Volunteer Management in Non-Profit Organizations: Experience of Huellas Foundation in Medellín, Colombia

Lenis Yelin Araque ()
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Lenis Yelin Araque: Department of Organization and Management, Universidad EAFIT, Medellín 050021, Colombia

Administrative Sciences, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: This study explored how volunteer management is adapted to the specific context of a nonprofit organization (NPO). Through a participatory autoethnographic approach in Huellas Foundation, a Colombian NPO that supports its mission operation in volunteer action, it examined how management practices evolve and adjust according to the particular needs of the context. The analysis revealed two fundamental principles that emerge and guide volunteer management: self-realization and institutional recognition. It also identified four key components that shape the management process: the conversation between roles, profiles, times, and interests; the understanding of volunteering as a cultural reference; the balance between legal shielding and emotional construction; and the contribution of volunteer action to the social organization. The findings suggest that effective volunteer management requires continuous adaptation of practices according to the specific context, considering both the needs of the organization and the motivations of volunteers. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on how the contingent approach to volunteer management manifests itself in a Latin American context and offers valuable insights for the adaptation of practices in different organizational contexts.

Keywords: volunteer management; contingent approach; non-profit organizations; practices; participatory autoethnography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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