Motivations of Volunteer Interpreters in Taiwan: A Survey of Natural Trails Society Volunteers

Abstract

We surveyed volunteer interpreters in the Natural Trails Society of Taiwan, an environmental education organization. Seventy-four of the 104 interpreters returned questionnaires, resulting in a response rate of 71%. We compared the importance of different motivations, tested for relationships between motivations and volunteer characteristics, and evaluated motivation items developed specifically for environmental education volunteers. On average, volunteers attached most importance to enjoying nature, followed by learning, doing something to benefit nature and society, religious-spiritual reasons, social contact, achievement, teaching-leading-sharing, filling an empty nest, and fulfilling social obligations. Volunteers with lower household incomes attached more importance than others to enjoying nature. Achievement was more important to those without a college degree than to those with college degrees. Teaching-leading-sharing was most important to those who were younger, single, and without children at home. Filling an empty nest was most important to those without a college degree. Fulfilling social obligations was more important to males than females. Both learning and teaching-leading-sharing were more important to those who had been volunteering for two years or less than to those who had been volunteering longer. The patterns of motivations we found suggest strategies managers can use to recruit and retain volunteers. Additional research will be needed to explain why motivations differ between subgroups, compare motivations across organizations and cultures, and further develop and refine motivation scales for environmental education volunteers.