An Exploratory Examination of the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and the Volunteer Functions of Millenials

Abstract

This research explored the volunteer behaviors of college students by examining the relationships between the internal components of emotional intelligence and the protective function of volunteering as well as the external components of emotional intelligence and the social function of volunteering. While there are numerous ways to study volunteer behaviors, this research adopted the motivational functions model and an adaptation of the Weisenger (2006) emotional intelligence model. Examining volunteer behaviors in this manner allows for nonprofit organizations to craft more engaging and effective retention strategies. The characteristics of millennial college students examined in this study include campus involvement, gender, employment status, major area of study, and year in school. The student characteristics were then related to the protective and social motivational functions using the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) as well as the internal and external components of emotional intelligence using the Weisenger scale. Undergraduate students at a moderate size state university in the southeast were surveyed in order to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence and functional motivations on the volunteer behaviors of millennial college students. This research suggests understanding the relationship can be a powerful volunteer retention tool for nonprofit organizations.