Volunteer Management Practices in Youth Volunteerism: Evidence from East Coast Malaysia

Abstract

Volunteerism is defined as an activity carried out voluntarily, without expecting material rewards, and which brings benefits to both the volunteer and the individuals receiving assistance. Modernization and globalization have reshaped the landscape of volunteerism, making it an increasingly significant component of community and national development agendas. However, the issue of declining participation and inactivity among youth in volunteer activities has become a major challenge for volunteer organizations. This is because volunteers are the backbone that drives the operations and activities of the voluntary sector. Therefore, this issue must be addressed, particularly by volunteer organizations, to ensure that the human resources needed to sustain volunteer initiatives remain available and ready to serve. Accordingly, this study aims to examine management practices and their relationship to volunteer retention in volunteering activities. This research adopts a quantitative approach involving 300 youths who have participated in volunteer activities across the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang). A survey method using structured questionnaires was administered to respondents selected through simple random sampling. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. The findings revealed that volunteer organizations demonstrate effective leadership and strong program planning in sustaining volunteers. However, the training and development component showed comparatively lower mean values. This indicates that volunteer organizations place less emphasis on volunteer training and development. The results are expected to serve as an important indicator for volunteer organizations in developing effective management process to retain volunteers over the long term.