Renegotiation of consumption practices in the presence of volunteering experience

Objectives The main objective of the research is to understand how regular engagement into helping activities contributes to changes in consumption practices among volunteers, especially if the nature of volunteering experience is mundane rather than extraordinary. Precisely, this research aims to identify key aspects of volunteering experience that contribute to behavioral changes. The study also focuses on the process of renegotiation of consumption practices among volunteers who have been engaged in helping activities for a relatively long time. Methodology This research is qualitative and interpretive in nature. Seven regular volunteers, who are involved in organization of multicultural events at Finnish Red Cross, were interviewed. Field notes gathered during ethnographic observations in the volunteering groups complemented data collected during long unstructured interviews. Data collection, analysis and interpretations followed the narrative research approach and method. Key findings This study discovers that prolonged engagement into helping activities leads to changes in consumption practices, even if the nature of those activities is mundane rather than extraordinary. Aspects present in volunteering experience, as acquisition of cultural and social capitals as well as volunteer-related stereotypes, contribute to the process of circular self-reflection. In the presence of new knowledge and connections, volunteers renegotiate previously stable consumption practices in an attempt to become more responsible consumers. Primary socialization mediates this process. Key findings also describe various strategies that volunteers exploit to renegotiate consumption. The study emphasizes the dual role of volunteering in this process – it both predisposes consumers towards changes and sometimes acts as a reason to justify excessive spending