Volunteerism Addressing Environmental Disparities in Allergy (VAEDIA): The presidential initiative to combat environmental injustice in allergy and immunology-a Work Group Report of the AAAAI VAEDIA task force.

Many vulnerable people lose their health or lives each year as a result of unhealthy environmental conditions that perpetuate medical conditions within the scope of allergy and immunology specialists' expertise. While detrimental environmental factors impact all humans globally, the effect is disproportionately more profound in impoverished neighborhoods. Environmental injustice is the inequitable exposure of disadvantaged populations to environmental hazards. Professional medical organizations such as the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) are well positioned to engage and encourage community outreach volunteer programs to combat environmental justice. Here we discuss how environmental injustices and climate change impacts allergic diseases among vulnerable populations. We discuss pathways allergists/immunologists can use to contribute to addressing environmental determinants by providing volunteer clinical service, education, and advocacy. Furthermore, allergists/immunologists can play a role in building trust within these communities, partnering with other patient advocacy nonprofit stakeholders, and engaging with local, state, national, and international nongovernmental organizations, faith-based organizations, and governments. The AAAAI's Volunteerism Addressing Environmental Disparities in Allergy (VAEDIA) is the presidential task force aiming to promote volunteer initiatives by creating platforms for discussion and collaboration and by funding community-based projects to address environmental injustice.

Effects of volunteering over six months on loneliness, social and mental health outcomes among older adults: The HEAL-HOA Dual Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the beneficial effects of volunteering as lay counselor via telephone on own loneliness, social network engagement, perceived social support, stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, INTERVENTION, AND PARTICIPANTS: "Helping Alleviate Loneliness in Hong Kong Older Adults" (HEAL-HOA), a dual randomized controlled trial, was implemented to test effects of telephone-based psychosocial interventions delivered by older-adult volunteers for low-income lonely older adults. To evaluate the effects of volunteering on loneliness, we randomized 375 individuals ages 50-70 into a volunteering condition versus an active control (psychoeducation with social gatherings). Following a 6-week training, participants in the volunteering condition, delivered tele-interventions to older intervention recipients. MEASUREMENT: The primary outcome was loneliness measured with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Secondary outcomes were loneliness measured with the De Jong Gierveld Scale (DJG), social network engagement, perceived social support, perceived stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Assessments were completed before training (baseline) and immediately after the 6-month volunteering period. RESULTS: Results from linear mixed models show significant positive effects of volunteering (significant interactions of condition × time) on both measures of loneliness (dppc2 = -0.41 ULCA Loneliness score, dppc2 = -0.70 total DJG score), social network engagement, stress and depressive symptoms as compared to control participants. CONCLUSIONS: The HEAL-HOA trial demonstrates beneficial effects of volunteer-delivered tele-interventions on decreasing loneliness on the volunteer interventionists themselves. Communicating these benefits for volunteers may attract more older adults into volunteering. This effective tele-based volunteer program is scalable for wider implementation. SUMMARY: This RCT tested effects of volunteering on loneliness in Hong Kong during the COVID-19-pandemic. Three hundred seventy-five individuals ages 50-70 were randomized into volunteering (delivering tele-interventions against loneliness) versus an active control condition. After 6 months, volunteers compared to controls, showed benefits on loneliness, social network engagement, stress and depressive symptoms. A program engaging lonely older adults in loneliness intervention delivery has beneficial effects on volunteers themselves and could be a scalable solution for our loneliness epidemic.

An anthropological history of Nepal's Female Community Health Volunteer program: gender, policy, and social change.

BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) are central to Primary Health Care globally. Amidst the current flourishing of work on CHWs, there often is a lack of reference to history-even in studies of programs that have been around for decades. This study examines the 35-year trajectory of Nepal's Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs). METHODS: We conducted a content analysis of an archive of primary and secondary research materials, grey literature and government reports collected during 1977-2019 across several regions in Nepal. Documents were coded in MAXQDA using principles of inductive coding. As questions arose from the materials, data were triangulated with published sources. RESULTS: Looking across four decades of the program's history illuminates that issues of gender, workload, and pay-hotly debated in the CHW literature now-have been topics of discussion for observers and FCHVs alike since the inception of the program. Following experiments with predominantly male community volunteers during the 1970s, Nepal scaled up the all-female FCHV program in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in part because of programmatic goals focused on maternal and child health. FCHVs gained legitimacy as health workers in part through participation in donor-funded vertical campaigns. FCHVs received a stable yet modest regular stipend during the early years, but since it was stopped in the 1990s, incentives have been a mix of activity-based payments and in-kind support. With increasing outmigration of men from villages and growing work responsibilities for women, the opportunity cost of health volunteering increased. FCHVs started voicing their dissatisfaction with remuneration, which gave rise to labor movements starting in the 2010s. Government officials have not comprehensively responded to demands by FCHVs for decent work, instead questioning the relevance of FCHVs in a modern, medicalized Nepali health system. CONCLUSIONS: Across public health, an awareness of history is useful in understanding the present and avoiding past mistakes. These histories are often not well-archived, and risk getting lost. Lessons from the history of Nepal's FCHV program have much to offer present-day debates around CHW policies, particularly around gender, workload and payment.

A qualitative assessment of barriers and facilitators of telemedicine volunteerism during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic further propelled the recent growth of telemedicine in low-resource countries, with new models of telemedicine emerging, including volunteer-based telemedicine networks. By leveraging existing infrastructure and resources to allocate health personnel more efficiently, these volunteer networks eased some of the pandemic burden placed on health systems. However, there is insufficient understanding of volunteer-based telemedicine models, especially on the human resources engagement on such networks. This study aims to understand the motivations and barriers to health practitioner engagement on a volunteer telemedicine network during COVID-19, and the mechanisms that can potentially sustain volunteer engagement to address healthcare demands beyond the pandemic. METHODS: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with health practitioners volunteering on an Indian, multi-state telemedicine network during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis methods. RESULTS: Most practitioners reported being motivated to volunteer by a sense of duty to serve during the pandemic. Practitioners suggested organizational-level measures to make the process more efficient and facilitate a more rewarding provider-patient interaction. These included screening calls, gathering patient information prior to consultations, and allowing for follow-up calls with patients to close the loop on consultations. Many practitioners stated that non-financial incentives are enough to maintain volunteer engagement. However, practitioners expressed mixed feelings about financial incentives. Some stated that financial incentives are needed to maintain long-term provider engagement, while others stated that financial incentives would devalue the volunteer experience. Most practitioners highlighted that telemedicine could increase access to healthcare, especially to the rural and underserved, even after the pandemic. Practitioners also expressed an interest in continuing to volunteer with the network if the need arose again. CONCLUSION: Our study findings suggest that practitioners are highly intrinsically motivated to volunteer during large healthcare emergencies and beyond to address the healthcare needs of the underserved. Following the recommendations presented in the study, telemedicine networks can more successfully engage and maintain volunteer practitioners. Volunteer-based telemedicine networks have the potential to bridge shortages of health personnel in resource-constrained settings both in times of crises and beyond.

Big Five personality traits predict small but robust differences in civic engagement.

OBJECTIVE: This preregistered study provides robust estimates of the links between Big Five personality traits and civic engagement across different samples and life stages. METHODS: We recruited two samples from the United States and United Kingdom (total N = 1593) and measured Big Five domains, Big Five aspects, and six civic engagement indicators: volunteerism, charitable giving, donating blood, posthumous organ donation, political voting, and vaccination. We compared the links between these measures across samples and tested moderation across life stages and several sociodemographic variables. We explored whether these links replicate between self- and peer-reports. RESULTS: We found small but robust effects. Agreeable, extraverted, and open/intellectual participants reported more civic engagement, especially volunteerism and charitable giving. Neurotic and conscientious participants mainly reported less civic engagement, especially blood and organ donations. One of the two Big Five aspects often drove these links, such as Compassion in the link between Agreeableness and volunteerism. We found some differences between younger and middle-aged adults. CONCLUSIONS: Big Five personality traits predict civic engagement modestly but consistently, with adequate study power being critical to detecting these links. Lower-order traits, such as Big Five aspects, clarify the relationships between traits and engagement. Life stages and sociodemographic variables have limited effects.

