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Doing Good or Running Well? An Analysis of Wellness and Motivation to Participate in Fitness Fundraisers. Michelle Bolwerk & Professor Peter Hart-Brinson. Fitness . Fundraisers. Why Do People Volunteer?. Values Understanding Career Social Enhancement Protective.
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Doing Good or Running Well? An Analysis of Wellness and Motivation to Participate in Fitness Fundraisers Michelle Bolwerk & Professor Peter Hart-Brinson
Fitness Fundraisers
Why Do People Volunteer? • Values • Understanding • Career • Social • Enhancement • Protective (Clary et al., 1998)
What is Wellness? According to the National Wellness Institute: • Occupational • Physical • Social • Intellectual • Spiritual • Emotional (National Wellness Institute, 1976)
Interview Questions • Why did you choose to participate in this fundraiser today? • What motivated you to actively participate instead of just donating money to the cause? • How does participating in this event make you feel? • How would you define wellness or wellbeing? • What do you think the outcomes of this race will be? • Notes: I gave several follow up questions to these answers when they were necessary such as: In which ways do you think your personal wellness has improved from doing this fitness fundraiser?
Number of Participants for Each Category of Motivations and Wellness Note: Most responses were coded into multiple categories
Result #1: Individualism Enhancement Motivation: Becoming More Healthy • “I’m trying to get healthier myself. And it’s a reason to get out there and walk.” (Female, Just Us for Justice)
Result #1: Individualism Fitness Motivation:Enjoy Physical Activity • “Well, I don’t really know that much about the cause. Um, it’s a convenient day to do a race. I race probably every two weeks and this just happened to be on a night that I had time to do it. I don’t really care about the cause or anything like that.” (Male, Just Us for Justice)
Result #1: Individualism Wellness • “Wellness I would say, well taking care of yourself. Getting out there, being active. You know, that’s another reason why I come out. Instead of just giving money, it’s something, I go out and I get to walk and the dogs get to walk.” (Female, Walk For Paws) • “Wellness and wellbeing is probably partly how your body is but also your state of mind and who you are and that’s kind of why I like these events because again, it brings people out and gets them out and thinking.” (Female, Walk for Paws)
Result #2: Altruism Value Motivation: Find Cure • “Well number one because Laura is my granddaughter. And I think, we can come up with a cure for diabetes, you know for all, young and old. I work in health care and I see just diabetes and the prevalence is so much on the rise in our young kids, our little kids, that I think the more that we can get out there and, the better we are, the better they will be. And hopefully we will be able to have a cure for them in their lifetime.” (Female, JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes)
Result #2: Altruism Social Motivation: Spread Awareness • “I first heard about it through our church, the Bridge. And our pastors wife is very, this is very much her passion and once I learned about human trafficking and that it’s so huge, and that it happens right here in our own country in our own city even, I was like, I have to do something.” (Female, Just Us for Justice)
Result #2: Altruism Social Benefit: Build Community • Everyone seemed to know everyone else. When people arrived, they were greeting each other with hugs and smiles, asking one another how family members were doing and other personal conversations. . . Just about everyone there seemed excited and happy to be participating in this race for one reason or another. I really enjoyed this smaller group of fun runners because it felt like such a fun thing to do, not a obligation which running can feel like sometimes. (Field Notes, ‘Brute’al 5k Run/Walk)
Summary • Individualistically and altruistically motivated • Wellness as individualistic motivation • Broad social benefits • Variation across events • JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes • No Entry fee • Most money raised • Clear Values motivation • Cruisin’ the Blues in my Running Shoes • Entry fee • Split between three beneficiaries • Most people were unaware of cause • Not always inherently civic
References • Clary, E. Gil ; Snyder, Mark ; Ridge, Robert D ; Copeland, John ; Stukas, Arthur A ; Haugen, Okun, M. A., Barr, A., & Herzog, A. (1998). Motivation to volunteer by older adults: A test of competing measurement models. Psychology and Aging, 13(4), 608-621. • Hettler, Bill. (1976). The Six Dimensions of Wellness. Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nationalwellness.org/resource/resmgr/docs/sixdimensionsfactsheet.pdf