Sozialer Status und Spendenverhalten Ehrenamtlicher in Sportvereinen

While much research has been done to analyze whether socioeconomic status influences prosocial behavior in the form of donations, no consensus has yet emerged in the relevant literature. We contribute to this research by studying, based on a dataset from a questionnaire of volunteers of sports clubs in Palatinate (part of Rhineland–Palatinate, Germany) whether social status affects donations. We measured social status of volunteers of sports clubs along the dimensions income, vocation, education and we considered status crystallization. Results showed that social status has a positive effect on the likelihood of donations. We report similarities and differences across different categories of donations (donations to one’s own sports club, to other clubs, to aid projects, and political parties).     

Bildung und Ehrenamt: Zum Einfluss von Motiven auf Investitionen in Lizenzerwerb und Lizenzverlängerung bei Übungsleitern

Volunteer coaches are an important resource for many sports clubs and their training is one of the main tasks for sports associations. Sports clubs increasingly consider the retention and recruitment of coaches as a threat to their very existence. In addition, the acquisition and extension of a coaching license requires an investment in education, which some coaches make and others do not, but which is not required at all when engaging in board positions. Using educational economics and a rational choice-based voluntary work theory, we examine the question of whether the motivational basis differs between coaches and other volunteers, whether there are differences between coaches who do invest in education and those who do not, and why coaches quit. The results confirm the assumptions underlying educational economics, but suggest that the hypotheses derived from the motivational categories in voluntary work theory are not supported. As a practical implication, it should be noted that sports clubs and sports associations can do very little to oppose the decision against a renewed investment in education and against the continuation of commitment as coaches.