Date of Conferral
12-3-2025
Date of Award
December 2025
Degree
Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)
School
Management
Advisor
Christopher Beehner
Abstract
Abstract Nonprofit organizations provide critical services that address social, cultural, and economic needs within communities. Nonprofit leaders who cannot retain volunteers risk reduced organizational capacity, interruptions in program delivery, and weakened ability to achieve program objectives. Grounded in servant leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to identify and explore the effective strategies nonprofit leaders use to retain volunteers to support their program objectives. Participants were six nonprofit leaders in north Texas who have successfully retained volunteers to support their program objectives. Data was collected using semi structured interviews and a review of publicly available documents about nonprofit volunteer retention strategies. Using thematic analysis, four themes were identified: volunteer management practices, communication and relationship building, volunteer retention strategies, and challenges and adaptive solutions. A key recommendation is for nonprofit leaders to adopt people-centered strategies that emphasize flexibility, recognition, and empathy to strengthen volunteer commitment. The implications for positive social change include the potential for more engaged volunteers who provide higher quality services that benefit the community and reduce dependence on tax-funded government programs.
Recommended Citation
NJECK, CELINE EJOH, "Effective Leadership Strategies Used to Retain Volunteers in Nonprofit Organizations" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18842.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18842
