Why Volunteer and is Volunteering Worth the Effort?

Abstract

This thesis analyzes why people volunteer in two counties of East Tennessee. The study describes the concept of volunteering and its positive impact upon society on a regional and national level. The characteristics of people who volunteer, why people choose to volunteer, and the significance of their volunteering were assessed through a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire was administered in Carter County (Elizabethton) and Washington County (Johnson City) Tennessee to 13 charitable and non-charitable agencies that utilize volunteers aged 18 years and over. Out of 243 survey questionnaires distributed in Elizabethton and Johnson City, Tennessee, 124 individuals responded. Data collected in the areas were analyzed to determine how the region related to national profiles of those who volunteer. The data collected revealed reasons why people in this section of the mountains of East Tennessee volunteer and helped identify the characteristics of those who volunteer