Investigating UBC Kinesiology Student Motivations for Volunteering at BodyWorks
Creators: name: Cheung, Eamonn
name: Laurence, Erika
name: Lee, James
name: Rostami, Niloufar
Publisher: name: The University of British Columbia
Year: 2024

description: The study employed an investigative approach into the multifaceted domain that is motivation, specifically that of UBC Kinesiology student volunteers at bodyworks, in an effort to increase the volunteer recruitment and retention rate. Volunteering amongst undergraduate students holds multifaceted significance, extending beyond mere resume building, encompassing personal growth, educational enhancement, and numerous other benefits to both themselves and the community. Conventionally, most assume the primary driver for motivation for volunteering stems from resume building and potential career enhancement opportunities. Despite this, current literature shows that volunteering and its motivations can be much more nuanced. Our efforts were to do a deeper investigation beyond the overt factors, and explore, in detail, some of the other factors for motivation amongst volunteers at BodyWorks. We employed a mixed methodology approach, designing a survey that investigated potential psychological/physical barriers, the attractiveness of organizational values and how they relate to volunteer retention. The survey also provided an opportunity for participants to type a short response, in their own words, to better inform our analysis and decision making. Our recruitment strategies leveraged social media platforms and physical posters, targeting current and former UBC Kinesiology students with volunteer experience at BodyWorks. Analysis of the data provided a number of valuable insights. The vast majority of survey respondents (95%+) expressed extremely high levels of satisfaction with BodyWorks, citing an alignment with career aspirations, and opportunities for professional development. Notably, connections with clients and working with experienced people within this field emerged as a significant motivator. Another theme amongst survey respondents was the desire for more direct feedback, as a number expressed that they would’ve liked clearer role definitions to better enhance their volunteer experience. With regards to barriers, travel distance and early shift times were cited by most participants as the most significant ones. This study sheds some light on the potential issues and challenges volunteers at BodyWorks face, and also gathers some information and feedback surrounding areas they feel like need further improvement or guidance. Volunteer recruitment and retention continues to be a challenge for many organizations. This investigative study, although rather small in size and duration, provides a number of actionable steps that BodyWorks can take in an effort to better attract and retain volunteers, and provides the foundation for a number of strategies that can be implemented moving forward; and also provides a basis and platform for future research. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”