Medical students' experience and learning outcomes of overseas community involvement project: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Medical students in Singapore engage in short term medical missions, locally known as Overseas Community Involvement Projects (OCIPs). Little is known about the learning outcomes of an OCIP and how this complements their medical education back home. Understanding this can help the medical educators structure the OCIP to optimise its learning value. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences and learning outcomes of the medical students who participated in the OCIP. METHODS: This was a qualitative study involving Singaporean students from one medical school travelling to Nepal. Data was collected from reflective journals, overall group reflections and two focus group discussions. The data was thematically analysed using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical (ACGME) core competencies for medical professionals. RESULTS: The data could be classified under various themes within the six domains of the ACGME framework. The study revealed themes of: humanism, socioeconomic and cultural determinants of health under the domain of patient care, application of medical knowledge, investigating and evaluating the needs of a population and feedback to drive improvement under the domain of practice-based learning and improvement, use of non-verbal cues and communicating across language barriers under the domain of interpersonal and communication skills, healthcare systems and delivery, resourcefulness and adaptability, health equity and accessibility under the domain of systems-based practice, ethics, role-modelling, teamwork and leadership skills, interprofessional skills and resilience under the domain of professionalism. Understanding the students' motivations, utilising reflections, and following the patients' journey facilitated attainment of these outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This OCIP experience translated to learning outcomes aligned with the ACGME framework. There is great potential for the experiential learning from a well-structured OCIP to help with personal and professional development and global health education.

Impact on persons with disabilities and their families when they are contributors to society through volunteerism and employment.

BACKGROUND: Despite various government initiatives, people with disabilities all over the world face some degree of hindrance when they try to contribute to society. AIM: This project sought to give voice to and understand the perceptions and experiences of persons with disabilities in Singapore when contributing to society through volunteerism and employment and to explore solutions to help access and retain employment and volunteering. METHOD AND PROCEDURE: This small qualitative study recruited three convenience samples of people with disabilities aged 18-49 years old who met criteria for daily activity over the previous 12 months. Participant recruitment was limited due to the Covid pandemic lockdown. Ten individuals had maintained open employment, six had worked as a volunteer and four were neither working nor volunteering. All 20 participants were briefed online on the use of the photovoice technique. Interviews were then conducted online, beginning with a 5-min demographic survey. Approximately hour long semi-structured interviews followed. Eleven participants used photovoice but nine who were working or volunteering did not as they were unable to take photos in their workplace. Several individuals were supported during the interview by a caregiver or staff member for example a job coach. FINDINGS: Themes were identified within the four central areas of enquiry: (i) self-perceptions of being a beneficiary or contributor to society; (ii) the benefits to working and volunteering; (iii) enablers and barriers to working and volunteering and (iv) solutions to access and retain employment and volunteering. Several barriers to use of photovoice were encountered. The importance of inclusive and conducive environments was recognised along with the roles of all stakeholders across the ecosystem. CONCLUSION: Employment and volunteering can significantly impact quality of life for persons with disabilities and their families and benefit the society. Collaboration among all stakeholders is required to better address solutions and improve desired employment and volunteer outcomes.

Yes, I will do it! Factors promoting the intention to volunteer after COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

This cross-sectional study assessed the extent to which the intention to volunteer after the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with resilience, post-traumatic growth, and community service self-efficacy in a representative Italian sample (N = 295; Mage = 44.77; SD = 14.79; range = 18-83 years; 53.22% men). The model tested through a path analysis revealed a positive association between community service self-efficacy and intention to continue volunteering. Multi-group comparisons revealed that this relationship was maintained in participants who were active volunteers, while in the group of former volunteers, only a positive association between post-traumatic growth and intention to volunteer was found. This study contributed to highlight the importance of community service self-efficacy and post-traumatic growth in the volunteering experience and the intention to continue volunteering in the future.

COVID-19 Pandemic, Physical Distancing Policies, and the Non-Profit Sector Volunteer Force.

Although COVID-19-related physical distancing has had large economic consequences, the impact on volunteerism is unclear. Using volunteer position postings data from Canada's largest volunteer center (Volunteer Toronto) from February 3, 2020, to January 4, 2021, we evaluated the impact of different levels of physical distancing on average views, total views, and total number of posts. There was about a 50% decrease in the total number of posts that was sustained throughout the pandemic. Although a more restrictive physical distancing policy was generally associated with fewer views, there was an initial increase in views during the first lockdown where total views were elevated for the first 4 months of the pandemic. This was driven by interest in COVID-19-related and remote work postings. This highlights the community of volunteers may be quite flexible in terms of adapting to new ways of volunteering, but substantial challenges remain for the continued operations of many non-profit organizations.

