A Qualitative Exploration of Contextual Motivation Dynamics for Everyday Volunteering in Sustained Remote Collective Care

This study explores Sustained Remote Collective Care (SRCC), a service model in which multiple volunteers provide short remote caregiving sessions that are collectively organized into sustained and frequent care. While SRCC reduces the time, location, and commitment barriers to participation, sustaining caregivers' engagement amid the competing demands of everyday life remains a key challenge. Recognizing that willingness to participate fluctuates across daily contexts, we envision Nudge-to-Care, an approach that proactively suggests caregiving opportunities at moments when caregivers may be more willing to engage. We investigate in what everyday context caregivers are willing to participate in SRCC and how they perceive and accept this nudging-based approach. To this end, we developed a technology probe that delivered participation prompts alongside VividRead, a sample SRCC service for providing English storybook reading guidance to children. We deployed the probe with 20 participants for three weeks and collected data through probe interactions, daily diaries, and post-deployment interviews. Our findings identify the contextual factors that shaped participation decisions, potential moments for engagement, and participants' perceptions of proactive nudging for care. We offer empirical insights and design considerations for systems that aim to support sustained participation in SRCC.