Testing the Mediating Effect of Need–Supply Fit on the Relationship Between Volunteer Management Practices and Volunteer Satisfaction in China

Abstract

In recent years, volunteer management practices (VMPs) have attracted the attention of scholars. However, the mechanism by which VMPs affect volunteer satisfaction, an important antecedent of volunteer sustainability, remains poorly understood. This article examines one such mechanism, need–supply fit, through which VMPs influence volunteer satisfaction. Although need–supply fit has been verified as a mediating mechanism of human resource management practice affecting the satisfaction of paid employees, the question of whether need–supply fit is a similar influencing mechanism in the context of volunteering requires further research. By the use of a cluster sample (N = 211) collected from four nonprofit organizations in China, a mediation model is outlined and empirically tested. The results show that both VMPs and need–supply fit have significant positive relationships with volunteer satisfaction and that need–supply fit fully mediates the relationship between VMPs and volunteer satisfaction. Future research is suggested to verify the mechanism proposed in this article across different cultures and volunteering fields and to explore the differences of the impact of intended VMPs and perceived VMPs on the volunteers’ satisfaction.

Keywords:

• Volunteer satisfaction
• volunteer management practices
• need–supply fit
• mediating effect

Disclosure statement

The authors have no affiliation with any organization with a direct or indirect financial interest in the subject matter discussed in the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Guangdong Provincial Education Department Foundation (Grant No. 2017WTSCX013); Guangzhou Social Science Foundation (Grant No. 2018GZGJ38); and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71673091).