Measuring volunteer impact
If your CE asked you to prove the impact of your volunteer programme, what would you show them?
Maybe the number of volunteers or the hours contributed? You know the impact is much more than that!
We recently had Christine Spiers, Flutterbye, deliver a webinar on Measuring and telling the volunteer impact story. Her insights were valuable.
What to measure beyond hours is like a ladder, beginning with the activity and moving up to impact:
- Activity: what the programme does
- Output: what the activity produced
- Outcome: what changed for someone as a result
- Impact: the wider reason for the programme
Her five ways to collect evidence without creating extra work were:
- One-question check-ins at the end of each session
- Observation notes: a sentence or two written by the coordinator
- Photos: the volunteer in action
- Exit reflections: at the end of a role or project
- Quarterly survey: 3 questions, 5 minutes
Participants at the webinar said requesting feedback from volunteers (particularly online) can be difficult, with many skipping survey questions. However, if volunteers understand why you are asking questions, such as gathering stories for funding, or advocating for volunteers within the organisation, they may be more willing to participate
Why Should Organisations Share Volunteer Stories?
Stories (even short quotes) can be captured to pair with data. It helps the data come alive and have more meaning.
For example, “Volunteer retention rose from 64% to 78% this year” is more meaningful when pared with: Maria, who nearly left in April, told her supervision the shift pattern wasn’t working for her. We changed it. She’s still with us, and has now recruited two friends.”
Storytelling can be a powerful way to show the volunteer impact. They can help to honour individual volunteers, as well as demonstrate the impact on the people served or cause supported.
When telling stories, or asking volunteers for them, use thoughtful prompts. Ask about a specific experience, or change that has occurred. This will help you craft the story in a way that connects with your audience. Photos and videos are important too!
By measuring the impact of your volunteer programme, you demonstrate the effectiveness of your volunteers' time and efforts. It allows you to adjust and improve the programme to be more enjoyable for volunteers, and deliver on your mission.
