It isn’t all about the money : Do non-monetary awards really have an impact?

Purpose Aims to shed light on non-monetary awards as incentives. Explores whether they can be used to motivate higher performance in academia and volunteering and how they are used in the voluntary sector. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical analysis and analytical methods, such as a new matching technique, randomization in the field, and the survey approach. Findings Awards might substantially increase performance, yet they are less frequently used in the Swiss voluntary sector than theory suggests. Practitioners should perhaps give more consideration to awards as an important motivational instrument to be used more widely. Originality/value Originality lies in considering a generally under-researched area.