Despite a high prevalence of older adults serving abroad each year, researchers have not investigated their motivations for service. A series of categorical data analyses compare the motivations of 1010 international volunteers that served with two secular volunteer-sending organizations. The top motivations for volunteering did not differ significantly across age groups. However, international volunteers aged 55 or older (n = 56) were significantly less likely to volunteer abroad to gain

more »

... skills, to gain international experience and language skills, or because they needed a job. Implications for volunteer management, recruitment, retention and future research are discussed.