Abstract: Those concerned with social exclusion have increasingly recognised the value of community-level activities as a basis for the development of disadvantaged communities. Much community development activity is collective and depends on members of the community volunteering to take on tasks and responsibilities associated with the collective action. The long-term success of these activities is contingent on recruitment of sufficient numbers of volunteers and maintaining their commitment. The purpose of this research was to gain insights into volunteers' motives for participating in a community retail initiative, with a view to understanding the dynamics of their relationship with the enterprise as time passes. A series of in-depth interviews provided evidence that motivations and factors influencing involvement change over time. Relatively vague ideas of the potential benefits of volunteering that motivated initial involvement were clarified as volunteers gained experience of participating in the enterprise. Thew was overt recognition of skill development and growth in self-esteem and confidence that had been gained during the first few months of working on the project and there was anticipation that these would be enhanced through ongoing involvement. The implications of these findings are discussed and some future research directions are proposed.

    Subjects: Cooperative societies; Social services; Other individual and family services; Voluntarism

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