The War for Volunteer Talent: Attracting and Recruiting Australian Engineers for International Volunteering Assignments

Johansen, Line Geltzer

4. term

Culture, Communication and Globalization, Master

2014

2014-07-31

61

This thesis examines how NGOs can attract and recruit Australian engineers for international volunteer assignments amid a shortage of specialized skills that mirrors competition in the for-profit sector. Its aim is to understand what motivates engineers to volunteer and how employer branding principles can be adapted to the nonprofit context. The study uses a qualitative single-case design focused on Engineers Without Borders Australia, drawing on three organizational documents from its website and four semi-structured interviews (one recruiter, two returned volunteers, and one non-volunteer). A deductive, structured conceptual framework, informed by literature on nonprofit recruitment, definitions of employer branding, altruistic and egoistic volunteer motivations, employer brand equity, and person–organization and person–job fit, guided a coding-based analysis. Findings indicate that EWB Australia already communicates effectively in some respects through its website, and the study proposes five recommendations: continue emphasizing the ability to help others alongside personal and professional gains, clearly communicate both requirements and offerings, highlight differentiators that set EWB apart from other NGOs, avoid breaking promises to protect reputation, and conduct further research to shape a clear Employer Value Proposition. The thesis offers practical guidance on applying employer branding to strengthen NGOs’ attraction of engineers for overseas volunteer roles.

Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan NGO’er kan tiltrække og rekruttere australske ingeniører til internationale volontøropgaver i en situation, hvor specialiserede kompetencer er knappe, og konkurrencen om talent ligner den i den private sektor. Formålet er at afdække, hvad der motiverer ingeniører til at melde sig som frivillige, og hvordan principper fra employer branding kan overføres til nonprofit-konteksten. Undersøgelsen er kvalitativ og bygger på en enkeltcase af Engineers Without Borders Australia med datakilder bestående af tre dokumenter fra organisationens hjemmeside og fire semistrukturerede interviews (en rekrutteringsansvarlig, to hjemvendte frivillige og en ikke-frivillig). En deduktiv, struktureret begrebsramme informeret af litteratur om rekruttering i nonprofit, definitioner af employer branding, frivilliges altruistiske og egoistiske motiver, employer brand equity samt person–organisation- og person–job-tilpasning danner grundlag for analysen, som er gennemført via kodning. Resultaterne peger på, at EWB Australia allerede kommunikerer effektivt på visse områder via deres hjemmeside, og studiet munder ud i fem anbefalinger: fortsat at fremhæve muligheden for at hjælpe andre og de personlige og professionelle udbytter ved udstationering, klart at kommunikere både krav og tilbud, at fokusere på det der differentierer EWB fra andre NGO’er, at værne om løfter og omdømme, samt at gennemføre yderligere undersøgelser for at udvikle en skarp Employer Value Proposition. Afhandlingen giver dermed praksisnære indsigter i, hvordan NGO’er kan styrke deres tiltrækning af ingeniører til internationale frivillige indsatser ved at anvende employer branding-tilgange.

[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]

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