Building a better workplace for teen volunteers through inclusive behaviors

Facing a decline in the number of hours donated to nonprofit organizations, volunteer coordinators must strive to determine the most effective strategies for retaining volunteers. Relationship management theory provides a framework to gauge the well-being of an organization’s relationship with its stakeholders. Through surveys administered to 317 teenage volunteers at three library systems, this study found that of four factors-trust, commitment, satisfaction, and control mutuality-trust had the strongest ability to predict intent to continue volunteering. Further analysis revealed that trust could be enhanced by including teenagers in work groups throughout the organization, seeking their input on organizational decisions, and ensuring they receive formal and informal organizational communications.