Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) volunteers engage in service to social service organizations as a form of sociopolitical involvement, activism, and connection to the LGBTQ and broader communities. This study explored LGBTQ motivations for volunteerism, assessed using the Volunteer Functions Inventory, which measures the reason why people volunteer, including improving social ties, enhancing altruistic values, and gaining greater understanding of the needs of the community served by the social service organization. Using an exploratory design with an American and Canadian convenience sample of LGBTQ-identified volunteers (N = 179), findings of the study showed the desire for socialization and a better understanding of the target community were the strongest predictors of attrition for these volunteers. Future research recruiting LGBTQ volunteers of more diverse social, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds and emerging forms of volunteering, such as virtual volunteering, will help strengthen understanding of LGBTQ volunteerism as a means of community engagement.

摘要

女同性恋，男同性恋，双性恋，变性者和同性恋者（LGBTQ）志愿者以社会政治参与，行动主义以及与LGBTQ和更广泛社区的联系的形式，为社会服务组织提供服务。这项研究探索了LGBTQ志愿服务的动机，并使用“志愿人员功能清单”进行了评估，该清单衡量了人们志愿服务的原因，包括改善社会联系，提高利他价值以及对社会服务组织所服务的社区需求有更深入的了解。将探索性设计与美国和加拿大的LGBTQ识别的志愿者的便利样本配合使用（N = 179），研究结果表明，对这些志愿者来说，社会化的愿望和对目标社区的更好理解是损耗的最强预测因子。未来的研究将招募具有更多社会，文化和语言背景的LGBTQ志愿者，以及新兴的志愿服务形式，例如虚拟志愿服务，将有助于加深对LGBTQ志愿服务的理解，以此作为社区参与的一种手段。