Health Professional- and Volunteer-partnered Self-management Support (COMBO-KEY) to Promote Self-efficacy and Self-management Behaviors in People with Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Multiple systematic reviews have reported that self-management interventions are associated with positive impacts on self-efficacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with stroke. PURPOSE: This article reports the effects of an enhanced stroke self-management program. METHODS: Eligible adults with stroke were recruited from community-based organizations and a support group for a two-arm, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial. Participants in the control group received usual care, while those in the intervention group also received the 8-week self-management program, Coaching Ongoing Momentum Building On stroKe rEcovery journeY (COMBO-KEY), consisting of four individual home visits and five follow-up phone calls, delivered by healthcare professionals and trained volunteers. Assessments were conducted at baseline and after the intervention, for outcomes of self-efficacy, satisfaction with the performance of self-management behaviors, HRQoL, and community reintegration, which were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEEs). RESULTS: 134 Participants were recruited [mean age = 64.1 years, standard deviation (SD) = 12.7]. Over 80% of the participants had a first-ever stroke [mean years after first stroke: 4.2 (SD = 5.1)]. The GEE analysis revealed that the intervention group participants showed significantly greater improvements in self-efficacy, satisfaction with their performance of self-management behaviors, HRQoL, and community reintegration at 8-week follow-up with respect to their baseline levels. CONCLUSIONS: The COMBO-KEY program showed effective improvements in recovery outcomes of people with stroke. Future research should explore the inclusion of virtual/hybrid sessions, strategies to assess health conditions of people with stroke via online modes, and assessment of goal attainment and actual performance of self-management behaviors.

Self-management is the active involvement of a person in managing their overall needs for being able to live well with a chronic condition. Self-management interventions have shown to improve the recovery outcomes of people with stroke. We developed an 8-week long enhanced self-management program "COMBO-KEY" delivered by healthcare professionals and trained volunteers, consisting of individual home visits, follow-up phone calls, peer sharing videos, and enriched resources sharing through a website and a reference guide, aimed at promoting self-efficacy, and self-management behaviors of people with stroke. In this study, 134 adults with stroke were recruited and randomized to either receive the COMBO-KEY program or continue to receiving usual care only. Participants receiving the program showed greater improvements in self-efficacy and self-management behaviors with increased quality of life and reintegrating back to the community after eight weeks compared to the participants receiving usual care. The results highlighted the positive role of a health coaching approach, whereby healthcare professionals, and trained volunteers provide self-management support, to improve the recovery of people with stroke.

Everyday heroes: Graphical life stories and self-defining memories in COVID-19 medical volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the autobiographical foundations of specific narrative identities, which made it possible to choose medical volunteering in the time of the pandemic, resist highly hazardous conditions of working in COVID-19 "red zones," and emerge from this work with a sense of meaning and optimism. METHOD: In this study, we focused on the graphical life stories, self-defining memories (SDMs), and self-defining future projections (SDFPs) of four individuals who worked at COVID-19 "red zone" hospitals as medical volunteers. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that all participants incorporated their volunteering experiences as meaningful and satisfying into their general narrative identity. They scored high on standard scales assessing subjective well-being and reported autonomous regulation of volunteer motivation. We identified narrative trunk lines and metaphors across autobiographical data, which differentiated the participants into four types of general identities extensively manifesting in volunteering identity: faith-based, influence-based, help-based, and success-based. The participants' graphical life stories, SDMs, and SDFPs showed similar patterns consisting of adult-oriented childhood, focus on mid-life events, and a redemption sequence in narration. CONCLUSION: These findings could be taken as touchstones to highlight the critical value of self-continuity and sense of purpose in active coping with global challenges.

