I am a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Eastern University. You are invited to be in a research study of volunteerism in membership associations. You were selected as a possible participant because of your membership in an association. I ask that you read this form and ask any questions you may have before taking the preceding survey.

Background Information:
Currently, I am working on a research study for a doctoral dissertation. The study is designed to identify factors leading to volunteer leadership in a membership association.

Procedures:
If you agree to take the survey, I will ask you about the following things: likelihood you would volunteer for your association’s national board of directors, your attitude toward volunteerism, if there are others around you that volunteer, how you identify with your association, your feeling of belonging, how you feel recognized by the association, term of membership, and any length of volunteerism for the association.

Confidentiality:
Participation in this study is voluntary and confidential. Identifying information such as IP addresses and email addresses will not be collected. The only identifying information in your response will be the name of the association to which you are a member. Research results will be stored securely in a password protected spreadsheet and only the researcher will, and three committee members may have access to these records. These records will be maintained for 5 years and then destroyed in December 2024. In any sort of report I might publish, I will not include any information that will make it possible to identify an individual participant.

Risks and Benefits of participating in the Study:
The survey will have minimal risk, as some respondents may feel that the questions are personal and may not want to answer them. Participants may also feel the survey is related to their volunteer or membership performance in some way. Remember this study is confidential and there is no identifying information collected other than the name of your membership association. You are free to withdraw at any time or skip any question.

In this survey, you will be asked to recall any volunteer experience and may benefit from that reflection. Membership associations rely on its members for their volunteer support and it is anticipated that your participation could assist associations in improving the volunteer experience. By identifying drivers for volunteer leadership participation through your responses, membership associations can be strengthened and continue serving their individual industries and professions.

Compensation:
There is no compensation for participation in this survey.

Voluntary Nature of the Study:
Participation in this study is voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with Eastern University or with your membership association and will result in no penalty. If you decide to participate, you are free to not answer any question or withdraw at any time without affecting those relationships and without penalty.

Contacts and Questions:
The researcher conducting this study is Ericka Harney. You may ask any questions you have via email to eharney@eastern.edu. If you have questions later, you are encouraged to contact Ericka Harney at 859-492-0677 or eharney@eastern.edu. The researcher is being supervised by Dr. Franklin Oikelome, doctoral committee chair. Dr. Oikelome can also be contacted with any questions at foikelom@eastern.edu. This project has been approved by Eastern University’s Institutional Review Board. If you have any concerns about the manner in which this study is conducted, you may contact the IRB at email irb@eastern.edu. You can download a copy of this form here:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/46dhj1t3jldhz8t/CONSENT%20FORM.pdf?dl=0

CONSENT STATEMENT:
I have read the above information and agree to participate in this research survey. I understand that if I have any questions or concerns regarding this project, I can contact the investigator at the above email address.