Volunteers’ satisfaction with the voluntary association: exploring the role of service climate, organizational identification, and understanding motivation

This study employs the Attraction-Selection-Attrition model and Social Identity Theory to examine if organizational identification mediates the relationship between volunteers’ perception of service climate and satisfaction with the voluntary association they belong to. The study also investigates if understanding motivation, a component of motivation to volunteer, moderates the relationship between volunteers’ organizational identification and satisfaction with the voluntary association. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire completed by 166 participants serving as volunteers in a Red Cross local committee in an Italian city. Results suggest that there is a significant positive relationship between service climate and satisfaction with the voluntary association. Additionally, it was observed that organizational identification partially and positively mediates the relationship between service climate and satisfaction with the voluntary association. Contrary to what expected, the moderation effect was negative instead of positive. Specifically, the findings suggest that understanding motivation improves the satisfaction with the voluntary association when volunteers have low level of organizational identification but decreases the satisfaction with the voluntary association when volunteers have high level of organizational identification. In the discussion, it is emphasized the importance of volunteers’ satisfaction with the association for organizational functioning and discussed the moderation results in the context of known theories. Finally, the paper presents the practical and research implications of the findings.