The Heart of Hope City Church : exploring volunteer leadership

Abstract

This thesis employed an action-oriented research project that explored volunteer leadership development in a faith-based religious context. The methodology employed for this project was community-based research, as it best aligned with the organization, allowing research to be guided by the knowledge gained through the lived experience of the research participants. The inquiry included two phases of research conducted using three research methods: storytelling, focus groups, and interviews. A total of 20 participants took part in this research, which was conducted in adherence with all Royal Roads University requirements. The four findings encompassed clarity on the meaning of leadership development in this context as well as engagement and recruitment strategies. Three recommendations suggest the creation of a leadership development strategy, creation of a volunteer engagement strategy, development of a feedback model incorporating a volunteer training resource bank, and planning of a recruitment event that could be a considered in long-range planning.