Volunteer burnout : the cost of caring

Abstract

Using the Grounded Theory approach to qualitative research, the experience of emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual fatigue or burnout in four Christian volunteers was studied. The participants were interviewed together in a focus group. The data gathered illumined what it was like for these people to become fatigued in the face of slow change or no perceivable change in the volunteer work where they hoped to see a positive impact. Their experiences showed that burnout or fatigue occurred through a four-step process: 1) an initial motivation to become engaged as volunteers; 2) when positive impacts and effectiveness were not perceived, a decrease in motivation and effectiveness occurred as well as an increase in repetitive, isolating, ineffective behaviours; 3) a period of burnout when the volunteer could no longer engage at all with the tasks, and this burnout impacted other areas of their lives; and 4) an acceptance that involvement in the volunteer work must cease in order to recover. The results showed that burnout might be avoided if volunteers are well-supported by leaders and colleagues, if they learn not to repeat ineffective behaviours, and if they can let go of responsibilities before reaching the burnout stage.