A behaviour change intervention to increase volunteer participation in charity

The factors that influence volunteerism are still insufficiently investigated today. What motivates people to engage as volunteers, and how can their willingness to do so be increased through the application of behavioural psychology in marketing campaigns? This study analyses the possibility to influence volunteer participation by applying behavioural psychology, in particular, ten behaviour change techniques (BCTs) from the BCT Taxonomy. Eighty-three study participants were recruited via the mailing list of an inclusive local charity (KEEN Oxford). Individuals were assigned to one of two groups (control/intervention) in a survey, each consisting of an email addressing potential recruits. The results show a significant difference between the two groups (p<.05), for the increase in both willingness to volunteer (1.56 vs 0.35 points on a ten-point scale) as well as time commitment (4 vs 0.54 hours). This reinforces the hypothesis that behavioural psychology can increase volunteer participation.