Social – to meet new people and make new friends or to be with their friends.

• “My friends volunteer”
• “People I am close to want me to volunteer”
• “Others to whom I am close place a high value on community service”
• “Volunteering is an important activity to the people I know best”
• “People I know share an interest in community service”

Protective – as a means to “work through their own personal problems” and “a good escape”

• “No matter how bad I’ve been feeling, volunteering helps me to forget about it”
• “By volunteering I feel less lonely”
• ”Volunteering helps me work through my own personal problems”
• “Volunteering is a good escape from my own troubles”
• “Doing volunteer work relieves me of some of the guilt over being more fortunate than others”

Understanding – seek to explore their own strengths and expand their understanding of the cause and other volunteers.

• “I can learn more about the cause for which I am working”
• “Volunteering allows me to gain a new perspective on things”
• “Volunteering lets me learn through direct hands-on experience”
• “I can learn how to deal with a variety of people”
• “I can explore my own strengths”

Enhancement (esteem) – to make themselves feel more important and needed.

• “Volunteering makes me feel important”
• “Volunteering increases my self-esteem”
• “Volunteering makes me feel needed”
• “Volunteering is a way to make new friends”
• “Volunteering makes me feel better about myself”