Any non-profit organization that has been working with volunteers for a long time has its unique experience in this field.
The head of Gallatin Mental Health told us about the motivation with which people come to volunteer and whether it is possible to “motivate” a person for long-term quality work.
Motivation among people is very different, and for ourselves, we divide it into two groups:
- The first is when a man has personal motivation, holistic, aim-oriented. This is a great value. We can always rely on people with such motivation. They come with a clear desire and readiness for social service and most often do not choose their form for volunteering. Relatively speaking, if you need to care about the bed patient in the hospital, they will do it; will wash the floors if needed. That is, these are people who are ready to go with a trusted organization in any direction and on any path. And this is exactly the backbone of people who have been developing our volunteer programs for 10 years. Professional volunteers belong to this group. For example, the team of psychologists and other specialists who are engaged in social rehabilitation of mental-ill patients.
- The second group is people who have faster motivation. For them, volunteering is a desire for self-realization, which is very typical for student age. This is a new social stage. These guys have a less volunteering period – one season, 6-8 months. This idea attracts most young people. And it’s harder for them to entrust something. They need to be given a choice. They need tasks to complete them. Therefore, we offer them something, and they choose what they are ready to do.
We, of course, rely on the first group. These people are motivated by the process itself. People of the second group strive to achieve for the result because all the business models and the whole economic life are built on this: to live and work on the result.