The role of Nigerian medical students in the HIV response: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study seeks to understand how medical students' involvement in the HIV response during the COVID-19 pandemic - as well as before and after it - has influenced their decision to specialise in HIV care and their participation in HIV-related activities in the future.Method: Quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilised among medical students from Ambrose Alli University in their fourth, fifth and sixth years of study respectively. Data from this study was analysed using the SPSS version 21 module for descriptive statistics.Results: Medical students were more involved in community-based HIV awareness campaigns (48.6%) during the pre-COVID era, but then became more involved in online awareness campaigns (55%). Only 8.6% were involved in HIV research and evaluation activities. Over 31.2% of respondents were interested in specialising in HIV-related fields, with 23.6% attributing their decision to the COVID-19 pandemic. 92.3% of the respondents were of the opinion that medical students need to become more involved in HIV-related activities. There was statistical significance between the year of study of respondents and awareness of HIV-related activities (p < 0.007). Focused discussions revealed that all students felt that medical students should be more involved in HIV-related activities.Conclusion: Our results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic marginally boosted the number of medical students involved in online awareness campaigns for HIV and AIDs, but there was decreased involvement in community campaigns and participation in community HIV testing. The impact of these findings on the lives of people living with HIV needs further investigation.

[Digital platforms to place informal helpers for home care: what benefits do providers see?] / Digitale Plattformen zur Vermittlung informell Helfender für die häusliche Pflege: Welchen Nutzen sehen Anbieter?

BACKGROUND: Little is known so far about the actual benefits of digital platforms that mediate volunteer helpers with households facing care responsibilities. OBJECTIVE: This article presents the initial results of a survey conducted among placement agencies as part of a multistage organized interview study. The key question is what benefits do agencies ascribe to the services in their own organization for the users and on a societal or sociospatial level. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For the purpose of conducting explorative guideline-based interviews, four placement agencies were selected. Of these, two use a matching platform and two do not. The data were analyzed using content analysis methods. RESULTS: The providers perceive advantages in efficiency, improvements in quality but also new possibilities for harnessing new helper clientele as important beneficial aspects of using digital placement platforms for their own organization. In terms of nurturing users' trust and acceptance, hybrid matching models appear to be particularly advantageous by deploying digital technologies and also enabling personal support in developing helping relationships. The findings also suggest that public welfare-oriented, quality-assured matching platforms can unfurl additional benefits at sociospatial and societal levels. CONCLUSION: Besides beneficial aspects for organizations and users it was also possible to reconstruct potential benefits in relation to local care networks.

Altruism Sustains the Village Model: How Motivations to Join a Village for Older Adults Predict Long-Term Membership.

A Village is a membership-driven organization based on neighbors helping neighbors age in place. Many Villages express difficulty maintaining membership and have concerns about sustainability. Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory, we used qualitative and quantitative data from a representative survey of members of ShareCare (N = 91), the first known Village founded in 1994, to 1) identify members' motivations for joining ShareCare, and 2) examine the relationship between motivations for joining ShareCare and being a long-term member. Qualitative data revealed three motivations for joining ShareCare: instrumental, social, and altruistic. Long-term membership was operationalized as 8 years or more. Logistic regression models indicated that people with altruistic motivation were more likely to be long-term members compared to members without altruistic motivation. Instrumental and social motivations were not associated with long-term membership. Our findings inform recruitment and retention of members in Villages, and member-driven organizations for older adults more broadly.

Volunteerism during humanitarian crises: a practical guide.

Volunteerism to provide humanitarian aid occurs in response to disasters, crises, and conflict. Each of those volunteerism triggers engenders personal risk borne by the healthcare volunteer while rendering aid and merit specific evaluation. Factors that impact decision-making with regard to volunteering are personal, structural and crisis specific. Practical approaches to travel and on-scene safety benefit volunteers and should inform planning and preparation for volunteerism-driven travel. These approaches include planning for evacuation and potential rescue. These unique skills and approaches are generally not part of medical education outside of military service. The global medical community, including medical professional organizations, should embrace this opportunity to improve medical education and professional development to support humanitarian aid volunteerism. Disaster, crisis, or conflict-driven healthcare volunteerism highlights the core elements of altruism, dedication, and humanity that permeate clinician's drive to render aid and save lives.

Coordination and Pilot Implementation of a Standardized Data Collection for Touching Hands.

