The role of technology in reconfiguring volunteer management in nonprofits: Lessons from Hong Kong

Abstract

There is plenty of evidence demonstrating that volunteering generates benefits for individuals and society at large. However, the role of technology used in recruiting, managing, and retaining volunteers in nonprofits, as an emergent form of social innovation in volunteer management, is underexplored in East Asia. Drawing from in-depth interviews with representatives of nineteen nonprofits, we examine how technology reconfigured volunteer management in nonprofits, identify its limitations and shortcomings, and discuss strategies in which technology can be utilized to enhance the effectiveness of volunteer management. We found, through this study, that the use of technology reconfigured key aspects of volunteer management: improving recruitment by enlarging and diversifying the volunteer pool; improving precision and speed of volunteer matching; enhancing nonprofits’ ability to recruit professionals; and enhancing overall volunteer management efficiency. However, challenges in volunteer management resulting from technology uptake were also observed, including resistance among frontline staff to adopt technology, and volunteer accountability and quality assurance. Specifically, it was found through this study that the extent to which nonprofits are able to effectively utilize technology in volunteer management is contingent on how well volunteer managers are able to actualize the notion of capacity optimization, create a friendly volunteer environment, and build rapport with volunteers. Implications for enhancing organizational capacity in volunteer management vis-à-vis the role of technology in the third sector are further discussed.