Volunteers' Behavioral Intention in Non-profit Organizations Strategy: A Structural Equation Model

We drew on organizational behavior theory, psychological functions theory, and socio-anthropological frameworks to propose an integrated model of non-profit organizations (NPOs) strategic management. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate the effect of volunteers’ motivations on their behavioral intention to donate. Volunteers’ reciprocal behavior was hypothesized as a mediator of such a relationship. Volunteers’ motivations were direct predictors of volunteers’ intention to donate. Volunteers’ reciprocal attitude significantly resulted in a mediating variable of the model. The results help clarify the multidimensional aspects of NPO strategic management, highlighting how NPOs board should strengthen the responsiveness towards volunteers’ behavioral signals, which reveal their motivations, attitudes, and intentions. The analyzed latent variables – motivations, reciprocity, and intention to donate – are supposed to represent significant elements in the definition and implementation of an effective strategic process for NPOs. Managerial practical implications for NPOs board are described and discussed.