Motivational and Demographic Aspects of International Sporting Event Volunteers: An Israeli Perspective

Due to the importance of volunteers within the sporting realm, and the fact that they undeniably play a fundamental role in the success of many sport organizations and events, there have been increased efforts to enlighten the factors that influence the motivation behind such deeds of volunteerism. The current study aims to make a distinctive contribution to this field by exploring the Israeli perspective of the motivation of volunteers who chose to take part in two large international sporting events, and by identifying factors related to distinct demographic variables. Consistent with some preceding studies, the volunteers in the present analysis primarily reported self-determined motivation. Our study found that while there are no gender differences in the motivation of volunteers, age is an important demographic variable. Extrinsic rewards and career orientation were highly valued in volunteers under the age of 25. At the same time, the community involvement factor was especially high in people over the age of 65. A promising direction for future research might involve looking at the cultural differences of volunteers, as researchers and practitioners continue to struggle in deciding how best to recruit, train, and maintain volunteers in the sporting context.