Impact of Volunteerism on Volunteers, Communities, Service Recipients and Organizations: The Case of St. Martin Catholic Social Apostolate and L’arche, Nyahururu, Kenya

Abstract

Volunteerism plays a critical role in strengthening community development initiatives, particularly within faith-based and civil society organizations. Despite its growing importance, there remains limited empirical documentation of how volunteerism simultaneously affects volunteers, service recipients, communities, and host organizations, especially in African contexts. This study examined the impact of volunteerism on volunteers, host organizations, service recipients, and the wider community through a case study of St Martin Catholic Social Apostolate and L’Arche in Kenya. Grounded in Maslow’s Theory of Human Needs and Moral Foundations Theory, this study employed a mixed methods approach involving surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with volunteers, organizational staff, and community members.

The findings demonstrate that volunteerism contributes to personal growth, skills development, and enhanced well-being among volunteers. At the organizational level, volunteer engagement expanded program reach, strengthened institutional credibility, and enhanced operational capacity. Service recipients and the community benefited through improved access to services, social inclusion and community resilience. Despite these benefits, the study identifies structural, social and logistical challenges. The paper concludes that structured volunteer management, capacity building, and community participation are essential for sustaining volunteer-driven development outcomes. The study contributes context-specific evidence to the literature on volunteerism and community-based development in the Global South.