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Abstract

Volunteers provide billions of hours in free labor annually and are essential for the success of many organizations. Understanding who volunteers as well as the motivating factors that attract and retain volunteers is critical. This study explored the motivations of therapy animal volunteers (TAVs) identifying commonality with general volunteerism as well as unique motivators. Respondents were 748 TAVs with Pet Partners who completed an online survey. The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) was used to allow comparisons to prior research. Supplemental items specific to animal handler motivation were added to the 30 VFI items. Additionally, participants responded to an open-ended question regarding their motivations to volunteer. In agreement with the published research, the strongest motivators on the original VFI scale were Values, Enhancement, and Understanding. Supplemental items specific to one’s pet were rated higher than any of the six VFI functions. Responses to the open-ended question were coded into the six VFI functions but also revealed unique motivations related to the volunteer’s animal. “Pet Benefits Others” was cited most frequently and “Opportunity to Work with Pet” was the third strongest open-ended theme after Values. Like other volunteers, TAVs are strongly motivated by Values; however, additional motivators regarding unique attributes or relationships with one’s animal are also strong or stronger. Some gender and age differences were observed in VFI ratings and rankings, providing confirmation of the published literature. Respondents were mostly female, White, older, and highly educated, agreeing with the demographics of mainstream volunteers and animal handlers.

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