Work climate, motivation, emotional exhaustion, and continuance intention in sport volunteers: A two-wave prospective survey

Retaining volunteers is critical for sport and social development. This two-wave prospective survey was conducted to examine the relationship between sport volunteers’ work climate, motivation, emotional exhaustion (core burnout dimension), and continuance intention to volunteer for sporting events. Volunteers (n = 160) completed a survey measuring work climate and motivation at baseline (T1), and another survey measuring emotional exhaustion and continuance intention at follow-up with one-month interval (T2). Results of path analysis showed that T1 work climate was a significant positive predictor of T1 autonomous motivation and a negative one of T1 controlled motivation. T1 controlled motivation significantly and positively predicted T2 emotional exhaustion, but T1 autonomous motivation was not a significant predictor of T2 emotional exhaustion. T2 emotional exhaustion was a significant negative predictor of T2 continuance intention. These findings suggest the need to decrease volunteers’ controlled motivation and emotional exhaustion for volunteer retention.