Influence of intrinsic reward on volunteers retention at st. Martin CSA, Nyahururu

Abstract

ABSTRACT Human resources are the main driving force and the heart of every organization. Maintaining a sufficient talented workforce in an organization is a sure way of ensuring a competitive advantage, increase in production, profitability and realization of the organization core mandate. Unfortunately, many organizations including FBOs today are facing the challenge of attracting and retaining a talented workforce. The role played by intrinsic reward in attraction and retention of the great talents has been forgotten by many employers and organizations emphasizing more on extrinsic rewards. FBOs like St. Martin CSA, Nyahururu are not exceptional; they are facing the same challenge of maintaining a reliable pool of volunteers. The objective of this study was to establish the influence of intrinsic reward on volunteers’ retention at St. Martin CSA, Nyahururu – a FBO. The study applied a cross-sectional descriptive research design. The design was preferred because it allows one to study the variables without manipulating them. It is cheap, easy and fitted so well in this kind of study. The study targeted 542 volunteers working at St. Martin CSA, Nyahururu. Simple random sampling technique was utilized to select a sample of 120 volunteers. A structured questionnaire with closed-ended Likert scale questions was used to collect primary data. Out of the 120 questionnaires distributed, 118 were responded and returned constituting a response rate of 98%. The data collected was analyzed using Excel spreadsheet and Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics were computed for respondents’ background data, attraction, turnover and the key variables i.e. intrinsic rewards, and volunteers’ retention. The data collected was presented using figures and tables. Simple linear regression analysis was done to establish how the independent variable - intrinsic rewards influence the dependent variable -volunteers’ retention at St. Martin CSA, Nyahururu. The study findings revealed that the influence of intrinsic rewards on volunteers’ retention at St. Martin CSA, Nyahururu was statistically significant. This means that intrinsic rewards positively influence volunteers’ retention at St. Martin CSA, Nyahururu at 43.1% (R2=0.431). The other 56.9% was perhaps due to other variables not covered by this study. Findings further showed that the sense of meaningfulness was the most significant on volunteers retention followed by the sense of choice, competence and progress in that order. This study has contributed to the existing knowledge by empirically confirming that intrinsic rewards play a key function in volunteers’ retention at FBOs. This study, therefore, concludes that intrinsic rewards positively and significantly influence volunteers’ retention. The study recommends that St. Martin CSA management should review volunteers’ policy to categorically define and design volunteers’ retention strategies to include intrinsic rewards. The management also needs to be conscious of the intrinsic rewards and purposively design volunteers work design to increase the feeling of intrinsic rewards and hence increased volunteers’ retention. Staff should be fully aware and or trained on the dynamics of intrinsic rewards and on how to offer a favourable environment that fosters intrinsic rewards from volunteers’ experiences. Finally, the study advocates future research to replicate this study in other FBOs working with volunteers within and without Kenya and also to look at intrinsic rewards and volunteers turnover since this was not very clear in this study.