The Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) is a measurement instrument aimed at assessing the motives to volunteer¹⁾ (section: lifestyle & environment).
A subcohort of adult participants filled in the (VFI) in the context of an additional questionnaire on daily activities and leisure activities.

The VFI is the most widely used instrument for assessing volunteer motivations because of its theoretically sound basis as well as its good psychometric properties²⁾.

Six motivational functions are proposed:

1. Values: The opportunities that volunteerism provides for individuals to express values that are important to the self, related to altruistic and humanitarian concerns for others;
2. Understanding: The opportunity for volunteers to gain and sustain knowledge, skills and abilities;
3. Social: Volunteering offers opportunities to improve social relationships, it helps individuals to fit in and get along with social groups that are important for them;
4. Career: Participation in voluntary work may increase future job opportunities;
5. Protective: Participation in voluntary work can protect oneself from negative feelings about oneself, it can help the individual to eliminate negative aspects surrounding the ego;
6. Enhancement: By participation in voluntary work the individual can enhance his/her self-esteem, it centers on ego growth and development.

An overview of validation studies of the VFI, including validation in the Netherlands, can be found in Niebuur et al. ³⁾.

Participants were given a list of statements reflecting reasons for doing volunteer work. They were instructed to indicate on a 7-point Likert scale how well each statement applied to them. In addition, they were asked in how far the given reason would be a reason to start doing volunteer work.