Voluntary Work in Digital Contexts as Gift Exchange

Digital technologies have inspired a change in volunteering nonprofit organizations. In this context, the engagement of volunteers is mainly self-organized, through online platforms or apps. It aim paper to analyze volunteers’ motives, differentiating between self-interest and other-interest. This important, since effects on organizational volunteer-related outcomes, such as volunteer engagement, recruitment retention, are likely occur. A gift exchange perspective applied case study has been used for investigating an online-based organization Germany, consisting qualitative interviews with experts volunteers, documentary analysis participatory observations well survey. The results show that instrumental gaining food, their interests other factors, reduction food wastage societal goal, occur simultaneously. leads paradoxes problems level. contributes understanding retention digital