Volunteering Research Roundup: Motivations, Health Impacts & Recruitment Trends

Welcome to the second issue of our quarterly research series from Points of Light. Curated by our Vice President of Research & Insights, Ferzana Havewala, this roundup highlights new and emerging research and trends affecting the nonprofit sector. We hope these insights help you champion volunteering in your community.

Motivations and Predictors of Volunteering

Using longitudinal data from over 17,000 individuals aged 50 and older across 19 European countries, researchers examined how shifts in personal resources—such as health, financial condition, and time availability—affect volunteering behavior in later life. The study finds that deteriorating health and worsening financial conditions are linked to reduced volunteering, while transitioning out of paid work and beginning weekly grandchild care are associated with increased volunteering. Notably, the effects of resource changes are asymmetric: negative changes reduce volunteering, but positive changes do not necessarily increase it. These findings highlight the complex and dynamic relationship between personal resources and civic engagement in older adulthood. (Europe)

Using survey data from over 2,200 Danish adults, researchers from Denmark explain how two distinct groups—previous volunteers and new volunteers—were mobilized during the COVID-19 crisis. Previous volunteers, driven by a sense of civic responsibility and embedded in existing networks, engaged in both ordinary and COVID-19–specific tasks. In contrast, new volunteers, motivated by anxiety and lacking prior civic engagement, focused almost exclusively on crisis-specific tasks. (Denmark)

Impact of Volunteering on Physical and Mental Health

Using data from nearly 10,000 participants in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study, researchers explored 57 potential pathways through which volunteering may lead to lower mortality risk in older adults. They found that volunteering for 100 or more hours per year was associated with a 16% reduced risk of mortality, with the strongest mediating effects observed through social factors such as increased contact with friends and helping others. Grouped social and physical health factors significantly explained the volunteering–mortality link. (United States)

A study of corporate volunteers explored the physical, mental, and spiritual changes experienced by those working with older adults at a senior fitness club. The findings highlight mutual benefits, including improved health and well-being for both volunteers and service recipients, and emphasize the importance of promoting volunteer services to address social needs and foster sustainable development. (Taiwan)

Insights into Volunteer Recruitment

A study at a nonprofit food service organization in Philadelphia examined how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person volunteering. While the overall number of volunteers dropped significantly during the pandemic, individual volunteers—especially those with higher education levels—became more frequent and essential, replacing the previously dominant group-based episodic volunteers. The shift exposed the organization’s overreliance on larger volunteer groups and highlighted the importance of cultivating a core of committed and intrinsically motivated individuals. The study recommends a “quality over quantity” approach that emphasizes volunteer loyalty, meaningful engagement and preparedness for future disruptions. (United States)

Researchers in Malaysia surveyed youth volunteers from various nonprofits and found that motivation—both intrinsic and extrinsic—has a significant positive effect on the intention to continue volunteering. Volunteer satisfaction partially mediated this relationship, suggesting that understanding Generation Z’s motivations and satisfaction is key to retention. (Malaysia)

More recent studies exploring innovative approaches to understanding volunteering and its relationship with various life outcomes:

• (Global) Childhood Predictors of Volunteering Across 22 Countries in the Global Flourishing Study. Nakamura, J.S., Woodberry, R.D., Gibson, C.B., et al., Scientific Reports. April 2025.
• (Global) Demographic Variation in Volunteering Across 22 Countries in the Global Flourishing Study. Nakamura, J. S., Gibson, C.B., Woodberry, R.D., et al., Preprint. March 2025.
• (Norway) Trust and Motivation in High-Risk Volunteering: An Empirical Study of Norwegian Search-and-Rescue Volunteers. Wollebæk, D., VOLUNTAS. February 2025.
• (Germany) Normative Beliefs for Older Adults and Volunteering Intentions. Wirth, M., de Paula Couto, C., Fung, H. H. L., et al., Gerontology 71(4). February 2025.
• (United States) Volunteering During Early Retirement Reduces Depression. Lorenti, A., De Rose, A., & Racioppi, F., Social Science & Medicine 367:117790. February 2025.
• (Israel) Civic Engagement During Crisis: Does Volunteering Buffer the Impact of Trauma on Worsening Physical and Mental Health? Merkin, S. S., & Orenstein, L., SSM–Mental Health 7:100445. June 2025.
• (United States) Reducing Hypertension through Volunteering? Kim, S., Shiba, K., & Halvorsen, C., Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine 10:1097. April 2025.
• (United States) Does Volunteering Reduce Epigenetic Age Acceleration Among Retired and Working Older Adults? Kim, S., Halvorsen, C., Potter, C., & Faul, J., Social Science & Medicine 364:117501. January 2025.
• (Norway) Making People Meet: Volunteers’ Contributions to Social Connection for the Well-Being of Self and Others. Reed, N. P., & Hagen, J., International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being 20(1):2476215. March 2025.
• (Netherlands) Hop in and Drop Out: How are Changes in the Life Course Related to Changes in Volunteering for Humanitarian Organizations? Meijeren, M., Bekkers, R., & Scheepers, P., Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. March 2025.
• (Italy) A Scoping Review of the Psychological Perspectives on Online Volunteering. Tommasi, F., de Cordova, F., Meneghini, A. M., et al., Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 35(2): e70084. March 2025.