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Volunteering Motivation for Long Term Help – 
Anyone who volunteers to help at the time of emergencies 
must commit his or her time special skills and money over extended 
period of time. 
Patients with AIDS provide an example of a problem of 
continuing help and that require a commitment of volunteers. Till 
today there is no effective way of immunizing against HIV 
infections. In India the problem is still more serious as the number 
of children born to HIV parents continually requires emotional and 
financial support. People can do efforts on acceptance of this 
children, or can become activist in the cause of awareness and 
preventive behaviour. 

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Many a times help is not given to HIV affected persons, 
because the tendency is to blame the person for his own plight.
But children of HIV parents are considered to be innocent victims.
The potential volunteers find the cost of working with them to be 
very high, and the possibility of contracting disease by maintaining 
the inter actions with them is very high. There is also reactance to 
stigma by association. Why would anyone spend a part of his/her 
life when there are many more other things do in life?
Given these considerations a person must have powerful 
motivation for help. Clary and Snyder (1999) have identified six 
basic functions that are served by working as a volunteer for AIDS. 
These functions are summarized in the following table. 
Motives for Volunteering – People volunteer for many 
reasons some of the most important are shown here (Adopted from 
Baron and Branscombe). 
Function 
Served 
Definition 
Values 
To express or act on important values such as 
humanitarianism. 
Understanding 
To learn more about the world or exercise skills 
that are often not used. 
Enhancement
To grow and develop psychologically through 
volunteer activities.
Career 
To gain career related experiences. 
Social
To strengthen social relationships. 
Protective
To reduce negative feelings such as guilt or to 
address personal problems. 
Branscombe 
The decision to volunteer can be based on personal values, 
the need to understand more about the disease, the desire to 
enhance one’s own development, the chance to gain career related 
experience, the need to improve one’s own personal relationships, 
the desire to reduce negative feelings, such as guilt or escape from 
personal problems.