, a former Olympic athlete and supporter of girls

and women in sports. She passed away in 1986 from an undetected heart condition. Idaho State

University held the annual event starting in 1998. In 2009, NGWSD gained its largest number of

participants. Three hundred girls participated (Appleby & Pemberton, 2010). The purpose of the

event was to provide participants with an opportunity to sample sports and wellness activities. In

addition the purpose of the event was to “to create positive role-model connections between

young girls and college students and student-athletes” (p.34).

Pemberton was one of the creators of the event (Appleby & Pemberton, 2010). She

recalled challenges of planning an event such as seeking support, resources and volunteers. The

event creators spent time calling the college community to ask for volunteers. Calling the college

community is a personal way to communicate. Another strategy that was used was to provide a

potential gain/benefit. The first year they lowered the participation fee to not discourage

participation. The method used appealed to participants that may have had a financial strain. The

result was an increase in the number of participants. The strategies used to encourage persons to

volunteer for this event were to provide a potential gain to participants such a chance to build

relationships and do a healthy activity. Strategies such as these are important to planning events

which need volunteers in order to be a successful event.

Event planning. Appleby and Pemberton (2010) describe core tasks related to the

planning of fundraising or awareness events. The first step is deciding on a day and appropriate

location to hold the event. The significance of the month may drive people to volunteer and


24

participate in the event. Secondly, volunteers need to be recruited to help plan, manage and

promote the event. The creators of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) were

able to successfully recruit volunteers by word of mouth, personal connections, and

announcements in college classes.

Another step used is creating a committee. The National Girls and Women in Sports Day

NGWSD recruited a core planning committee of ten people. The committee consisted of a

faculty event coordinator, undergraduate and graduate coordinators and students. The planning

meetings were held monthly. The frequency of meetings increased as deadlines and tasks became

more urgent. Appleby and Pemberton recalled when the event was planned. The volunteers were

informed two months in advance of when the event would occur and their specific duties. The

volunteers were contacted two weeks before the event and then during the week of the event to

remind them of their commitment. Organization is a useful strategy to plan a fundraiser event.

Additionally, marketing or promotion of the fundraiser event is important to get potential

participants and volunteer’s attention.

Event promotion. Appleby and Pemberton (2010) state that to promote a successful

event such as National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) various media need to be

considered. One method is the use of flyers. The flyers should have contact information, event

time and date and place of the event. Appleby and Pemberton also discuss the importance of

using a specially designed t-shirt to promote an event. The same design and color has been used

for the National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) event for ten years. The shirts are

given to all participants and volunteers. “This branding serves to further promote the event when

repeat participants and volunteers accumulate and wear their NGWSD shirts not only during the

event, but as every-day wear” (p. 37). the t-shirts can be used as moving advertisements.


25

Students may wear the t-shirts around campus and while doing day to day activities such as

going to the store or while working.

When planning an event such as National Girls and Women in Sports Day or any activity

it is important to understand risks. Appleby and Pemberton (2010) say it is important to

understand possible risks and take them into consideration (p. 38). One risk the authors use is a

risk of injury. They say a qualified person in the sport or activity needs to be in place to safety

lead participants. Another risk for the National Girls and Women in Sport Day was that special

equipment or precautions might be needed. For example if there are activities such as swimming

or rock climbing.

In summary, various steps the National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) used

have been utilized by Pauline Robert College. An example is the use of a proclamation strategy

for the Caring Counts initiative. Wisconsin Mayor, Tom Barrett, signed a proclamation on April

20th

, 2012 that the date was to be considered “Pauline Robert College Day.” April 20th

is to

acknowledge the 125th anniversary of Pauline Robert College. This helps raise awareness and

promote the Pauline Robert College community. Using t-shirts is another strategy used in the

Relay for Life event. Participants are given a t-shirt with the Relay for Life logo and lists

sponsors of the event. In terms of risks, the Relay for Life or one day event does not have

strenuous activities. The event would consist of walking.

The action research project conducted researched: what motivational strategies are

effective in recruiting and retaining college volunteers so that fundraisers can be successfully

designed and implemented? The specific voluntary event to be researched is the Relay for Life or

creation of a one day cancer fundraiser event. The intent of the cancer fundraiser event is to raise


26

money for breast cancer research. To complete this section on engaging volunteers in fundraising

activities, a brief history on breast cancer research is given. The following sub section describes

breast cancer research history and includes fundraiser strategies specifically usable in such

activities as breast cancer events.

The Breast Cancer Research Movement

“Breast cancer advocacy in the United States did not simply begin when someone

decided to change something” (Braun, 2003, p. S101). Not only is this true of cancer advocacy

but breast cancer research as well. Thirty years ago “the big C,” was shrouded in secrecy. “The

breast is an external symbol of femininity” (Harvey & Strahilevitz, 2009, p. 27). Although there

are other female cancers such as cervical and ovarian, the breast is a body part that is external.

Cervical and ovarian cancer occurs inside the body therefore can be hidden from the naked eye.

A woman’s breasts can be seen especially by a loved one. Harvey and Strahilevitz (2009) state

that there is an emotional response to the plight of women because they are seen as ‘family.’ The

family life is “threatened” when a woman discovers she has breast cancer. (p. 27). Due to the

outpouring of brave people who have shared their stories, breast cancer has become less hidden

and more out in the open.

In 1982 Nancy Brinker started the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

This was in memory of her sister Susan “Suzy” Komen who lost her battle with breast cancer.

The movement gained momentum and popularity through the sharing of stories about “many

who already suffered personally or with loved ones through breast cancer” (p. 101). Public

figures such as Nancy Regan and Betty Ford helped shed the veil of secrecy by speaking about

their diagnoses and battles with breast cancer. The funds raised during cancer events go toward


27

breast cancer research. The Komen foundation through races and walks provides an opportunity

for men and women to do healthy activities. Also volunteers and participants become educated

about breast cancer (Braun, 2003). “The event spotlighted breast cancer survivors, allowing

women who had gone through breast cancer, to stand and be counted (p. S102).

Breast cancer movement: research study on volunteering. Blackstone (2004)

conducted a qualitative study during which she observed participants in Komen Foundation

events. She also observed the people who planned Komen Foundation events such as races and

walks. The study was conducted at a state affiliate office of the Komen Foundation from January

1999 until June 2000. Her study was initially part of project for a field’s method practicum and

later part of her dissertation. The purpose of the study was to analyze of the constructions of

activism and gender. Her analysis of data was based on field notes she took while volunteering at

the Komen office.

During the first six months of the research she was involved in monthly steering

committee and planning meetings to organize various Komen events. The affiliate office where

she volunteered was made up of mostly white, middle to upper class women volunteers. Most of

the volunteers were in their late 30’s to 60’s. Blackstone (2004) states “Komen’s work is about

empowering women to believe in themselves, and their rights, so that they will take initiative to

advocate for their own health and ensure that their doctor’s assist them in this endeavor.” (p.

359).

Through the use of observations noted in field notes, Blackstone used her field notes to

capture statements by participants. Her notes came from three months of participation in various

Komen events. In Blackstone’s study she found support for the idea that breast cancer events


28

provide a sense of relationships. In June 1999 she arrived on her first fundraiser event. She

recalled how a participant hugged her and said “welcome to the family” (p. 355). She observed

that some volunteers felt the event was fun and that their different tasks didn’t feel like work. A

participant was asked why she volunteered and she said “You meet so many neat women here.

They all care, are nice and just a great group of girls” (p. 357). Another response observed was

that the participant volunteered to “get out and have a good time” (p. 357). The sense of

relationships in a breast cancer fundraiser event satisfies the need for love and belonging.

