Embracing Duality: Exploring the Synergy of Traditional and Religious HRM Practices to Enhance Volunteer Retention in Faith-Based Organizations

ABSTRACT

Volunteer retention is critical for the sustainable functioning of faith-based organizations (FBOs). This qualitative study examines the interplay of two distinct streams of Human Resource Management (HRM) within FBOs: traditional HRM practices and religious HRM practices. Drawing on data from 33 interviews conducted across four Indonesian FBOs, we explore how the integration of these practices influences volunteer retention. Our findings reveal that FBOs employ traditional HRM practices, including recruitment, task design, training, supervision, rewards systems, and managing diversity, to retain volunteers. Additionally, strategically designed religious HRM practices, encompassing spiritual individual development, spiritual leadership, shaping organizational religious culture, and managing volunteers’ relations, augment volunteer commitment. This research contributes novel insights into the nexus between secular and spiritual dimensions in volunteer retention, offering a holistic framework for FBOs to optimize volunteer management strategies and sustain their impactful missions.

PRACTICAL POINTS

• Integrate traditional and religious HRM practices effectively to boost volunteer retention in faith-based organizations and other non-profits.

• Prioritize values alignment and organizational culture to enhance volunteer satisfaction and commitment, fostering an engaging environment.

• Emphasize values-based leadership to cultivate an authentic culture reflecting the organization’s core values, maximizing volunteer engagement.

• Extend the research principles beyond faith-based organizations to environmental, social welfare, and humanitarian sectors, optimizing volunteer management approaches for greater impact.

KEYWORDS:

• Faith-based organization
• religious HRM
• retention
• traditional HRM
• volunteer

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Replication statement

Data used in this study may be obtained for replication or review purposes by contacting the author.