International Volunteer Management: A Qualitative Study into Belgian and Dutch Organizations

• In Event: Managing staff and volunteers

Abstract

This paper investigates volunteer management practices of (inter)national nonprofit and for-profit organizations sending volunteers abroad. International volunteering refers to a diverse market in which a spectrum of organizations – (inter)national or global, (non)profit or (non)governmental in nature – place volunteers in foreign projects or partner organizations in host countries to alleviate the (daily) operations (e.g., Abreu et al., 2021; Tiessen & Lough, 2019). Volunteers are often people from ‘developed’ countries (Global North) who travel to ‘developing’ countries (Global South), although ‘South-South’ operations exist (Jakubiak, 2012; Schech, 2017). These international volunteer programs may lead to intercultural and transformative learning in volunteers (Kirillova et al., 2015). However, experts in the field question the impact on both host countries and volunteers due to inadequate involvement of local communities in the programs’ design and insufficient preparation and coordination of volunteers (Campbell & Warner, 2016; Lasker, 2016). Furthermore, diversity in and popularity of this market raises competition for volunteers. Thus, executing volunteer management practices that coherently and efficiently attract, align, guide, assess and retain volunteers’ engagement is a crucial organizational competence (e.g., Cuskelly et al., 2006; Sinervo, 2015).

The paper examines these management practices and their organizational context following a qualitative research design. It does so by questioning the North-South volunteering operations of (inter)national nonprofit and profit organizations (n=13) with operational units in Belgium or the Netherlands. Interviews are thematically analyzed to address the organizations’ management practices and the organizational context in which they were formed, using insights from traditional human resources management models (planning, recruitment, performance management, retention strategies).

Results show that organizational characteristics such as the size of the volunteering operations (e.g., number of volunteers placed abroad or amount of partner projects/organizations) or the organizational philosophy can influence the design of volunteer management models such as the level of professionalism or the existence of a post-trip guidance trajectory for volunteers. The interviewed organizations mainly focus on managerial activities in pre-entry stages and pay less attention to it when volunteers are abroad (peri-trip) or after returning to their home country (post-trip).

The paper provides insights into managerial processes for nonprofit and profit organizations’ international volunteer operations and concludes that if these organizations more carefully plan their volunteer management as a process, taking into consideration possible managerial activities during volunteers’ stay abroad and when they return home, both volunteers and local hosts may benefit more from these international volunteer placements.

References

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Authors

• Nathalie Colpin

• Sarah Dury, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Marc Jegers, Vrije Universiteit Brussels

• Stijn Van Puyvelde, University of Antwerp