This document summarizes the state of available evidence regarding what factors impact nonprofit organizations’ ability to recruit and retain volunteers. It aims to answer the following questions:
Studies included in the database focused on high-income or upper middle-income countries, including but not limited to the United States. Studies included must have been published since 2012. To identify evidence, we searched the following websites and databases using the following population, methodology, and target outcome terms:
| Websites and Databases | Population Terms | Methodology Terms | Target Outcome Terms |
| Campbell Collaboration
Cochrane Collaboration Mathematica Policy Research Urban Institute Migration Policy Institute CINAHL ASSIA Social Services Abstracts Social Work Abstracts PsycInfo ERIC
|
Nonprofit
OR NGO OR “nongovernmental organization” OR CBO OR “community based organization” OR ECBO OR “ethnic community based organization” OR “non profit organization” OR non-profit OR “not for profit organization”
|
evaluation
OR impact OR program OR intervention OR policy OR project OR train* OR therapy OR treatment OR counseling OR workshop OR review OR meta-analysis OR synthesis |
“volunteer recruitment”
OR “volunteer retention” OR “volunteer engagement” OR “volunteer management” |
For databases or websites that permitted only basic searches, free-text terms and limited term combinations were selected out of the lists above, and all resultant studies were reviewed for relevance. Conversely, for databases or websites with advanced search capability, we made use of relevant available filters. All terms were searched in the title and abstract fields only to exclude studies that made only passing mention of the topic under consideration.
After initial screening, Switchboard evidence mapping is prioritized as follows: Priority is given to meta-analyses and systematic reviews, followed by individual impact evaluations when no meta-analyses or systematic reviews are available. Evaluations that are rated as impact evidence are considered before those rated as suggestive, with the latter only being included for outcomes where no evidence is available from the former.
