3. Organizational characteristics
The third approach focuses on the dependency of volunteer work on organizational characteristics of the club or organization. Studies from Germany, Norway and Denmark show, that there is a clear connection between the size and structure of an organization on the one hand, and the extent and nature of volunteer work on the other. Some forms of organization further volunteer work while other forms of organization do the opposite.
For instance, studies of sports clubs in Denmark show that the relative importance of
volunteer work is smaller in large and often old clubs where the majority of the members do one of the major sports (gymnastics, swimming, badminton and tennis), than in small, specialized and often new clubs where it is easy to make people volunteer. Furthermore, the tradition of volunteer work in the club and its expectations of the members to volunteer play an important part.