Characteristics and Motivations of Environmental Volunteers at Episodic Events

As climate change disrupts our lives and environmental awareness and concerns rise within society, more individuals invest time contributing to activities and projects that help preserve the environment. This study uses a recent international database containing data on 1,383 environmental event volunteers in 13 different countries, composed of both developed and developing nations. A profile of the volunteers was created, exposing their demographic characteristics and preferences. This profile shows a decrease in the average age of participants compared with studies conducted over 10 years ago. Then, a comparison was analyzed of individuals who volunteered in the event individually with those who did so as part of a group of recruits. The latter constitutes a new challenge to volunteer participation, highlighting the emergence of new actors in the recruitment process of volunteers, such as businesses and educational institutes, changing the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from recruitment to proper volunteer placement. The motivations behind these environmental event volunteer activities were also examined, revealing that individuals volunteering as part of an organized group give more importance to utilitarian motivations than those who volunteer alone. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing an updated and less westernized perspective on environmental volunteers’ demographics and preferences. It also explains the influence of new actors in the volunteer-NGO relationship that are reshaping the management of the volunteer workforce.