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Keywords

belonging, intrinsic motivation, faith-based nonprofits, volunteer engagement, interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

Nonprofit organizations often overlook psychological belonging as a driver of volunteer retention and recruitment (Hurt, 2025; Mochin, 2022). The purpose of this qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was to explore how a sense of belonging influenced the intrinsic motivation of nine adults volunteering with a faith-based nonprofit organization in the southern United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using IPA best practices to identify themes from participants' experiences. The study was grounded in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, self-determination theory, and organizational identification theory—frameworks that describe how individuals connect personal values and identity to the values and activities of an organization and why people seek to satisfy a sense of belonging (Allen et al., 2024; Kreidemaker, 2024). Findings indicated that volunteers experienced belonging through shared values of serving others, accepting vulnerability, personal connection, making room for others, time spent together, competence, listening, and self-acceptance. Volunteers' motivation was shaped primarily by the perceived alignment of their values with the organization's values and activities. These findings imply that effective nonprofit leadership should treat the cultivation of belonging as a key component of volunteer motivation and leadership.

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