2.6 Conclusion

The present study is focused on impact of economic downturn on motives of event volunteers; in order to understand whether now volunteering is seen as a chance to get work experience and networking.
In national surveys of volunteering, volunteers rank the development of new skills as a key motivation (Low et al, 2007). Important employability benefits include demonstrating to employers one’s willingness and ability to work (Rochester, 2009; Hirst, 2001), hearing about employment opportunities, (Gay, 1998) and increased access to training (Rochester, 2009; Hirst, 2001).
The lack of time is provided as the primary reason for not volunteering (Low et al, 2007), increased unemployment could mean that people will be looking for new ways to get back into the labour market, of which volunteering may be one approach (Ockenden and Hill, 2009). Hirst (2001) highlighted that forty-one per cent of respondents to one study reported that their volunteering had helped them get their current job.
Many studies on event volunteer motivation included employment related motives concerned with desire to obtain personal advantage, such as enhance career and personal opportunities in paid employment. For example, Clary et al. (1998, p. 1518) included a function which is concerned with career-related benefits that may be obtained from participation in volunteer work. ‘Related to the utilitarian function described by Katz (1960), this career function is exemplified by the Junior League volunteers studied by Jenner (1982), 15% of whom perceived volunteering to be a means of preparing for a new career or of maintaining career-relevant skills’.
The Career Orientation factor in the study of Bang and Chelladurai (2003) was based on career development such as gaining experience and career contacts. Monga (2006) introduced Instrumentalist Motivations and later named it Opportunity for Career Development, Saleh and Wood (1998) named it Knowledge, and Strigas and Newton Jackson (2003) included Material Factor.
Rifkin (1995) pointed out that volunteering provides employment to the unemployed. Volunteering is sometimes seen to enable the volunteer to develop skills which may be useful in a future career or help to obtain employment, gain academic credits or even aid career advancement. Many of the initiatives in the UK encouraging the young and the unemployed to volunteer point out that by volunteering one can gain confidence, prepare for the workplace and gain marketable skills (Bussell and Forbes, 2001).
However, the studies on event volunteer’s motivations haven’t found employment related motives to be highly ranked. Moreover, in most of the studies these factors measured the lowest in the scales. Therefore, further research into event volunteerism using more developed instrument with inclusion of employment related factors is needed. The purpose of the present study is to find out how volunteer’s motives have changed over time, and whether the current financial situation has an impact on volunteer’s motivations.