Jaeyeon Hwang, James J. Zhang, James Hinterlong

Abstract: Recruiting and retaining committed volunteers are crucial for the successful management of sport events; thus, exploring the motivational factors that affect volunteers’ behaviors is critical. Marathon events are heavily reliant on volunteers, and the organizations that host these events must understand why different groups begin and continue volunteering. This study examined the relationships among volunteer demographics and motivations in the marathon context. Conducting MANOVA to analyze survey data from volunteers at four large-scale marathon events (N = 319), we identified significant group differences in volunteer motivation based on gender, age, and prior volunteering experience. Discriminant function analyses further revealed that (a) social obligation was more important to female volunteers, (b) egoism was inversely related to age, and (c) altruism and social obligation were positively associated with prior volunteer experience. Understanding volunteers’ motivational differences can help event organizers to develop effective strategies to recruit and retain volunteers from varying backgrounds.

Keywords: event volunteers, volunteer motivation, sport organizations

Citation: Hwang, J., Zhang, J. J., & Hinterlong, J. (2020). Differentiating motivations of marathon event volunteers by demographic characteristics. International Journal of Sport Management, 21(1), 82-97.

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