She explains how gender is also used to appeal to the sense of belonging. She discussed

the Komen organization newsletter which used mothers, sisters and wives to gain support for

breast cancer events. An advertisement in the newsletter said “For our mothers, daughters,

sisters, we will support the Race for the Cure too” (p.359). She further points out in one

newsletter, the National Football League sponsorship advertisement appealed to women. The

advertisement was decorated in pink ribbons. The pink ribbon is the symbol of breast cancer.

The tag line read “NFL players always pay tribute to their biggest fans-their moms” (p. 359). The

researcher explains that the women volunteer as a way to feel connected to other women who

share common breast cancer experiences.

Similar to Blackstone’s (2004) research study, Edwards and Kreshel (2008) did a

qualitative case study of the 2001 Avon Breast Cancer Three Day Walk in Atlanta. The purpose

of the study was to find what the experience of the Avon walk meant to participants. Her data

sources included interviews of past Avon walkers and attending the closing ceremony of the

2000 day walk in Atlanta as observer. In addition, Edwards and Kreshel read Avon three day

communications such as newsletters and email communications. One interview participant in

particular provided her journal from the 2000 Atlanta Avon Walk. From looking at the journal


29

the researchers found the use of journaling was an effective data collecting tool. The journal

provided thoughtful feedback from the participant.

From the interview pool, eight participants were asked to keep an audio journal on their

experiences of participating in the 2001 Avon Walk. The participants varied in age, race and

gender, number of walks and relationship to breast cancer. Six journals were completed.

Participants were asked to return the audio journals within three weeks after the walk.

Edwards and Kreshel (2008) say “to begin to understand participants lived perception of

the walk, it is important to start with their motivations for walking and their perceptions of

themselves as participants in the experience” (p. 208). The researchers found the walk satisfied a

personal need. “For some it was a need to fight against a disease that had taken something from

them, their loved one, and their self-confidence” (p. 208). Other participants did the walk to find

self-esteem and feel good about themselves. One research participant said “Each year right

before the walk, I get the point where…I don’t like my life again and I kind of go through that

cycle. And then it is time for the walk and then I completed that walk and. Boom, I am renewed

and refreshed for another year. So in a way that is what keeps me coming back to do it each

year” (p. 209).

Edwards and Kreshel (2008) observed that the walk and training for the walk “provided

storytelling, friendship and bonding” (p. 214). She further noted that as participants walked

together and they also talked together. As one participant, Adelaide, recalls “We walked in the

rain one weekend, in the pouring rain and we walked the whole thing in the rain. This one girl,

she gave us this entire great recipe for broccoli slaw, and was walking up this really hard

hill…We were like “give us another ingredient. So now every time we hit a hill, we are like


30

‘broccoli slaw.” (p. 214). From the audio journals the researchers found collected statements to

mean the participants felt they were part of something important. Participant Mary Katherine

said “I think it was the first time in those three days I actually realized how many people came

together to do the same thing. It was kind of an overwhelming experience to know that many

people’s lives have been affected in some shape or form and I was just one person helping to

take on such a big cause” (p. 230).

Edwards and Kreshel (2008) and Blackstone (2004) both demonstrated that different

motivations bring participants to a fundraiser walk. There are different needs and experiences

such as to feel secure, feel good about one’s self and the need for social interaction. In addition,

qualitative data sources such as audio journals and observation notes provide an emotional

analysis of how breast cancer walks or events meet those specific needs. What brings people

together is the realization that they are all bringing awareness to breast cancer.

In summary, in order to attract and retain volunteers there needs to be an understanding

of reasons that push people to volunteer. Two motivations of volunteering are altruistic and

egotistical (Harteian & Lilly, 2009). Although egotistical reasons are considered selfish, this is

not necessarily the case. Both altruistic and egotistical motivations can reside in the same person.

Egotistical reasons may help in the retention of volunteers because it is considered a gain or

benefit.

In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs framework (Maslow, 1954) there are five levels to

describe the emotional and physical needs of a person. The needs are psychological, safety, love

and belonging, esteem and self-actualization needs. Similar to the motivation model (Gage &

Thapa, 2012) when there is an imbalance of needs, a person tries to correct the imbalance by an


31

action/behavior. Even if all needs are met, there may be some lingering discontent and

restlessness. In order to alleviate the discontent, people need to feel they are in the right ‘fit.’ For

volunteers in an organization they need to be placed in a role that fits their skills and interests.

Sharing feelings and perceptions influences the group morale.

Another issue is the feeling of burnout (Kao, 2009). A way of addressing burnout is the

sharing of frustrations. Expressing frustrations helps release stress. Additionally, the open

feedback creates an atmosphere where people feel safe to share feelings. The more positive the

group is the higher the morale is.

The first step of planning a fundraising event is deciding on a day and appropriate

location to hold the event (Appleby & Pemberton, 2010). The significance of the month may

influence people to volunteer and participate in the event. An example of this is holding a breast

cancer event in October (breast cancer awareness month). Organization is a useful strategy to

plan a fundraiser event. A committee should be formed and tasks given out to volunteers. Lastly,

event promotion needs to be considered. T-shirts may be a good marketing tool to increase

awareness of the event, the cause and sponsors of the event.

In both Blackstone (2004) and Edwards and Kreshel (2008) the study had a qualitative

approach. Blackstone conducted observations of participants and Edwards and Kreshel had

participants keep an audio journal. The researchers in both studies gained valuable feedback that

provided insight of the participants. Feedback included what motivates people to volunteer for

breast cancer events. The feedback from the audio journals and observations show how breast

cancer fundraisers influence other participants. The strategies from the literature review can be

utilized to determine motivational factors that could be used to recruit college volunteers. The


32

end result is so fundraisers can be successfully designed and implemented at Pauline Robert

College.

Methodology

The research question which guides this action research project is: What motivational

strategies are effective in recruiting and retaining college volunteers so that fundraisers can be

successfully designed and implemented? I have chosen the naturalistic paradigm. Naturalistic

paradigm is qualitative and applies to interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and case

studies. (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The following section describes the population, sampling,

research method, procedures, and data sources. Rationale for the methods is discussed under

each sub section.

Population

The population for this research study is faculty, staff and students at Pauline Robert

College. Enrollment for the college as of spring 2012 was 1641 weekday students, 245 weekend

college students and 377 graduate students. The college has 139 Faculty and 258 staff members.

Sample and sampling strategy. For my research I conducted a census survey using

survey monkey. The purpose of the survey is to find out what are motivations of volunteers at

Pauline Robert College. The Dean of Students used a network user list for students and emailed

out the link for my online survey. The Director of Human Resources used a network user list for

employees (staff and faculty) and sent out the link for the survey.

I work in the Admissions Office at Pauline Robert College. The reason I sent out surveys

to a large number of people is because it increased the probability of gathering responses. By


33

conducting a census, I had hoped to get enough responses for each population (students, staff,

and faculty and alumnae). From the pool of survey respondents, I did determine a realistic

number of participants for the focus groups. I had nine people who wanted to participate in a

focus group. This determined how many sessions I had. Creswell (2009) suggests six to eight

participants per group. My focus group had eight participants. The focus groups provided a

setting for Pauline Robert staff, faculty and students to express their own thoughts on the results

of the surveys. Also the focus groups provided a platform which allowed participants give their

opinions on the Relay for Life event. Through the use of the data sources I listed, I expected to

get an idea of what are motivational factors that influence people to volunteer. I gained feedback

about perceptions of the Relay for Life event and if the Relay should be condensed into a one

day event.

