Indicators of Volunteer Retention in Environmental Stewardship Programs

Abstract

Volunteers have been an integral part of urban greenspace management in Minnesota since the inception of the first formal training program in 1977. Since then, many specialized training programs have developed in order to address specific aspects of vegetation management in urban spaces. The framework of environmental literacy illustrates seven elements of environmental education that can be utilized to better understand the success of a program’s curriculum as well as understanding the individual volunteer. This research aimed to understand how volunteers are currently engaging in programs and if predictors of increased frequency and duration of volunteerism can be uncovered. To do this, a survey was developed to address six elements of environmental literacy and was distributed to six Minnesota environmental stewardship programs. The results found that age, employment status, education level, value motivation, and personality characteristics of extraversion and openness were predictors of increased retention in programs. The results found that volunteers living in the 11-County Metro area of Minnesota and those with the personality characteristic of extraversion were likely to volunteer more frequently.