Relatively little research evidence exists on what motivates people to volunteer as charity trustees. The motivations of volunteers more generally have received greater attention in the extant literature (Cnaan and Goldberg-Glen, 1991; MacNeela, 2008; Musick and Wilson, 2008; Yeung, 2004). Although the methodological challenges involved in discerning volunteer motivation have been acknowledged (Musick and Wilson, 2008: 56; Rochester et al., 2010: 120), a complex set of psychological and sociological theories have emerged, including models based on altruistic and self-oriented motives and multi-factor models. Rochester et al. (2010: 10) have identified three main ‘paradigms’ (as outlined in Chapter 3). From the perspective of what they termed the “dominant paradigm”, volunteers are conceptualised as an unpaid workforce helping to deliver public services, and motivated largely by altruism. The “civil society paradigm” views volunteers’ motivations as rooted in self-help and mutual aid. A third ‘paradigm’ considers other motivations for volunteering, such as skills development or self- expression.
A national survey of volunteering conducted for the Office of the Third Sector (Low et al., 2007) identified a variety of motivations to volunteer. The most popular reasons for volunteering reported by survey respondents included “to improve things / help people” (53%); “the cause was important to me” (41%) and “I had time to spare” (41%). In addition to these motives, the survey found a range of other factors – both altruistic and self-oriented – motivated people to volunteer (Low et al.,
2007: 34). A Canadian study focused on developing a quantitative tool to measure board member motivation indicates that volunteers on charity boards are similarly motivated by a variety of factors. Whilst altruistic reasons were found to be the most important motivating factor reported by board members, the study revealed that motivation consisted of various aspects such as enhancement of self-worth; learning through community; helping the community; developing individual relationships; making a unique contribution to the board; and self-healing (Inglis and Cleave, 2006: 97-98).
Similarly, participants in this study identified a variety of potential motivations for becoming a trustee, and it is evident that individual trustees may be motivated by multiple factors, including altruistic and self- oriented benefits:
“I’ve gained a great deal of knowledge and work experience. I actually think it’s a really good thing to help other people improve their lives, which is what charitable organisations should actually be about… I enjoy it, the practical hands-on in the helping to manage the building… I just get a sense of doing something that’s decent and worthwhile.” (Annette, Trustee)
“Its probably for my personal development more than anything….I thought the idea…. the actual purpose of the charity was really commendable. I love the fact that it’s a local one and – yeah - it was going to give me the opportunity to see how a charity runs, how it operate and, you know, feel like you’re making a difference.” (Hannah, Trustee)
Many participants reported being motivated by making a contribution to the mission and objectives of the charity, and by feeling that what they are contributing to is ‘worthwhile’:
“I think often when people volunteer to join the Board of a charity, they’re orientated towards the mission of the charity, and they’re thinking about doing good. They’re not thinking about being a lawyer or being an accountant or being a company director, they’re thinking about helping the kiddies.” (Paul, Trustee)
“I don’t see the point of being part of a board that has nothing to do with you. And your life.” (Lucy, Trustee)
“You do it because you’re interested in it. If I wasn’t interested in it, I would encourage other people to take my place” (Nicholas, Trustee)
“I make a contribution to the cause to which I’m committed. And I find it enjoyable and worthwhile” (Ken, Trustee)
A small number of participants noted that they were particularly motivated to volunteer for a local charity, rather than a national organisation. A key theme emerging from the interviews was the sense of working to “meet local needs”. Participants expressed pride in the work that they were supporting in their own local areas, and some remarked that they felt compelled to volunteer in a charity situated within their own community.