Research Method

For my research design I used a mixed methods approach. My specific method was an

online survey that asked Pauline Robert College community to respond to questions about what

motivators that cause them to volunteer, how frequently do they volunteer, what types of cancer

fundraising events would fit their needs, what are constraints to volunteering. The use of a

survey helped me to gain a picture of the current state of the problem, which is lack of

participation in the Relay for Life event. The email survey assisted in a quicker turnaround time

since people did not have to worry about turning in paper surveys. The survey was only sent out

and conducted once. Depending on availability and interest, the focus group was offered during a

lunch hour on a Friday. I did plan for one focus group to be held on a weekend but due to the low

interest only one was planned.


34

Data Sources

I used several data sources for my research project. The first data source was my

literature review which defined the following: What are different types of motivations (Gage &

Thapa, 2012), why people volunteer (Harteian & Lilly, 2009) and (Garner & Garner, 2010), what

are constraints of college students who volunteer (Kao, Y, 2009) and Maslow’s Hierarchy of

Needs (Maslow, 1954).

Secondly, I used the results of the electronic survey on motivations for volunteering and

the results of focus group discussions to pinpoint what motivates and hinders volunteerism at

Pauline Robert College. Once I had data from the survey responses, I applied that information to

determine motivational strategies to get participants to volunteer for cancer fundraiser. Lastly, a

journal was kept during the research project as a qualitative tool. The journal was used to capture

my thoughts, reflections of the survey and focus group processes.

Procedures

To obtain data from the Pauline Robert College community, I conducted a survey of

students, staff, alumnae and faculty to understand what motivates them to volunteer and focus

groups to discuss responses of the survey.

Pre-implementation procedures. The first task that I completed was to gather data

through conversations with past Relay for Life committee members and coordinators. The

conversations allowed me to gain insight into suspected reasons why the Relay is no longer

offered and potential solutions to the problem. In addition, I had conversations with the Dean of

Students and Office Manager in Student Affairs to discuss the rationale behind my research and

creation of survey questions. The next step I did was review the rationale of my study with the


35

Director of Human Resources. I needed to gain permission from the Dean of students and

Director of Human Resources before proceeding with emailing faculty, staff and students.

Therefore I need to write the letters of consent (See Appendix C-D).

The final step before implementation was to email the link and text of an email to both

the Director of Human Resources and Dean of Students. They used network user lists to send my

email out to everyone at Pauline Robert College.

Implementation procedures. I administered the surveys using survey monkey in the

fall, 2012. The use of survey monkey kept responses confidential and private. Results were

accessed through the survey monkey website. There was no indication of who the responses

came from. Furthermore, no questions were asked that gave specific clues to participant

identities. The last question of the survey asked if the respondent would be interested in a focus

group. The respondent was asked to email me. This kept the identity on the survey confidential.

A time frame of two weeks was given before closing the online survey. The rationale for two

weeks was so people who had different schedules especially students could respond. There are

students who attend Pauline Robert on the weekend, weekday or evenings. Additionally, faculty

has a variety of office hours. Prior to planning the focus group(s) results of the survey was

discussed with the Dean of Students. The focus group(s) was conducted in fall, 2012. The focus

group was a platform for participants to discuss responses of the survey and if they agree with

the findings. After the discussion of the survey results a group activity occurred.

The following questions were asked during the focus group session. I displayed

newsprint on the walls for participants to write suggestions under each heading. Participants

were allowed to freely move around and write responses on the wall to the following questions:


36

1. What motivated you to participate in this focus group?

2. What type of support do you need to stay committed to planning an event?

3. What are your thoughts on the Relay for Life event?

4. How can Pauline Robert make the Relay event better in the future?

The focus group questions tied into the survey by having related questions about

motivations and cancer fundraisers. The focus group asks specific questions about the Relay

event such as ways to improve the Relay in the future.

Operationalization of Concepts/Variables (Measurement)

In the literature review, I found that in order retain volunteers for any organization that

it is important to understand the impact of motivation (Harteian & Lilly, 2009). Motivation is

based on needs or impulses. There are several levels of needs a person needs to achieve in order

to be satisfied. The different needs are psychological, safety, love, esteem needs and self-

actualization (Maslow, 1954). Altruistic (selfless) and egotistical (self-centered) reasons are two

types of motivations that influence volunteerism. Although altruistic motivations usually are

reasons for initial volunteering, egotistical motivations are what keeps people committed (Gage

& Thapa, 2012). Burnout or the feeling of excessive workload is a constraint for college

students (Kao, 2009). A method to decrease this feeling is to plan an event that makes good use

of the student’s time (Gage & Thapa, 2012). In two research studies (Blackstone, 2004; Edwards

& Kreshel, 2008) they noted that different motivations bring participants to a cancer fundraiser

walk. What holds people together is the realization that they are doing the same thing which is

bringing awareness to breast cancer. The research question for my study is: What motivational


37

strategies are effective in recruiting college volunteers so that cancer fundraisers can be

successfully designed and implemented? To design the survey and focus group topics and

questions, I needed to base these on the following specific terms from my literature review:

Table 1: Operationalization of Terms

Term Concepts Indicators (See what appendices for

the full survey)

Needs

(Maslow, 1954)

Psychological, safety,

love, esteem needs and

self-actualization

Survey question 3: In the past three year

have you volunteered?

Focus group question 2: What type of

support do you need to stay committed to

planning an event?

Motivation

(Gage & Thapa, 2012)

Altruistic -improve

other’s welfare,

Egotistical-improve

one’s welfare,

Survey question 4: If no, what was the

reason for not volunteering?

Survey question 5: In the past year how

many times have you volunteered?

Survey question 6: What motivates you

to volunteer?

Motivational Factors

Harteian & Lilly

(2009)

Understanding personal

rewards or benefits such

as social (making

friends), service, self-

confidence

(recognition) and self-

esteem (feeling good

about one’s self)

Survey question 4: If no, what was the

reason for not volunteering?



Survey question 6: What motivates you

to volunteer?

Survey question 7: How do you choose

where you volunteer?

Focus group question 1: What

motivated you to participate in this focus

group?




38

planning an event?

Volunteering


Investigate the

motivational factors of

undergraduate students

to volunteer. Volunteer

characteristics, scope of

volunteerism, and type

of contributions of

volunteers

Survey question 3: In the past three

years, have you been a volunteer?



Survey question 8: What types of

organizations have you served as a

volunteer?

Volunteer Retention

(Harteian & Lilly,

2009)

(Garner & Garner,

2010).


Understanding of

reasons that push people

to volunteer

Four levels of

satisfaction (organizational support,

satisfaction with

participation efficacy,

satisfaction of training,

participation efficacy,

and empowerment)

Making good use of

student’s time.


many times have you volunteered? What

motivates you to volunteer?

Survey question 10: Think about the

most recent volunteer experience where

you actually stopped volunteering. What

was the main reason why you stopped?

Survey question 11: What factors do

you think could have encouraged your

continued involvement with the

organizations?



planning an event?

Constraints to

volunteering

(Kao, 2009

Potential blocks to

volunteering such as

school work, family

responsibilities or

exhaustion

Survey question 6: What is the main

reason that has caused you to stop

volunteering in the past?

Cancer fundraiser

(Blackstone, 2004)

Types of cancer

awareness events

wanted at Pauline

Robert College

Survey question 7: Have you

participated in a cancer related fund

raiser event before?

Survey question 14: To what charity or

non-profit organization did you last

donate?



39

many times have you volunteered? What

motivates you to volunteer?

Survey question 13: What type of

cancer awareness event would you like to

see held at Pauline Robert College?

Focus group question 3: What are your

thoughts on the Relay for Life event?

Focus group question 4: How can

Pauline Robert make the Relay event

better in the future?

Breast Cancer

(Blackstone, 2004)

(Braun, 2003)

(Harvey &

Strahilevitz, 2009)

Breast cancer events

provide a sense of

relationships

walks provides an

opportunity for men and

women to do healthy

activities

A cancer walk

“provided storytelling,

friendship and bonding”

Survey question 13: What type of

cancer awareness event would you like to

see held at Pauline Robert College?

