Encouraging Volunteer Participation in Health Research: The Role of Nonprofit Organizations

Abstract

Health research mainly relies on volunteers to generate data. Volunteer participants not only help provide necessary information to solve problems but also contribute to free participation which in turn helps the research wheel to continue. People mainly contribute to different nonprofit organizations by giving money for charity. Nevertheless, volunteering in health research (for example, as participants and data collectors) is considered a way of supporting these organizations. This article discusses the projected role of nonprofit organizations in encouraging people's voluntary participation in different types of research. Leaders of nonprofit organizations are encouraged to spend some of their budgets to increase people's awareness on research through different means including media advertisements. Research on this matter should also be encouraged to inform future practice.

Keywords: Volunteering; Health research; Nonprofit organization.