Challenges for Formal Organizations Engaging Volunteers During Regular and Crisis Times According to Polish and Italian Volunteer Coordinators

The recent crises in Europe impacted the volunteering\r\npatterns within formal organizations that provide\r\nsupport in regular and crisis times. In our paper, we\r\ninvestigated how volunteer coordinators from formal entities\r\n(public/governmental and non-governmental) perceive\r\n(1) the patterns of volunteering engagement (long-term\r\nversus episodic) in regular and crisis times, (2) the processes\r\nof retaining volunteers during crises; (3) the trust of\r\nthe community toward various types of organizations\r\nduring social crises; (4) the role of informal support groups\r\nin relation to the tasks of their organization. Between June\r\nand October 2023, we performed an online-based study\r\n(total N = 55)—in Poland (N = 28) and Italy (N = 27). The\r\nsurvey had multiple-choice and open-ended questions, and\r\nthe results were analyzed qualitatively using the thematic\r\nanalysis framework. The findings indicated that volunteer\r\ncoordinators reckon that long-term and episodic volunteers\r\nplay crucial and complementary roles in helping organizations\r\nachieve their objectives. This implies that organizations\r\nshould recognize the value of both types of\r\nvolunteers and consider them essential resources for pursuing\r\norganizational goals. The results also suggest that the\r\nvolunteer retention strategies are worth outlining or revisiting\r\nwithin organizations, and attention should be paid to\r\npsychological support. According to coordinators, trust in\r\nnon-governmental organizations is perceived as crucial in\r\nthe beneficiaries’ decisions about where to seek help.\r\nCollaboration with informal groups is advised, given that\r\nthe goals can be achieved together, mutually using the\r\nresources provided by both types of helping entities.