Survey question 14: To what charity or

non-profit organization did you last

donate?

Planning Events

(Appleby &

Pemberton, 2010).

Challenges of planning

an event such as

seeking support,

resources and

volunteers.

Identify gains to

participants such a

chance to build

relationships and do a

healthy activity

Marketing or promotion

of the fundraiser event

Survey question 9: Would you be

interested in participating in a focus

group to discuss planning a cancer

related fund raising event at Pauline

Robert College?

Focus group question 1: What

motivated you to participate in this focus

group?



planning an event?

Focus group question 3: What are your

thoughts on the Relay for Life event?

Focus group question 4: How can

Pauline Robert make the Relay event

better in the future?


40

The table above shows themes in the literature review and how I planned to

operationalize specific terms used in my survey and focus group. From looking at my literature

review I have found that these nine terms guided my survey and focus group questions. The

terms are needs, motivations, motivational factors, volunteering, and volunteer retention,

constraints to volunteering, cancer fundraiser, breast cancer and planning an event.

Trustworthiness

The central question of trustworthiness defined by Lincoln and Guba (1985) is “How

can an inquirer persuade his or her audiences (including self) that the findings of an inquiry are

worth paying attention to, worth taking account of?” I am working from the Naturalistic

paradigm. Naturalistic paradigm is qualitative and applies to interviews, focus groups,

participant observation, and case studies. My data sources which are open ended surveys, a

focus group, a journal and literature review fall within this paradigm .There are three parts to this

paradigm which are truth value/credibility, applicability/transferability, and consistency/audit

ability. The following section describes these three components.

Creditability

Credibility means producing a study that has a thick description or interpretations that the

people having the experience would immediately recognize as their own. (Lincoln &and Guba,

1985) The research used a triangulation of data sources which are surveys on volunteerism and

motivations. My literature review includes terms such as needs, motivations, motivational

factors, volunteering, and retention of volunteers, constraints of volunteering, cancer breast

cancer fundraisers and planning an event. The literature review assists in building the argument


41

that there needs to be a cancer related fundraiser at Pauline Robert College. I did also use a

journal to record reflective thoughts on survey and focus groups observations. I had the Dean of

Students and Office Manager of Division of Student Affairs as peer collaborators. Both peer

collaborators had a meeting with me to discuss the survey and focus group questions. They

provided me with useful feedback and gave a different perception of the past Relay for Life

event. By playing ‘devil’s advocate’ both peer collaborators provided different viewpoints that

may have been initially missed.

Applicability/Transferability

Lincoln and Guba state that “the researcher has a responsibility to provide a “thick

description” about the context of the setting, human experiences in it, findings so that a

reader/audience can decide if the research context and findings are similar enough to the reader’s

situation to warrant transferability” (1985, p. 4) My research provided an introduction and

context of my research study. Also included in the introduction is a rationale for why my study

was conducted. The introduction gives a description of Pauline Robert College and the Relay for

Life event. The context gives a basic overview of the number of Pauline Robert College students,

staff and faculty. Creswell (2009) says when a researcher provides a detailed description of the

setting that the results become more realistic and richer. Due to these factors the research and

qualitative methods used can be transferred to other contexts.

Consistency/Audit ability

Lincoln and Guba (1985) discuss how a study and its findings are considered ‘consistent’

when the readers can follow the path or audit trail. “In a nutshell, if the researcher provides


42

insufficient evidence or draws unfounded interpretations or conclusions, the consistency is

weak” (p. 4). My research study provided a path or trail by first explaining my research

question, then providing a literature review based on concepts related to my question. Then I

used the concepts to create survey questions. The survey responses were discussed in a focus

group. Furthermore the use of a journal was a great tool to back up my interpretations. The

journal documents my reflections during the focus group. This was used as supporting evidence

of my data findings.

Ethics

Due to my relationship to Pauline Robert as an employee I have access to confidential

information such as email addresses, names and student identification numbers. I protected

anonymity by using pseudonyms for participants. Additionally, pseudonyms were used for both

survey and focus group responses. Using pseudonyms for participants allowed for privacy to

remain intact. It is important to state risks in research. Creswell (2009) states “Do not put

participants at risk, and respect vulnerable populations” (p. 89). Creswell also discusses that

researchers need to be aware of potential harmful or personal information being disclosed. One

risk was participants may fear being identified in the focus group and survey. Using pseudonyms

built trust with my participants. The participants will feel their personal information and

responses are safe and will not cause harm.

I did not share results of information I gathered from survey and focus group responses.

This includes anyone who isn’t affiliated with my research study. Survey responses were

gathered through surveymonkey.com. The survey generator keeps all responses confidential. As

previously stated, no questions were used that purposely gives away a participant’s identity.


43

To obtain consent I used an informed consent form (See Appendix B-D). The consent

form disclosed my identity and reasons for the study. The form was signed by participants. The

Office Manager of Division of Student Affairs signed a consent form as well.

The benefits of this research study were based in the fact that we at Pauline Robert

needed to create a cancer related fundraiser that meets the needs of Pauline Robert College. The

Relay for Life event is an important activity that takes a lot of work and collaboration. One of the

goals of this research is to determine if a smaller scale event would be more practical. The

benefits will hopefully outweigh any potential risks. The findings were shared with the peer

collaborators in order to decide the next steps of the planning process.

Data Analysis

Creswell (2009) uses a six step process to help researchers analyze qualitative data. The

first step is to organize and prepare the data. The data was initially organized by responses from

the survey, responses from focus groups and journal entries. The second step Creswell explains

is to read through all the data. The second step is where I made general conclusions about my

survey and focus group responses. This step involved the use of my journal to make additional

notes to capture the tone of the focus groups and participant responses. The third step was to

begin detailed analysis with a coding process. I organized survey responses by the following

categories: perceptions of motivations, constraints of volunteering, potential benefits, and

possible ideas for cancer related fundraisers. I typed up a transcript of my notes from the focus

group. The use of direct quotes from participants was sorted by the categories listed previously.


44

According to Creswell (2009) Step four is using a coding process to generate a

description of the setting or people, categories or themes for analysis (p. 189) Creswell defines

coding as a “process of organizing the material into chunks or segments of text before bringing

meaning to the information” (p. 186). From looking at responses I developed a chart of common

similar key words or ideas participants used. The chart helped me to sort direct quotes into the

proper categories. Through this step a narrative of the responses was created.

Step six (2009) is to make an interpretation or meaning of the data (p. 189). Creswell

suggests that researchers find what lessons were learned from the information collected. This

could be done by comparing information from the literature review such as the results of

previous studies on motivations of volunteers (Gapa & Thapa, 2012) and breast cancer events

Blackstone (2004) and Edwards and Kreshel (2008) to my survey results. A question that could

be raised is if any new information was obtained from my study regarding the question: What

strategies are effective in recruiting college volunteers so that fundraisers can be successfully

designed and implemented?

Using my data sources allowed me to come up with several themes from responses. The

following are volunteer populations at Alverno, motivations, motivational factors, volunteering,

and volunteer retention, constraints to volunteering, cancer fundraisers and Relay for Life.

Findings

Volunteer Population at Pauline Robert College College

An online survey was sent out to all network users at Pauline Robert College. The online

survey was kept open for two weeks. A total of 118 responses were tallied from survey monkey.

In order to understand the culture of Pauline Robert College in relation to volunteering, it is

important to look at varying aspects. Such aspects include the frequency of volunteering, and


45

what motivates the college community to volunteer. Of the 118 survey participants the

following results were found.

