Article
Consumer Transformation Through Volunteer Service Experiences
The Service Industries Journal
(2015)
Abstract
A growing number of consumers are seeking to make a difference through experiences involving interaction and collaboration with organizations that offer charitable service opportunities. These experiences are noteworthy in not only their catalyzing influence on the organization and the beneficiary customer, but also the personal transformation in the volunteer. The authors introduce a phenomenon called transformative charity experiences (TCEs), a triadic framework highlighting an avenue of personal consumer well-being through the transformative effect of service interactions with key stakeholders. Building upon conceptual models proposed in Transformative Services Research and insights from their own embedded charity experiences, the authors introduce how service co-creation from three entities (charity, volunteer, and community) can lead to a transformative effect for the volunteer. An exploratory field study in an international setting provides insights into how the proposed framework accounts for TCEs. Implications and future directions for charitable services research are presented.
Keywords
- transformative services research,
- charities,
- co-creation,
- value creation,
- volunteer
Disciplines
Publication Date
2015
DOI
10.1080/02642069.2015.1090981
Citation Information
Mark R. Mulder, Justine M. Rapp, Anne Hamby and Todd Weaver. "Consumer Transformation Through Volunteer Service Experiences" The Service Industries Journal Vol. 35 Iss. 15-16 (2015) p. 865 - 882 ISSN: 02642069 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/anne-hamby/14/