Consumer transformation through volunteer service experiences

A growing number of consumers are seeking to make a difference through experiences involving interaction and collaboration with organizations that offer charitable service opportunities. These experiences are noteworthy in not only their catalyzing influence on the organization and the beneficiary c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Service industries journal 2015-12, Vol.35 (15-16), p.865-882
Main Authors: Mulder, Mark R., Rapp, Justine M., Hamby, Anne, Weaver, Todd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Charitable foundations
Charities
co-creation
Collaboration
Customer services
Field study
Philanthropy
transformative services research
value creation
volunteer
Volunteers
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Summary:A growing number of consumers are seeking to make a difference through experiences involving interaction and collaboration with organizations that offer charitable service opportunities. These experiences are noteworthy in not only their catalyzing influence on the organization and the beneficiary customer, but also the personal transformation in the volunteer. The authors introduce a phenomenon called transformative charity experiences (TCEs), a triadic framework highlighting an avenue of personal consumer well-being through the transformative effect of service interactions with key stakeholders. Building upon conceptual models proposed in Transformative Services Research and insights from their own embedded charity experiences, the authors introduce how service co-creation from three entities (charity, volunteer, and community) can lead to a transformative effect for the volunteer. An exploratory field study in an international setting provides insights into how the proposed framework accounts for TCEs. Implications and future directions for charitable services research are presented.
ISSN:0264-2069
1743-9507
DOI:10.1080/02642069.2015.1090981