According to the survey results 27.1% of respondents were ages 50-59 years of age. 23.7% were

40-49 years of age. 16.9% of both 30-39 and 60+ responded. Only 11.9% of 21-29 year olds

responded. The lowest response rate was for 18-20 year olds at 3.4%.

Chart 1: Age Bracket


46

Of the 118 responses, 55.9% were staff members. 31.4% were faculty members.

Surprisingly 15.3% of community members (alums, friend of the college) responded while only

12.7% were students. The survey was not conducted during midterms or during a major holiday.

However, due to the low response of the younger age group, it was predicted that there would be

a smaller amount of student responses.

The survey participants were asked, have you been a volunteer in the past year? Ninety

two percent of respondents said yes while only 7.6% percent said no. It can be assumed that a

Chart 2: Affiliation with Pauline

Robert College


47

lack of volunteering is not the issue. In fact from the findings it is safe to conclude that the

college community volunteers on a regular basis.

In the past year 40.7% of participants said they volunteered between 8-10 times. Twenty

nine percent said 1-3 times a year. 23.7% answered 4-7 times a year. Only 8.5% of participants

said they didn’t volunteer. The survey asked what the main reason for not volunteering, if they

Chart 3: Volunteering Frequency


48

answered no or none to the previous two questions. 12 responses indicated time constraints.

Time constraints are from work, no free time or family obligations.

In the literature review, one of the major themes or ideas is that motivation is key to

recruiting and retaining volunteers for any organization. Also it is important to understand the

impact of motivation (Harteian & Lilly, 2009). Two motivations of volunteering are altruistic

and egotistical (Harteian & Lilly, 2009). Although egotistical reasons are considered selfish, this

is not necessarily the case. Both altruistic and egotistical motivations can reside in the same

person. From the responses to the first survey question it is apparent that there are often multi-

faceted reasons for volunteering or not volunteering.

Motivations

The top two motivations to volunteer are helping others, believing in the mission and

improving the community. The themes are presented in Table 2 with direct quotes to illustrate

their meaning. Approximately one third of the participants were motivated by either helping

others or believing in the mission.

Table 2 What Motivates You to Volunteer?

Themes Responses

Helping others

37 of the 118 responses

“What motivates me knows that I've done

something good for others. Volunteering is

truly rewarding, and I love seeing people's face

light up or hearing the 'thank you’d'.” Staff

member age 20-21 years old

“I love helping others. I volunteer with kids

mostly because I love to see the excitement

they get when they get an answer right or if

they accomplish something new.”

Community member age 20-21 years old


49

“Awareness of how lucky I am and feeling of

guilt because of most people not being so

fortunate.”

Faculty member age 30-39

“A desire to give back; to right my wrongs; to

set the example for my son and other children

in my life.”

Staff member age 40-49

“Giving my help to someone/someplace that

needs it makes me feel so good. I am here to

help. We are all here to help each other. That

makes the world a better place.”


“I receive so much more than I give. I learn

from each volunteer engagement.”

Staff member age 60

Believing in the Mission/Personal

Connection


“I enjoy giving my time to worthy causes

because I have seen the impact it has on

people's lives.”


“Caring for the cause, personal cause.”

Student, age 21-29

“Providing support to a cause or an

organization I respect and believe in.”

Faculty Member age 50-59

“Commitment to the vision and mission of the

organization. Also, it's a grass-roots

organization that needs assistance. Plus, it

creates opportunities for me to learn.”

Staff Member age 60+


50

The next highest motivations were improving the community reported by about 17% of

participants.

Improving the Community


“I love to help people, and also love to see my

community strive to be better every day.”

Student, age 19-20

“Commitment to contribute to my community,

engage with others, develop

personally/professionally, fun/social

connections”

Staff Member age 30-39

“Building a strong community & to give back

because I am very fortunate.”

Staff Member, age 40-49

“Giving back to the community is an

expression of thanks for my good fortune.”

Staff member, age 60

The next three motivational factors were religious reasons, knowing someone who was

affected by cancer and social reasons were given by approximately 6% of participants.

Religious Reasons


“To help the less fortunate and to follow Jesus'

teachings.”


“To help at my church and get involved with

the youth ministries.”

Staff member, age 50-59

Knowing someone who is affected by the

cause


“Motivation for me comes from having a close

family member having died from cancer.”

Community member, age 30-39

“Know someone who is part of an event and

he/she has asked me to help also. If I have the

time and interest, I will help.”

Staff member. Age 50-59

Social Reasons


“Work with friends and colleagues, mission of

the work.”



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Other motivations reported were undecided, career personal benefits, a sense of belonging to a

community. Two participants said there were unsure what motivates them to volunteer.

Career


“Resume experience and knowing I am making

a difference/helping others.”

Staff Member age 21-29

“Career opportunity.”

Community member

age 21-29

Not sure


N/A

Personal Benefits


“Better myself.”


Sense of Belonging


“The feeling of being part of a community. “


Family

1 response of 118 responses

“My family did volunteer work, my mother

especially: part of what I think is important:

think that service to community is part of my

responsibility.”


Motivational Factors

The survey also asked how the participant choses where they volunteer. From coding the

responses I found the common themes in the survey responses. One of the motivational factors in

choosing where to volunteer has to do with personal connections and the organization/cause.

From the literature review, a major framework was Marlow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Maslow (1954) says all people in our society have a need for a stable vision of themselves which

relates to the esteem need. He also says people want others to think highly of themselves too. He

describes two types of the self-esteem needs. The first type of self-esteem need is the desire for

strength, achievement, and confidence to face the world. The second type is reputation of one’s

self. People want recognition, attention and appreciation. When someone feels they are making a


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difference or having an impact (measured through appreciation) on a cause they feel a personal

connection. Providing that connection is a good method to motivate the college community to

keep volunteering. The survey question was asked how a participant choses where they

volunteer. The responses were coded and sorted by categories such as personal connection,

organization, location etc.

The top two factors of how the participant choses where they volunteer were personal

connection/making a difference and the organization/cause. The themes are presented in Table 3

with direct quotes to illustrate their meaning. Approximately one third of the participants were

motivated by either having a personal connection or making a difference and organization/cause.

Table 3

Themes Responses

Personal Connection/Making a difference


“I often choose places or causes to which I

have a personal connection or where I can give

the most because of my skills and abilities.”


“I choose based on the opportunities that

present themselves to me. A lot will be based

on what the volunteer activity is, since most all

volunteering is going for a good cause

anyways. As I mentioned prior, I choose to

volunteer at events that have meaning to me!”

Student age 21-29

“I have to care about the issue. The event has

to be "personalized” (I don't do mega runs) * I

have to find the activity interesting.”


“Organizations that align with my personal

values or have solid track record of success in


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providing beneficial services to my

community”

Student age 21-29

“The mission is consistent with my values. I

volunteer only when I think I can make a

difference. It helps to instill a value system in

the home.”


Organization/Cause 24 of the 118

responses

“Organizations that have large portions of their

proceeds to directly to research and helping

families affected.”

Community member age 30-39

“Organizations that I am involved in or my

family is involved in.”


“Organizations i am passionate about, fit with

my available time and convenient location.”


“The organization's need and my level of

interest/commitment to the mission and

vision.”

Faculty member age 60+

The next highest factors in deciding where to volunteer was location. Location was reported by

about 22% of participants.

Location 10 of the 118 responses “Location is definitely something I take into

consideration. If the volunteer event has

something to do with raising money for a

cause/cure, I love participating. I love

volunteering for events when children are

involved.”

Student age 21-29

“With not having a car, I am very picky where

i need to volunteer, but I decide based on the

organization how well organized they are.

What the organization does to help others.”



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“Close to work or home or on the way home.”


