Autonomous Motivation Stimulates Volunteers’ Work Effort: A Self-Determination Theory Approach to Volunteerism

Although today’s nonprofit organizations make a strong appeal to volunteers, they often have difficulties with attracting
and retaining these free labor forces. In this sense, studying the motivation of volunteers and its effects proves useful.
In the present article, we investigate the relationship between volunteers’ motivation and their self-reported work effort,
while relying on the Self-Determination Theory. The results indicate a positive link between volunteers’ autonomous motivation
and work effort. Moreover, this relationship holds for each person in our sample, irrespective of the organization in which
she/he is volunteering. Implications for future research, as well as the practical impact of these findings, are discussed.