Samenvatting

Green Life Volunteers offers various volunteering projects, but Green Life Volunteers is not the only organization that offers volunteering projects in the region. Despite the fact that the competitors from Green Live Volunteers commercialized organizations are and that they receive a lot more for their programs, and they attract more volunteers than Green Life Volunteers. To increase the number of volunteers by Green Life Volunteers, they want to find out how they can improve the projects adapt to the needs of the volunteers. Analyzing the projects, volunteers, Green Life Volunteers and other NGO’s, will give an insight of how and where Green Life Volunteers can distinguish themselves from other competitors in Costa Rica.
The general objective of this research is to gain knowledge and understanding of the motives and arguments why volunteers chose for a volunteering project and which volunteer projects Green Life Volunteers could add to gain more value. Here for, is the following research question drafted; “How can Green Life Volunteers improve the volunteer projects adapt to the needs of the volunteers?”, and four sub- questions.
To answer the main question and sub- questions there is used a qualitative research; semi-structured interviews and observation. The results of the semi- structured interviews has shown the motivations of the volunteers to participate in volunteering projects, which services and values they find important, and which projects of Green Life Volunteers need improvements. The most important motivation to volunteer is to gain experiences. Volunteers are interested in volunteering abroad because they want to immerse themselves in a different culture, and they want to learn or improve their language skills. They choose for a certain project because they have a good feeling about it, and which offer advantageous conditions to their volunteers. Decisive factors for a volunteer to choose for a certain volunteer organization are the affordable prices of the projects, locations and the intentions. However , the most important service a volunteer organization could offer to their volunteers is lodging, and the most important value for a project is the educational aspect according the volunteers. Furthermore, volunteers have various improvements and recommendations for the projects of Green Life Volunteers, and for Green Life Volunteers itself. Finally, the observation has shown which projects are interested for Green Life Volunteers to add to their assortment. These projects are focused on wildlife, sea turtles and the local community. Based on the results, the recommendation is to provide more customer service, provide more information to the volunteers, focus more on promotion, and improve the projects of Green Life Volunteers and add new projects. Follow-up research should be focused on more projects in whole Costa Rica, and more focused on the community.