“Depending how far I live and if I have a ride

to the place.”

Student age 18-20

The next two factors in deciding where to volunteer were family influence, asked, time and

interest. The responses were given by approximately 7% of participants.

Family Influence 9 of the 118 responses

Asked

Time

“In the past, I've typically volunteered when

asked. I sometimes have a hard time knowing

where to go or who to approach to volunteer.”


“Being asked by someone I respect or seeing a

need I can fill.”


Interest 8 of the 118 responses “My interests and where I feel there's a need. It

also helps to know a lot about the organization

(i.e., whether they've advertised and requested

help).”


The lowest factors in deciding where to volunteer were religious and social, skill and talent

reasons. Approximately 3% of participants responded with the above reasons.

Religious 4 of the 118 responses “My main choice is helping at my church.”


“I generally work through my parish.”


Social 2 of the 118 responses

Skill/Talent

“I hear about it through friends or school.”

Student age 18-20

From the responses I received the college community tends to volunteer where there is a

personal connection and where they feel they can make a difference. Many of the responses


55

could be coded in more than one category. Because participants want to volunteer where there is

a personal connection, it is not unusual to see that people tend to volunteer mostly within school

and church. The reason could be because school is where college students spend much of their

time. I coded responses by type of organizations. Church and school reflected responses that

identified a church or school event such as working at a child’s school. Cancer was identified

through responses such as breast cancer walks, Relay for Life and childhood cancer events. The

‘in need’ code is a category that was reflected with answers such as food collections, women’s

shelters and peace activities. The health category had references to Blood Center of Wisconsin

and Aids Resource Center. Nonprofit category reflected answers that used the term ‘nonprofit.’

Youth groups represented quotes that used the term ‘youth groups.’ Walks were any type of non-

cancer walk such as mothers against drunk drivers or child abuse prevention walks. Environment

meant community day or cleaning up liter in the local parks. The category of animals was mostly

reflected in responses such as the Humane Society or donating to an animal shelter. Elderly was

used a code for responses such as veteran’s hospitals. Political code was used for donations to a

political party or helping with a campaign. Education code was used for such activities as

literacy groups. Fundraisers codes were assigned based on responses that used the term

‘fundraisers.’ Finally sports, music and media were coded for responses such as theatres,

National Public Radio and donating to a sports team.


56

43

16

10 10

7 6

4 4 3 3 3 3

2 1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Types of Organizations Where People Volunteer

Volunteering and Volunteer Retention

Chart 4 Organizations

The survey also asked why people would stop volunteering or what made them stop

volunteering. 43 responses indicated time was an issue. Time deals with satisfaction in terms of

volunteers feeling the organization conflicts with activities such as family, children’s school

events and school. Common responses included “time restrictions, “limited time” or “Too busy.”

Lack of organization in the volunteering cause also can decrease volunteerism. Ten responses

said a reason was the cause was not organized well. Some responses included “The leaders had


57

no leadership! Disorganized and nobody knew the clear outcomes.” Another said “Very

disorganized situation, not enough to do.” In relation to the last comment is the feeling that

volunteers aren’t being utilized fully. As one response said “I wasn’t fully utilized. I don’t want

to stand around if I volunteer my time. I do take initiative to find tasks that need to be done, but I

want to feel that I have helped and my time is valued and I am being used fully.” Seven

responses were coded in the category of feeling not appreciated. Although some of the responses

had elements of other categories such as not organized or time. Some responses said “My

contribution of time and effort were not recognized.” Another person responded “The

organization didn’t recognize me or thank me individually.” Other categories were change of

plans such as changing schools or location. Another had to deal with health and family issues

such as dealing with an elderly parent. Another category was that the activity was a onetime

thing. Another pattern is the feeling of being stretched too thin. As one staff member says

“Couldn't continue to serve as the co-chairperson due to time constraints and lack of new

volunteers to sustain large event.”

From the survey findings, the general theme is time is valuable and shouldn’t be wasted.

Maslow (1954) suggested people should be doing what they are ‘fitted’ for can. This can be

applied to volunteerism it is important to find one’s fit in order to feel satisfied and have self-

actualization. Understanding needs and motivations will help to gain retention of volunteers.

Volunteers don’t want their time wasted just standing around. There needs to be an inventory of

skills among volunteers to determine the appropriate fit. Lastly, putting the right people in the

right role is a good motivational strategy to keep volunteers invested in an event.


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Constraints to Volunteering

Chart 5 Levels of Appreciation

Satisfaction plays a big role in the retention of volunteers. From chart 5 it shows the

survey participants felt extremely appreciated. 39% of survey participants felt extremely

appreciated. 38.1% indicated they felt much appreciated. On the lower scale only 0.8 % said they

didn’t feel appreciated at all. People have a need to feel appreciated and valued. In my literature

review I described levels of satisfaction. Kuhn and Guzley (As cited in, 2010) The first two are

satisfaction with organizational support and satisfaction with participation efficacy.

Organizational support is when the volunteer is satisfied with training, planning and support for

the tasks that they do. Participation efficacy is the feeling of making a difference from the tasks


59

that are completed. The third dimension is empowerment which is the freedom of completing the

tasks as the volunteer sees fit. The fourth dimension is satisfaction with group integration. This is

how content volunteers are with relationships within the volunteer activity. The authors explain

that volunteers have to choice to give feedback or state reasons for lack of satisfaction. They

state “when volunteers are dissatisfied they have the option to voice their dissatisfaction, to leave

the organization, silently live with the dissatisfaction, or reduce their effort they put into their

duties” (p. 816). The next survey question asked what factors could have encouraged continued

involvement with the organizations? The responses were coded and sorted into the following

themes/categories.

The top two factors that would have influenced to continuing to volunteering

volunteering are juggling commitments and organization of the volunteering activity. Thirty four

percent of responses indicated these two reasons. The themes are presented in Table 4 with direct

quotes to illustrate their meaning. Approximately one third of the participants indicated juggling

commitments and organization were two constraints of volunteering. The themes are presented

in Table 4 with direct quotes to illustrate their meaning.

Table 4

Themes Responses

Juggling Commitments 27 of the 118

Responses

“My schedule is the biggest challenge. I have

young children, so my evenings/weekends are

very precious and to give up that time on a

regular basis is very difficult at this stage in my

life.”


“Offering a variety of volunteer opportunities

to accommodate different schedules and time

commitments.”


60


“Allowing me some time off or providing me a

way to stay involved with limited time (smaller

tasks, etc.).”


“More flexibility, different date/time, etc.”


Organization 13 of the 118 Responses “Additional volunteers were needed to help

with distribution of event responsibilities.

Existing volunteers were becoming burned-out

by the amount of time needed to run a large

fundraising event without enough help.”


“New leadership of the organization.”

Staff member age 60+

The next factors that would have influenced to continue to volunteering were reported as

relationship/social, outcome of service and appreciation and more personal. 15% of responses

indicated the above mentioned factors.

Relationship/Social 7 of the 118 Responses “I think having friends in the organizations

would have helped. I've always found

volunteering experiences slightly awkward

because I (typically) don't know anybody at the

volunteer site, and other people already know

each other, etc. I felt kind of isolated and

uncomfortable and finally stopped going. It

would be helpful if volunteer organizations

would put more focus into making people feel

like they're part of the team.”


“After a couple of years doing the small

fundraiser I felt there was a lot of tension

between the participants, and then it was not an

enjoyable experience and not worth the stress

on relationships.”


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Outcome of Service 6 of the 118 Responses

Appreciation

“Having encouragement that even a little bit of

time would be helpful. Not having the feeling

that if I can’t contribute the amount of time or

money they set as a goal, what I can do would

still be contributing in a positive way.”

