Why Do Older Adults Commence, Re-Commence and Continue Volunteering? Prioritising Enablers and Barriers to Participation

Abstract

Volunteering is recommended as a way for older adults to age healthily due to a variety of biopsychosocial health benefits. The literature has previously identified a wide range of modifiable enablers and barriers to older adult volunteering participation, for example, supervisory support structures, program flexibility, and training quality; however, these have not yet been prioritised. Policymakers may benefit from knowing which strategies are likely to have the greatest immediate impact on recruitment and retention. This study aimed to prioritise enablers and barriers to volunteering and to compare priorities across four participant groups: Volunteer Program Representatives, Current volunteers, Former volunteers and Never volunteers. Participants (n = 681) were older adults in Australia aged 60 years and over or volunteer programme representatives aged 18 years and over. They were predominantly current volunteers based in Victoria. Participants completed an online survey scoring enablers and barriers to volunteering using Likert scale responses to indicate the importance of each item to commencement and continuation in volunteering. Data were analysed descriptively for responses to each item for each participant group, and simple pairwise comparisons were conducted between groups. Feeling welcome scored the highest for all participant groups (Participant Group (Median, IQR): Representatives (5, 5-5); Current (5, 5-5); Former (5, 4-5); Never (5, 4-5). Former volunteers valued four items higher than current volunteers: reimbursement vouchers, reliable transport, information technology training (p < 0.001, q = 0.003) and online volunteering (p = 0.02, q = 0.044). Representatives largely scored items higher than former and never volunteers. Increasing engagement in older adult volunteering requires targeted and bespoke strategies that foster welcoming and supportive environments and offer flexibility. These may include clear processes and support structures, without strict attendance requirements. Future challenges may include balancing priorities of volunteers with feasibility and cost-effectiveness considerations. Policymakers may be able to utilise these main priorities to inform future decision-making to inform existing and future strategies supporting the volunteer sector through recruitment and retention, funding and resources.