Employee organizational commitment development at voluntary organizations in Lithuania

Volunteering does not have deep traditions in Lithuania, and the idea of voluntary work takes root in Lithuanian community with specific challenges. Referring to the Information and support center of non-governmental organizations, voluntary organizations in Lithuania suffer from problems related to human resource management. Nevertheless, the volunteers’ organizational commitment is not in an area of academicians in Lithuania yet. The article is aimed to define reasoned methods of strengthening volunteers’ organizational commitment and personal initiative, while participating in a voluntary activity in non-profit organizations. A survey was chosen as a method of data gathering for the research. Four voluntary organizations (with 188 volunteers) registered in Vilnius and providing support for groups of social risk were selected for the research. Results indicate that high volunteers’ satisfaction is increased by the comprehension of social usefulness of the accomplished work. Mostly valued external reward is the recognition, which is realized in a form of commendation. Here, unexpected upshot was founded: volunteers would like to be evaluated as dedicated people able to accomplish commitments they take on, and as valuable personalities, while recognition and positive evaluation of their work results concerns only a fifth of them. Also, it was indicated that the volunteers’ feeling of commitment to the organization is mostly sustained by organization leaders’ trust in volunteers and by properly formulated and clearly defined assignments. Speaking of organizational commitment type it was identified that volunteers are mostly characterized by normative commitment, less – affective commitment and the least – continuance commitment