Community member age 30-39

“Certainly more sense of being needed and

valued.”


“Knowing that my help was appreciated. I felt

like no one on the board of the organization

even knew or cared that I was there.”


More personal 5 of the 118 Responses “If they actually used my talent - or even said

"hello" or "thank you"


“Personal greeting from organizers.”

Staff member age 60+

“I haven't experienced a time where I stopped

volunteering. What encourages me to continue

is how welcoming people are and the amazing

interactions that occur?”

Student age 21-29

The lowest factors that would have encouraged continuing volunteering were good use of

volunteer’s time, transportation/location, less pressure, continuation of the cause and money.

Approximately 6% of participants indicated the above mentioned factors as ways that would

have encouraged them to continue volunteering.

Good Use of Time 4 of the 118 Responses “Better organization with specific tasks to do.”


“The organization could assess volunteer

expertise and determine whether they can make

better use of individuals as projects change.”


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Transportation/location 3 of the 118

Responses

“If I was closer to the area to continue going

there, also if work did not affect the

volunteering as well.”

Student age 18-20

Less pressure 1 of the 118 Responses

Continued the Cause

Money

From the survey findings it is shows that survey participants need more flexibility to

juggle time constraints. For example offering an activity during time frames or allowing time off

from heavy tasks to decrease the feeling of burnout among volunteers. In addition, participants

feel that more organization is needed. This means that more volunteers are needed to help share

the assigned tasks. As with the other responses to previous survey questions, volunteers want to

make the most of their time and feel appreciated.


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Cancer Related Fundraisers

Chart 6

The survey findings shows that a high amount of Pauline Robert College members have

participated in cancer fundraisers before. 74.6% said yes and 25.4% said no. According to chart

6 the highest amount was 20 responses that said Relay for Life. Followed by 13 responses that

said a one day event. Of the specific types of cancer noted, breast cancer at the highest amount of

suggestions with nine responses. One suggestion from a participant was “I think a one day Relay

for Life would be great- more manageable for everyone involved. Also joining up with other

organizations to support the event would promote awareness of the college, while making

staffing easier.” Other responses seem to provide good ideas such as preventative events. A

response was “Have a speaker (survivor), panel of healthcare experts on prevention/lifestyle

choices.” A similar response was “Displays concerning early detection. A few suggestions dealt

with competition events. Some responses were “Walk/run or “all-star” game held on campus,


64

dance-a-thon.” Another response was “A benefit concert with student/faculty talent may be a

nice vehicle to promote awareness.” Lastly, “Pink Party-Zumba event.”

The last question asked about the last charity or nonprofit organization that the

participant donated money too. The question was to see where people decide to spend their time

and money. The survey result findings were similar to the findings from the question about

where people volunteer at. According to chart 7, 39% responses indicated church and school is

where money is mostly donated to. Followed by 25 responses for community outreach.

Chart 7

Focus Group Findings

A focus group was scheduled in October 2012. The focus group participants were survey

participants who expressed interest in having a focus group. The focus group was scheduled

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Charities

Church/School

Community Outreach

Cancer

Elderly Care

Media/Sports

Health

Animals

Reproductive

Special Olympics

World Outreach

Never Donated

Disaster Relief (9/11)


65

during a lunch hour on a Friday. It was conducted in a classroom. This was based on the

availability of interested participants. The participants signed a letter of consent form before

starting the focus group (appendix C-D). There were eight participants. Candy was provided as a

small snack and thank you for attending. A PowerPoint presentation was given that gave an

overview of the survey results. The four focus group questions were listed on four newsprints

that were taped on the chalk board for participants to write in responses.

The responses from the focus group are similar to survey responses. What motivated

people to the focus group were because of personal connections? The type of support people

need to stay committed to planning a volunteering event mostly had to do with feeling

appreciated and supported. The themes are presented in Table 5 with direct quotes to illustrate

their meaning.

Table 5

Question Responses

“What Motivated You to Participate

Today?

“Support my friend and co-worker (2

agreement responses)

“My dad passed away from cancer.”

My cousin passed away a year ago from

cancer.”

“Family impacted by cancer.” (2 agreement

responses)

“Attended Relay in the past-Great event! (2

agreement responses.

“Volunteering is so important for those with a

need/illness and for the volunteers.”

“I’ve seen successful programs at other


66

institutions.”

“What Type of Support Do You Need to

Stay Committed To Planning an Event?

“Group support and volunteerism” (2

agreement responses)

“Feeling appreciated”

“Knowing I made a difference.” (2 agreement

responses)

“Mental Support.”

“Personal connection, being asked to help

specifically using my skills and making

volunteers feel needed.”

“Final product and accomplishment.”

The final two questions were specifically about the Relay for Life event and how to

improve it. According to my literature review (Appleby & Pemberton, 2010) organization is a

useful strategy to plan a fundraiser event. Additionally, marketing or promotion of the fundraiser

event is important to get potential participants and volunteer’s attention. Similar responses

echoed these statements.

What Are Your Thoughts on the Relay for

Life Event?

“Supports a good cause.” (2 agreement

responses)

“Exciting how others think of one another.”

“I was on a committee and it’s A LOT of work.

I would help again.”

“I’d love to help plan in the future.”

“I don’t know a lot about it.”

“A good event that needs better PR and media

attention.”

“Requires participation and motivation from

existing groups to sponsor and staff teams.”

How Can We Make the Relay Event Better “Make it a one day event instead of two.”


67

in The Future? “More volunteers to make tasks easier”

“Student organizations should help sponsor

events.”

“Get community involvement. Maybe a

challenge”

“Better advertisement to encourage

participation and involvement.”

“Group based incentives.”

After everyone was done taking turns writing suggestions, I went over what was written

down. I asked if there were any comments people would like to add. A comment by a staff

member was there needs to be more appreciation for the work of volunteers. She said for

example “How about thank you for…” Another response from a staff member was there needs to

be a feeling of value in the service a volunteer provides. She stated “People want to feel their

time and effort are worth it.”

The focus group had excellent ideas for marketing the Relay. In my literature review,

(Appleby & Pemberton, 2010) state that to promote a successful event such as National Girls and

Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) various media need to be considered. One method is the use of

flyers. The flyers should have contact information, event time and date and place of the event. A

student suggested that more campus resources be used such as the college’s online newsletter or

Campus net. One student participant said a way to get student’s attention could be the use of

banners around campus for individuals to see involvement. The student participant said “This

would appeal to students.” Another student participant suggested a list of students to call and talk

about the Relay. This would a good way to follow up with people who expressed interest.


68

This focus group had great ideas on how to market the Relay. Some suggestions

included having a kickoff party with gifts solicited from various organizations. A student

participant suggestion people walk around campus handing out fliers. A faculty member

suggested having a challenge with the middle/high school across the street or another local

school. A faculty member said the college should get alums to help donate. Also put a poster in

the local women’s pavilion to attract nursing alums. A faculty member said a previous volunteer

event she was a part of was successful because of having a celebrity attend the event. This

brought up issues of how much it would cost to get a celebrity to attend. A staff member said it

might be easier to get a local celebrity. The focus group was asked again if that had any closing

remarks. All participants agreed the Relay should continue.

The last discussion of the focus group centered around how to make Pauline Robert’s

Relay better in the future. A faculty member made the point that previous Relays had team

members that didn’t do their appointed walking times. She said “I would be walking and there

would be no one to walk with late at night.” A suggestion was that all the activities that are

scheduled may tire participants out and they may fall asleep instead of walking around the track

during the Relay. One staff member suggested “More activities spread out during the time

frame.”

The focus group responses indicated the desire for the Relay for Life to continue. More

discussions should be planned in the future to specifically ask if the Relay should be a one day

event instead of a two day event. Furthermore a marketing committee might be a good idea to

help get publicity for the event.