PURPOSE: Touching Hands is an American Society for Surgery of the Hand program that provides hand surgeries to the world's underserved communities. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a systematic data collection method for Touching Hands to assess patient outcomes, volunteer impact, alleviated disease burden, and cost-effectiveness. METHODS: Research electronic data capture (REDCap) was used as the secure software platform to facilitate data collection. The Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire was used to assess pre-and postoperative patient-reported outcomes. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services (Medical Personnel) survey was administered to volunteers before and after the mission to measure impact on volunteers. Case information was collected to calculate disability-adjusted life years and cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: The data collection system was implemented in some capacity in 4 domestic and 3 international mission sites during 2020 and 2021. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial limitations exist for the implementation of a systematic data collection framework for Touching Hands and warrant further modification and optimization. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A REDCap database can be used for standardized and centralized patient and volunteer data collection for Touching Hands missions.

"It helps me find balance": older adult perspectives on the intersection of caregiving and volunteering.

Caregiving is an increasingly prevalent experience that can negatively impact health and well-being. Volunteerism, long associated with positive benefits for older adults, is one potential strategy that can be used to counteract caregiver stress. A national cohort of existing older adult volunteers was engaged to explore the intersection of volunteering and caregiving through qualitative analysis of respondent comments using the lens of role theory. Survey responses from 533 older volunteers were analyzed. Role conflict and role enhancement themes were examined, with time constraints and reduced energy emerging as the perceived causes of conflict between the caregiver and volunteer roles. Caregivers discussed benefits to their caregiving role, including respite, learning, access to information and resources relevant to caregiving, increased socialization and improved physical and cognitive health. Findings indicate that volunteering can be framed as a health and well-being intervention for caregivers.

The national identity on the border: Indonesian language awareness and attitudes through multi-ethnic community involvement.

State borders are the areas that are vulnerable to the degradation of national identity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes and the behavior of language use among the multi-ethnic Indonesian of predominantly Dayak, Malay, and Chinese who resided on the Indonesia-Malaysia border. The present research applied a qualitative ethnographic approach to document and to describe how a group of multi-ethnic communities participated in building their awareness, attitudes and practices of language as a national identity. The data were taken from 20 informants. They were teachers, students, local people, entrepreneurs, and state civil apparatus. The research found out that the ethnic groups on the border were highly aware of using Indonesian language as evidenced through a form of community involvement, volunteerism and social attitudes in civilizing Indonesian as the dominant language at the border. Their awareness was shown through their involvement, volunteerism, and social attitudes in developing Indonesian language as the dominant language in the border. It is argued that the involvement of all ethnic groups on the border affects positively on strengthening their attitudes and awareness in using Indonesian language.

Volunteer leadership: A silent factor in student volunteer retention.

Despite the growing interest in student volunteerism, few students volunteer, and volunteer organisations struggle to retain those who do. We explore motivating factors, expectations, and demotivating factors as they relate to retention in student volunteerism Participants were selected from six volunteer projects associated with three South African universities in the Western Cape region. Seventy active volunteers (N = 70) responded to four open-ended questions, analysed using thematic analysis. Volunteer leadership is central to student volunteers' expectations and demotivating factors. Good leadership fulfilled student volunteers' expectations, but student volunteers were demotivated in the face of poor leadership. Six indicators of good leadership were identified. This included efficiency, regular and effective communication, being organised, passionate, and dedicated along with being supportive and facilitating volunteer growth. We argue for the importance of including contextual factors such as volunteer leadership when designing a student volunteer retention framework.

No mission? No motivation. On hospitals' organizational form and charity care provision.

A healthcare provider faces two decision problems. On the one hand, it chooses its organizational form: a hospital can be a for-profit institution providing compensated care only, or it can be a nonprofit organization whose mission is enhancing access to care for uninsured, low-income patients. On the other hand, the provider chooses which health professionals to hire, without observing their heterogeneous skills and their pro-social motivation. These decisions are related because an increase in the percentage of revenues, that the nonprofit hospital sacrifices for charity care, might enhance the motivation of its workers and induce some of them to donate their labor, that is, to volunteer. Accordingly, this article analyzes the provider's optimal screening contracts, which are contingent on workers' ability and satisfy limited liability, and relates them to the optimal choice of its mission-orientation. The results provide a new rationale for: a the emergence of different organizational forms for hospitals, such as for-profits and nonprofits, which complement public hospitals in the provision of health care, b the heterogeneity in the degree of charity care chosen by different nonprofit hospitals.