Volunteering experience during emergencies: Comparative analysis of a military operation and a pandemic

Liat Kulik, PhD

doi:10.5055/jem.0637

Authors

Liat Kulik, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5817-1273

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0637

Keywords:

volunteering, emergency, operation protective edge, COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in the volunteering experience in two states of emergency in Israel: Operation Protective Edge (a military man-made emergency) and the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (a natural emergency). The sample included 993 volunteers, of whom 498 volunteered during Operation Protective Edge and 504 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative research design was used to investigate three aspects of the volunteering experience: motives for volunteering, satisfaction from volunteering, and commitment to volunteer. Social solidarity was the most prominent motive for volunteering in both emergencies. The level of the egoistic motives, the intrinsic satisfaction from volunteering, and long-term commitment to volunteering were higher during the COVID-19 pandemic than among the volunteers during the military operation. We used a qualitative research design to investigate the experience of special moments in volunteering. The profile of special moments experienced by the COVID-19 volunteers combined self and client experiences, whereas among Operation Protective Edge volunteers, special moments are reflected mainly in experiences related to the clients and the community.

Author Biography

Liat Kulik, PhD

Professor, School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel

References

Whittaker J, McLennan B, Handmer J: A review of informal volunteerism in emergencies and disasters: Definition, opportunities and challenges. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct. 2015; 13: 358-368. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.07.010.

Barsky LE, Trainor JE, Torres MR, et al.: Managing volunteers: FEMA’s urban search and rescue programme and interactions with unaffiliated responders in disaster response. Disasters. 2007; 31(4): 495-507. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2007.01021.x.

Agamben G, Emcke C: Security and terror. Theory Event. 2001; 5(4): 1-24. DOI: 10.1353/tae.2001.0030.

Waldman S, Yumagulova L, Mackwani Z, et al.: Canadian citizens volunteering in disasters: From emergence to networked governance. J Conting Crisis Manag. 2018; 26(3): 394-402. DOI: 10.1111/1468-5973.12206.

Cnaan RA, Goldberg-Glen RS: Measuring motivation to volunteer in human services. J Appl Behav Sci. 1991; 27(3): 269-284.

Clary EG, Snyder M: The motivations to volunteer: Theoretical and practical considerations. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 1999; 8(5): 156-159.

Pauline G: Volunteer satisfaction and intent to remain: An analysis of contributing factors among professional golf event volunteers. Int J Event Manag Res. 2011; 16(1): 10-32.

Rice S, Fallon B: Retention of volunteers in the emergency services: Exploring interpersonal and group cohesion factors. Austr J Emerg Manag. 2011; 26(1): 18-23.

Finkelstien MA: Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivational orientations and the volunteer process. Personal Individual Differ. 2009; 46(5-6): 653-658. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2009.01.010.

Meier S, Stutzer A: Is volunteering rewarding in itself? Economica. 2007; 75: 39-59. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2007.00597.x.

Kewes A, Munsch C: Should I stay or should I go? Engaging and disengaging experiences in welfare-sector volunteering. Voluntas. 2019; 30(5): 1090-1103. DOI: 10.1007/s11266-019-00122-7.

Rosychuk RJ, Bailey T, Haines C, et al.: Willingness to volunteer during an influenza pandemic: Perspectives from students and staff at a large Canadian university. Influenza Resp Viruses. 2008; 2(2): 71-79.

National Council for Volunteering: Volunteering during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Author (Hebrew), 2020.

Kulik L: “My Brother’s Keeper” – Summarizing Report on the Volunteering Experience in States of Emergency. The National Council for Volunteering in Israel (Hebrew), In Press.

Eagly AH: Sex Differences in Social Behavior: A Social-Role Interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1987.

Wilson J: Volunteering. Annu Rev Sociol. 2000; 26(1): 215-240. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.26.1.215.

Fletcher TD, Major DA: Medical students’ motivations to volunteer: An examination of the nature of gender differences. Sex Roles. 2004; 51(1-2): 109-114.

Gerstein IH, Wilkeson DA, Anderson H: Differences in motivations of paid versus nonpaid volunteers. Psychol Rep. 2004; 94(1): 163-175. DOI: 10.2466/pr0.94.1.163-175.

Einolf CJ: Gender differences in the correlates of volunteering and charitable giving. Nonprofit Volunt Sector Quart. 2011; 40(6): 1092-1112. DOI: 10.1177%2F0899764010385949.

Mesch DJ, Brown MS, Moore ZI, et al.: Gender differences in charitable giving. Int J Nonprofit Volunt Sect Mark. 2011; 16(4): 342-355. DOI: 10.1002/nvsm.432.

Omoto AM, Snyder M: Sustained helping without obligation: Motivation, longevity of service, and perceived attitude change among AIDS volunteers. J Personal Social Psychol. 1995; 68(4): 671-686. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.68.4.671.

Eagly AH, Crowley M: Gender and helping behavior: A meta-analytic review of the social psychological literature. Psychol Bull. 1986; 100(3): 283-302.

Loscocco K, Walzer S: Gender and the culture of heterosexual marriage in the United States. J Fam Theory Rev. 2013; 5(1): 1-14. DOI: 10.1111/jftr.12003.

Kulik L: The experience and resources of volunteering by women in the welfare services: Comparative analysis by life periods. Soc Secur. 2006; 72: 77-104 (in Hebrew).

Israel Central Bureau of Statistics: Selected Data from the 2018 Social Survey about Volunteering for the International Volunteer Day, December 5, 2019.

Shina M: Volunteering in Canada 2004–2013. Spotlight on Canadians: Results from the General Social Survey. Statistics Canada.

US Central Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor: News Release: Volunteering in the United States. The Author, 2015.

Fox H, Epstein G: The labor market: A top view. Report on the state of the state, society, economy, and policy. Jerusalem: Taub Center for the Study of Social Policy in Israel (in Hebrew), 2019.

Clary EG, Snyder M, Ridge R: Volunteers’ motivations: A functional strategy for the recruitment, placement, and retention of volunteers. Nonprofit Management Leadership. 1992; 2(4): 333-350. DOI: 10.1002/nml.4130020403.

Kulik L: Women’s experiences with volunteering: A comparative analysis by stages of the life cycle. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2010; 40: 360-388. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00578.x.

Kulik L, Arnon L, Dolev A: Explaining satisfaction with volunteering in emergencies: Comparison between organized and spontaneous volunteers in operation protective edge. Voluntas. 2016; 27(3): 1280-1303.

Hustinx L, Lammertyn F: Collective and reflexive styles of volunteering: A sociological modernization perspective. Voluntas Int J Volunt Nonprofit Organ. 2003; 14(2): 167-187. DOI: 10.1023/A:1023948027200

Clarke V, Braun V: Teaching thematic analysis: Overcoming challenges and developing strategies for effective learning. The Psychologist. 2013; 26(2): 120-123.

Braun V, Clarke V: Thematic analysis. In Cooper H, Camic PM, Long DL, et al. (eds.): APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol. 2, Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, Neuropsychological, and Biological (pp. 57-71). Washington: American Psychological Association, 2012.

Cnaan RA, Amrofell L: Mapping volunteer activity. Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Q. 1994; 23(4): 335-351.

Grube JA, Piliavin JA: Role identity, organizational experiences, and volunteer performance. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2000; 26(9): 1108-1119. DOI: 10.1177%2F01461672002611007.

Bakan D: The Duality of Human Existence: Isolation and Communion in Western Man. Boston: Beacon, 1966.