Volunteer Journey Mapping
Have you ever wondered what Volunteer Journey Mapping looks like? About 20 volunteer managers from across the motu experienced this in a workshop with volunteer engagement expert Tobi Johnson at the end of January in Wellington.
This was no talk-fest but a hands-on workshop which saw us sharing and debating as we wrote ideas on large murals.
About volunteer journey mapping
Tobi says, “Mapping the volunteer journey from first touch to fond farewell is an excellent way to better understand changing volunteer motivations and needs as they move through your organisation from joiner, to learner, to doer to potential leader.”
The key steps were:
- Identify key touchpoints in the volunteer journey
- Analyse current volunteer needs & barriers
- Brainstorm possible upgrades and team tasks
- Identify potential challenges to implementing changes
- Prioritise and choose next steps
There were three murals, covering different phases of the volunteering lifecycle, in-line with Volunteering New Zealand’s Best Practice Guidelines:
- Recruit, engage, welcome and onboard
- Support, leadership, train and grow
- Feedback, recognition, impact and exit.
What we learnt
This process meant we had to think of the volunteer’s needs – both informational and emotional – at each step. We were putting ourselves in the volunteer’s shoes which informed what changes we would recommend.
As one post-event respondent said to the question, What did you enjoy most about the workshop? “Getting a comprehensive idea of the volunteer journey from start to finish - and how much work it takes! It was also lovely to share experiences with other groups. Really enjoyed being on our feet and interactive.”
A large amount of information was captured on the murals. Volunteering New Zealand is considering how we use this knowledge to inform our Guidelines work.
Useful resources
Tobi Johnson has shared some of her most useful resources:
Improve the volunteer experience with a journey map (podcast)
Volunteer management progress report
Volunteer return on investment calculator