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Conclusion

The research study focused on the question: What motivational strategies are effective in

recruiting and retaining college volunteers so that cancer fundraisers can be successfully

designed and implemented? This research is important in terms of having an event at Pauline

Robert College that brings the whole community together. More importantly is the collaboration,

sharing and bonding that happen within the planning and conducting of the event. From the focus

group and survey results I’ve conducted it is concluded that in order to retain and recruit

volunteers there needs to be a sense of helping others and personal connection to the cause.

Personal connection is a highly motivational factor. The fact of the matter is that cancer affects

everyone. Volunteers are attracted to a cause that that have personal experience with. Also the

feeling of making a difference and helping others. Lastly, in terms of personal connection,

people want to feel their contribution is of value. It is as simple as saying thank you or personally

asking another person to volunteer for an event.

Burnout is a common issue facing people with busy lives. Time constraints can

drastically decrease the amount of participation and volunteers in an organization. What is

needed is flexibility and volunteer’s time to use appropriately. This is done through

communication and organization. A possible future tool could be a better screening process of

volunteers and inventory of skills. People want to do what they feel they are ‘fitted for.’ Also

volunteers need to know what is expected of them.

The final portion of this research will be to present my findings to the Dean of Students.

The information provided in this research study may prove to be valuable in the planning of

future Relay events at Pauline Robert College.


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APPENDIX A: Online Survey Questions

1. Which category below your age?

18-20

21-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60+

2. How are you affiliated with Pauline Robert College (check all that apply)

I am a faculty member

I am a student

I am a community member (alum, friend of the college)

3. In the past three years, have you been a volunteer?

Yes

No

4. If you answered no to the previous question, what is the main reason for not volunteering?

5. In the past year how many times have you volunteered?

0

1-3

4-7

8-10


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6. What motivates you to volunteer?

7. How do you choose where you volunteer?

8. What types of organizations have you served as a volunteer?

9. How appreciated did your most recent volunteer supervisor make

you feel?

Very appreciated

Moderately appreciated

Slightly appreciated

Not all all appreciated

Other (please specify)

10. Think about the most recent volunteer experience where you actually stopped volunteering. What was the main reason why you

stopped?

11. Again, thinking about the most recent volunteer experience where you decided to stop volunteering. What factors do you think

could have encouraged your continued involvement with the organizations?


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12. Have you participated in a cancer related fundraiser event

before?

Yes

No

13. What type of cancer awareness event would you like to see held

at Pauline Robert College?

14. To what charity or non-profit organization did you last donate?

Would you be interested in participating in a focus group to discuss

planning a cancer related fundraising event at Pauline Robert

College?

The focus group is a platform to discuss the survey results and have

an open dialogue about different types of cancer related fundraisers

at Pauline Robert College. Being a part of the focus group does not

mean you are signing up to volunteer for a fundraiser. Please email

me at [email protected] if you would like to

participate in a focus group.


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Appendix B: Focus Group Questions

“What Motivated You to Participate Today?

“What Type of Support Do You Need to Stay Committed To Planning an Event?

What Are Your Thoughts on the Relay for Life Event?

How Can We Make the Relay Event Better in the Future?


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APPENDIX C: Letter of Consent to Focus Group Participant

Dear Focus Group Participant,

I am currently doing graduate work in education at Pauline Robert College, and I am

preparing to begin work on an action research project. This project is a requirement of an

Educational Inquiry course, and it is designed to help improve my practice as an educator. My

research topic questions are: what are strategies to engage volunteers in fundraising activities?

What are attributes that make volunteers succeed in planning cancer fund raising events? I did be

conducting a focus group. I hope you are willing to participate in my study.

If you agree, you will participate in a focus group to discuss responses to the survey you

have completed. The focus group will take about an hour and be held on campus. In addition the

feedback on survey responses, I hope to get your feedback on developing a specific cancer

related event at Pauline Robert College. The other data I would collect specifically for the action

research project involves my quoting responses from the focus group. During the focus groups I

did ask about student attitudes and behaviors toward volunteering. If you would like to

participate in the focus group please contact me. My contact information is listed on the survey.

Your participation is completely voluntary. If you choose not to participate it is your

right. You will not suffer any consequences if you don’t participate. You may withdraw your

permission at any time.

I will be taking hand written notes as well as transcribing responses from newsprint

during the focus group as well as hand written notes. I will keep all the data I collect completely

confidential, and I will not use students’ names in any research reports. I will not use the

college’s name. Any information that I present will not be linked to any personal information

that could be used to identify individual students, staff or faculty.

If you would like to participate in the focus group please contact me. My contact

information is listed on the survey.

I will probably include some quotes from the survey and focus groups in my written and

oral research reports, which I did present to the instructor and students in my action research

class. I did also be presenting my research report in a public at an event in May 2012. In

addition, I will present my research report to the Dean of Students at Pauline Robert College if

my research would be beneficial to the planning of a cancer related event.

Your participation will help me to find ways to motivate students, faculty and staff to

volunteer for a cancer related event.

If you have any questions about the research, you may reach me at 414-382-6107 or

Karen.pilarski@Pauline Robert.edu.

Please sign below and return a copy of this letter to me indicating whether or not you give

permission to participate in this research project.

Thank you for your consideration.


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Sincerely,

Karen Pilarski

===============================================================

____ I give permission to participate in the research project describe above.

____ I do not give permission to participate in the research project describe above.

Participant Name (Please print)

___________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Participant____________________

Date: __________________


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APPENDIX D: Letter of Consent to Supervisor

To: XXXX, Dean of Students

From: Karen Pilarski

Re: A Request to Conduct Action Research at Pauline Robert College

Date: September 2012

Dear Dean of Students,

I am currently doing graduate work in education at Pauline Robert College, and I am

preparing to begin work on an action research project. This project is a requirement of an

Educational Inquiry course, and it is designed to help improve my practice as an educator. As I

understand the Relay for Life event at Pauline Robert College has not been offered this past year.

I am interested in finding out how to motivate students to volunteer for a cancer related event.

My research topic questions are what are strategies to engage volunteers in fundraising

activities? What are attributes that make volunteers succeed in planning cancer fund raising

events? I did be conducting an online survey of faculty, staff and students. In addition I will plan

a focus group with participants to discuss the survey results and specifically ask for feedback

regarding the Relay for Life event. Attached to this letter you will find my survey questions as

well as a guide I plan on using for the focus group.

I will keep all the data I collect completely confidential, and I will not use specific names

in any research reports. I will not use the college’s name. Any information that I present will not

be linked to any personal information that could be used to identify individual students, staff or

faculty.

I will include some quotes from the survey and focus groups in my written and oral

research reports, which I did present to the instructor and students in my action research class. I

did also be presenting my research report in a public event in May 2012.

I assure you that my research was conducted in ways that meet ethical standards of Pauline

Robert College. I have attached the consent letters that I wish to give to participants who will

participate in the survey and focus group.

My proposed research will benefit our organization because it will enable me to determine how

to motivate faculty, staff and students to volunteer for a cancer related event at Pauline Robert

College.

Can I get your approval on this research topic and research activities before implementing my

proposed actions? If so, just sign below—keep one copy for yourself and give me the other.

Your participation will help me to find ways to motivate students, faculty and staff to volunteer

for a cancer related event.

If you have any questions about the research, you may reach me at 414-382-6107 or

Karen.pilarski@Pauline Robert.edu.


77

Please sign below and return a copy of this letter to me indicating whether or not you give

permission to participate in this research project.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Karen Pilarski

I authorize Karen Pilarski to conduct this action research plan

______________________________________

Signature and Title

______________________________________

Date


78

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reviving the relay

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