The role of technology in reconfiguring volunteer management in nonprofits in Hong Kong: Benefits and discontents

• Author: Chee Hon Chan,Cheryl Hiu‐Kwan Chui
• Published date: 01 September 2019
• Date: 01 September 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21369

RESEARCH ARTICLE

The role of technology in reconfiguring volunteer

management in nonprofits in Hong Kong: Benefits

and discontents

Cheryl Hiu-Kwan Chui

1

| Chee Hon Chan

2

1

Department of Social Work and Social

Administration, The University of Hong

Kong, Hong Kong, China

2

The Jockey Club Centre for Suicide

Research and Prevention, The University of

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Correspondence

Cheryl Hiu-Kwan Chui, Department of

Social Work and Social Administration,

The University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Jockey

Club Tower, Centennial Campus, Pokfulam

Road, Hong Kong, China.

Email: chkchui@hku.hk

Abstract

There is plenty of evidence demonstrating that volunteering

generates benefits for individuals and society at large. How-

ever, the role of technology used in recruiting, managing,

and retaining volunteers in nonprofits is underexplored in

East Asia. Drawing from in-depth interviews with represen-

tatives of eight nonprofits, we examine how technology rec-

onfigured volunteer management in nonprofits, identify its

limitations and shortcomings, and discuss strategies in

which technology can be utilized to enhance the effective-

ness of volunteer management. We found, through this

study, that the use of technology reconfigured key aspects

of volunteer management: improving recruitment by enlarg-

ing and diversifying the volunteer pool; enhancing preci-

sion and speed of volunteer matching; improv ing

nonprofits’ability to recruit professionals; and reducing

overall administrative burden of volunteer management

within these nonprofits. However, challenges in volunteer

management resulting from technology uptake were also

observed, including resistance among frontline staff to

adopt technology, and volunteer accountability and quality

assurance. Specifically, it was found through this study that

the extent to which nonprofits are able to effectively utilize

technology in volunteer management is contingent on how

well volunteer managers are able to actualize the notion of

capacity optimization, create a friendly volunteer environ-

ment, and build rapport with volunteers. Implications for

enhancing organizational capacity involunteer management

Received: 26 November 2018 Revised: 30 April 2019 Accepted: 3 May 2019

DOI: 10.1002/nml.21369

Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 2019;30:89–111. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nml © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 89

vis-à-vis the role of technology in the third sector are fur-

ther discussed.

KEYWORDS

East Asia, nonprofit management, organizational behavior, technology,

volunteers

1|INTRODUCTION

There is plenty of evidence demonstrating that volunteering generates a wide array of benefits for

individuals, communities, and society at large (Aydinli-Karakulak, Bender, Chong, & Yue, 2016;

Hong & Morrow-Howell, 2010; Salamon, Sokolowski, Haddock, & Tice, 2013). In advanced and

emerging economies alike, volunteers account for a significant proportion of the total workforce,

contributing in some cases to 33.2% of a nation’s gross domestic product (Salamon, Sokolowski, &

Haddock, 2011, p. 240). Volunteers also constitute one of the key and indispensable assets of non-

profit organizations (NPOs) in light of continual welfare retrenchment, budget cuts, human resource

shortages, increased competition within and across sectors, and growing demands for services

(Hackler & Saxton, 2007; Pressrove & Pardun, 2016; Salamon et al., 2013; Vinton, 2012). Thus,

from an organizational perspective, it is imperative for nonprofits to mobilize and effectively utilize

volunteers as a key human capital resource in order to maintain their competitive advantage

(Brudney & Meijs, 2009; Carvalho & Sampaio, 2017).

Another trend observed within the nonprofit sector is the rapid proliferation of information and

communication technology (ICT) (Browne, Jochum, & Paylore, 2013). ICT refers to computer-based

technologies that are used to “create, access, store, and distribute information or to communicate

between individuals. Examples include electronic mail, videoconferencing, electronic databases,

intranets, and extranets”(Zorn, Flanagin, & Shoham, 2011, p. 9). To this end, there is a limited but

growing body of literature in which an examination has begun into how ICT (or technology), as part

of technological innovation, affect nonprofit management (Burt & Taylor, 2001; Dhebar & Stokes,

2008; Ihm, 2017; Pressrove & Pardun, 2016). Yet, relatively few studies have explored how technol-

ogy affects volunteer management responses and practices from an organizational perspective. We

intend, through this study, to narrow this research gap by addressing the following research ques-

tions: (a) how has technology reconfigured volunteer management in nonprofits? (b) What are the

limitations and shortcomings of technology in volunteer management? (c) How can technology be

utilized to enhance volunteer management effectiveness? We answer these research questions by

adopting a qualitative methodological approach in the form of in-depth interviews with representa-

tives of eight nonprofits in Hong Kong. Our empirical findings carry both conceptual and practice

implications for volunteer management in the nonprofit sector as it intersects with technology

uptake.

2|LITERATURE REVIEW

In parallel to the growing emphasis on the professionalization of volunteer management in practice

(Alfes, Antunes, & Shantz, 2017), volunteer management has garnered increasing attention from the

scholarly community. While no precise definition exists, volunteer management can be generally

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