Knowing and Aligning Motivations and Values
摘要
This chapter examines the motivations and values of volunteers in the parks through three data buckets: (1) perceived alignment between their work and the mission of the National Park Service, (2) explicitly stated reasons as to why they are volunteering at the park where they had an active volunteer agreement, and (3) telling stories of their favorite moments or memories as a volunteer in the park that, as I occasionally asked in the interview, “bring a smile to your face when you think about them.” The first data bucket reveals the connection, conscious or otherwise, between a volunteer and the aims of the organization; any lack of connection can be interpreted as a sign of improper motivational alignment. The second data bucket is most direct in asking “why” the individual volunteers, and data are reported according to the schemes identified in the fourth chapter. The third data bucket reveals motivation not necessarily for starting work as a volunteer but suggests clues for why the individual continues to serve. The unique or favorite moments that are openly recalled are those stories that potentially keep the individual returning, sometimes for years or decades.