Wymer, Walter

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https://opus.uleth.ca/handle/10133/4542

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    Volunteer retention research report: nonprofit professionals' version
    (2024) Wymer, Walter; Najev Cacija, Ljiljana
    We developed this study to add to the stream of scholarly research literature on volunteer retention. We asked many Canadian nonprofit organizations to participate in this study. We tried to include a variety of different types of nonprofit organizations, from across the country, to have an inclusive and representative sample. While we were primarily interested in influences on volunteer retention, we understood that committed volunteers also support their organizations in addition to volunteering. Therefore, in additional to investigating influences on volunteer retention, we also examined how these factors might influence other types of support intentions like donations, bequests, positive word-of-mouth referrals, an helping the organization recruit additional volunteers. We developed and tested two models. One model examined organizational influences on volunteer behavioral intentions. The second model examined experiential influences, meaning factors pertaining to the volunteering experience. With respect to organizational influences on volunteer retention and other support intentions, we found that brand strength had an important and broad effect on our outcome variables. Organizational transparency was also influential with respect to donation and bequest intentions. Other influences are presented later in this report. With respect to experiential influences on volunteer retention and other support intentions, we found that feeling valued was particularly important. Feeling valued not only had a direct effect on our outcome variables but also exerted an indirect effect through its influence on volunteer satisfaction. Perceived usefulness had a positive influence on feeling valued. We also found that social connectedness and value congruence were positive influencers. In this report, we present our methods and procedures. We present our variable definitions and how they were measured in our questionnaire. We present our significant findings and discuss managerial implications of our findings.
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    Charity advertising: a literature of review and research agenda
    (Wiley, 2021) Wymer, Walter; Gross, Hellen
    The authors present an overview of the academic literature on charity advertising. Through systematically reviewing 63 empirical studies on charity advertising, a synthesis of the body of work is framed in a general model. Predominant antecedents in the charity advertising literature include various appeal tactics and victim portrayals. Research streams on moderators and mediators include various ad characteristics and audience characteristics. The audience’s intentions to donate was the most used outcome variable. Recommendations for continuing theoretical advancement in the field are presented. Managerial implications are also presented. This literature review contributes a knowledge base to guide future charity advertising research.
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    The antecedents of charity trust and its influence on charity supportive behavior
    (Wiley, 2020) Wymer, Walter; Becker, Annika; Boenigk, Silke
    This study develops and tests a model that evaluates eight antecedents of charity trust and its influence on volunteering and donating. Secondary data from a national Australian survey (N = 1,377) was collected and data was analyzed using partial least square path analysis. Key findings include identifying individual and organizational antecedents of charity trust and its influence on charity supportive behavior. Results show that organizational transparency is a very strong antecedent, followed by the individual awareness level of an individual towards the organization. We also examined the effect of gender as a moderating influence but did not find a significant effect. We conclude with managerial implications and areas for future research
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    The influence of university brand image, satisfaction, and university identification on alumni WOM intentions
    (Springer, 2021) Schlesinger, Walesska; Cervera-Taulet, Amparo
    This study investigates the influence of university brand image, satisfaction, and alumni’s university identification on positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions. The model is tested using data collected from a sample of 1000 university alumni, an important and under-researched stakeholder group. A contribution is provided by enhancing our understanding of key under-researched relationships. University brand image was found to be a key driver of alumni positive WOM intentions, due to its direct and indirect influences. The study also identified the mediating roles of alumni’s university identification and satisfaction. The influence of university brand image on alumi WOM is partially accounted for through its influence on alumni satisfaction and alumni’s university identification.
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    Addressing complex social problems with a multi-environmental stakeholder coalition
    (Springer, 2021) Wymer, Walter
    Individuals exist within an environmental context that strongly influences their overall health and welfare. Environmental context refers to the context in which a person lives, works, and socializes. This paper presents a social marketing strategic planning model which begins by analyzing the micro, meso, and macro environments to identify causes or influences of a target social issue or problem. Contributors to the social problem are prioritized with respect to the degree to which they exert influence or causality. Next, stakeholders (those who have some interest in the social problem) are identified. Stakeholder perceptions and values are examined in order to develop an effective coalition of stakeholders who can work collaboratively at the various environmental levels to ameliorate the target social problem. As social marketing has evolved in order to develop more effective solutions to complex social problems, integrating a systems approach is useful to understand the dynamics influencing the social problem. Individuals are not targeted myopically but placed into an environmental context to understand and respond to influences on unhealthy behaviors and living conditions. Engaging a coalition of stakeholders who are motivated to alleviate the causes of the social problem must be skillfully managed by social marketers but offers promise in addressing complex social problems.