“It’s not a national charity, it’s a local charity. They [the trustees] can identify with that, the fact it’s local to where they are, where they work or where they live or both. I think, you know, that’s quite a strong motivation.” (Patricia, CEO)
“I’m from that area you see, so I’m aware of the issues. I don’t live there now but that’s where my origins are.” (Frank, Trustee)
“I know that it is a much-needed resource. It’s the only resource in the northwest that is a [work of organisation] project. It is only small. It needs to be protected.” (Dayo, Trustee)
One trustee described how he had been called upon to help out when other members of the local community identified many refugees in need locally. Another trustee perceived that parents in her local area were, like her, struggling to find childcare. This motivated her to establish a childcare charity:
“The school didn’t have a before- or after-school club … there was an assumption that all the parents would be there at the beginning and the end of the day to collect their kids and that mothers and some fathers would be at home, home-making and there to collect the children. There was a real shortage of good child-minders… [We surveyed the local parents and demonstrated] there was a real demand. Enough to justify [setting up a childcare charity].” (Dana, Trustee)
Another example of trustees responding to local need was the case of Alice, who volunteered to join the board of a local organisation at risk of closure when a call for help went out among her local community:
“People said ‘oh I believe [name of charity] is in trouble and they are looking for help’. And so we just turned up. Because [the charity] was an integral part of the community of [name of area] and a very important part of [name of area]. There are women there who’s grandchildren are now coming to the centre, so that’s how old [the charity] is. So there were women in the community who didn’t want to lose that. So that’s how they were able to galvanise the support and get it back up and running.” (Alice, Trustee)
There is evidence that some trustees’ initial interest was prompted when they identified that they could offer help or skills to a charity or cause:
You have an opportunity as a charity Trustee to give something that is much more valuable than just a standing order [donation] to go to Oxfam once a month, you can actually give your experience, and the wealth of your knowledge to an organisation.” (Paul, Trustee)
“The reason I became a trustee [at the charity I was previously a volunteer in] is because I thought this is my charity, I can stay here for as long as we keep funding going and maybe being on the committee I can see what goes on behind the scenes and help in some way” (Andrew, Trustee)
As well as reflecting on their own motivations for volunteering, some participants commented on the perceived motivations of other trustees. A small number of participants identified motivations that drove people to become trustees for the ‘wrong’ reasons. For example, they were critical
of people that were attracted to the position for the title of ‘trustee’ or the status. Some expressed the view that people who had the ‘wrong’ motivations for becoming trustees might not put sufficient effort into fulfilling the role:
“If people want to get involved it’s a good thing to do. It’s the involvement. I don’t think you should just be a trustee, sit there and say nothing. If people want to… get a little badge on their names or something to say I’m a trustee, they should stay away. What charities need are people to get involved and say ‘I’ll do that’. If an action comes up, ‘I’ll have a go at that’. That’s what charities need.” (Colin, Trustee)
“It is often seen as prestigious and a positional thing. I’m sure there is an element in quite a lot of trustee appointments in thinking “I’ve made it” rather than reflecting on the job you need to do and how it might be quite different from the things you’ve done before.” (Director of Strategy, ACEVO)
In addition to concerns about people being attracted to trusteeship for the status, a minority of participants felt that being motivated by personal ‘agendas’ or to enhance their curriculum vitae were inappropriate reasons for taking on the role:
“What we try and avoid is picking people up who are just doing it to pad their CVs or doing it because they like to be professional committee members or doing it because they have got a single issue axe to grind and they feel that one of the best ways to do it is to use the [charity name], and so they’ll come along very dissatisfied with some treatment that a family member’s had lately with a statutory agency and then try and use the [charity name] to make it into a social policy issue and gather evidence for this single cause.” (Gary, Trustee)
This was not a universal view, however, and there is evidence that other participants viewed self-oriented benefits such as gaining work experience as acceptable:
“I think I’d suggest [to potential new trustees] that they found something that they will get something out of, either because they’re doing something they really believe in, or alternatively that
they’ll get a lot of professional development out of it, almost treat it is as a bit of sort of CPD, continuous professional development, from their day job. Which I do as well, I do get a bit of that out of it.” (Bill, Trustee)
In addition to revealing a range of reasons for their initial motivation to volunteer, participants identified a variety of factors that sustained their interest and motivation:
“Because I had only limited time the charity work had to be something meaningful and because the work of this organisation effects everyone, its massive, I decided to stay. Another reason why I’ve stayed... people are really, really nice and they are doing things for the right reasons. Other places I see people maybe have a will to power. Its nothing like that here.” (Andrew, Trustee) “And like a lot of voluntary sector organisations, we’re all quite good friends and we all know each other, or we’re all friends and know each other. So that’s good but that has its challenges, it really does. It’s very, very good because it means you know you can trust, you know you can get on with, you know the person’s there for the right reasons but at the same time, it has its problems because if you do have issues with an individual, it can be more difficult to address those.” (Julia, Trustee)
“We never sit down and pat ourselves on the back, but … there is a number of people that think we’ve done really well this year, or in past years. It is a struggle, you don’t see benefits quickly. And some people who are the recipients of the projects they don’t see the benefits of it quickly either. But in time you know that if they are going through your project, you know that they will come out good. So that’s quite reassuring.” (Dayo, Trustee)
“I think it has left something really, really valuable for that community. I have been part of that. A big part of it. I feel quite proud, actually that I’ve been involved in it…it has left a legacy. It is carrying on and people really benefit from it. For me, that is wonderful. Its wonderful to have been involved in that.” (Dana, Trustee)
“It fits in probably with... it does fit in with my values. I have a personal philosophy that believes if I have been lucky enough in this society to get a reasonable education and to have a
reasonable job … that I should give something back. And I work with a wonderful group of talented, funny, innovative women.” (Charlotte, Trustee)
These positive benefits experienced by trustees, balanced with the challenges and negative aspects of the role are key in influencing the overall experience of trusteeship and sustaining an individual’s desire to remain in the role. As Dwiggins-Beeler et al. (2011) argue, motivational factors alone are insufficient to sustain a volunteer in their role. The remainder of this chapter, and those that follow it therefore examine multiple aspects of participants’ experiences of trusteeship, including the extent to which their initial expectations were fulfilled and the factors that had influenced some trustees to resign from the role.