Predictors of retention and turnover among service volunteer workers

This study identifies predictors of retention and turnover among volunteers in three Israeli community centers. The entire service volunteer population was examined at two points in time with an interval of 6 months. At T₂ a distinction was made between “stayers ”, “leavers for objective reasons ” (uncontrollable turnover), and “leavers by choice ” (controllable turnover). On the basis of their responses at T₁discriminant analysis was used to identify the specific personal, organizational and attitudinal variables which could distinguish the “stayers ” (41) from the “leavers by choice ” (35). In the combined analysis of all three categories of independent variables, one organizational (preparation for task) and three attitudinal variables (task achievement, relationship with the other volunteers, and the work itself) were identified as best discriminatingbetween the two groups. The classification analysis found that these variables could better predict retention than turnover. The findings are compared to studies of paid workers and the implications for future research and the management of volunteer workers are discussed.