TY - JOUR
T1 - Capacity building contributions of short-term international volunteers
AU - Lough, Benjamin J.
AU - McBride, Amanda Moore
AU - Sherraden, Margaret S.
AU - O'Hara, Kathleen
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the Ford Foundation for providing support for this research. Address correspondence to Benjamin J. Lough, School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1010 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, IL 61801. E-mail: [email protected]
PY - 2011/4
Y1 - 2011/4
N2 - Previous research suggests that international volunteer service may have both positive and negative effects on host organizations. Applying a capacity-building perspective, this study uses semistructured interviews to ask staff in hosting organizations to identify the main outcomes of short-term volunteer service. These views were compared with perspectives of staff from matched organizations that do not host international volunteers. Findings suggest that international volunteers may increase organizational capacity by supplying extra hands, providing technical and professional skills, contributing tangible resources, and enhancing intercultural understanding. Volunteers may also challenge organizations as they absorb staff time and resources. Staff members from both types of organizations identify individual and institutional variables that may affect the quality of these outcomes, including volunteers' language capacity and the intensity of the service placement.
AB - Previous research suggests that international volunteer service may have both positive and negative effects on host organizations. Applying a capacity-building perspective, this study uses semistructured interviews to ask staff in hosting organizations to identify the main outcomes of short-term volunteer service. These views were compared with perspectives of staff from matched organizations that do not host international volunteers. Findings suggest that international volunteers may increase organizational capacity by supplying extra hands, providing technical and professional skills, contributing tangible resources, and enhancing intercultural understanding. Volunteers may also challenge organizations as they absorb staff time and resources. Staff members from both types of organizations identify individual and institutional variables that may affect the quality of these outcomes, including volunteers' language capacity and the intensity of the service placement.
KW - Capacity building
KW - Development
KW - International
KW - Organizations
KW - Volunteering
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U2 - 10.1080/10705422.2011.568921
DO - 10.1080/10705422.2011.568921
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79957514410
SN - 1070-5422
VL - 19
SP - 120
EP - 137
JO - Journal of Community Practice
JF - Journal of Community Practice
IS - 2
ER -