We sent a survey to all of our PlanHero users to gather insights from both the volunteer and the volunteer leader perspectives. Whether you’re new to volunteering or have been in the nonprofit world for decades, we think you’ll find inspiration and ideas in our results below. THANK YOU to all those who participated in our survey!
Volunteer Survey Results
1. Why do you volunteer?
Responses followed these four themes:
- To give back to/serve one’s the community
- Because of a deep commitment/belief in the cause
- To help people in need
- For our faith-based volunteers: To serve/honor the Lord or because they feel called
2. What do you wish the volunteer leaders at your organization would change/do better?
The good news is that the overwhelmingly most popular answer is that everything is going very well and it is difficult to think of anything leadership could do better. That said, there were still a number of suggestions that are worthy of consideration.
In summary:
- Ensure that you really need the volunteers for the times that you’ve asked them to be there. They don’t like standing around and feeling like there is no need to have them there.
- Remember that a volunteer is a volunteer, not a paid employee.
- Provide more notice for upcoming events for which volunteers are needed. A comprehensive list would be great.
- Rotate volunteering positions so that people can experience other roles for the organization.
- More engagement and training.
- Know volunteers by name – be present.
- For long volunteer shifts, it’s appreciated when a bathroom break and/or water or soft drink is offered.
- Increase outreach to younger/student volunteers.
3. Please share any FAVORITE ways in which you have been recognized or thanked as a volunteer.
Again, definite themes came through in the survey answers. It was clear that volunteers are not looking for grand gestures from the organization that they serve, but that small acts of gratitude are appreciated. It’s worth noting that a few people wrote that they do not like being publicly recognized nor feel that they need to be thanked.
Favorite ways of being recognized or thanked:
- Verbal or hand-written thank-you’s.
- Email or text thank-you’s.
- Small gift cards or certificates for things like a favorite coffee shop.
- Social gatherings to get to know other volunteers such as potlucks, luncheons, or dinners.
- Volunteer-of-the-year awards/certificates or similar.
- Being recognized in a newsletter or social media.
4. Please share any ways in which you have been recognized or thanked as a volunteer that you DISLIKED.
The vast majority of responses to this query, was “NOTHING“. Volunteers stated they greatly appreciate…being appreciated. In general, they welcome a warm “thank you” and some level of recognition, while lack of appreciation “is discouraging.”
It is important, however, to know your audience. Here are other answers that deserve consideration when reviewing how your thank your volunteers:
They DISLIKE:
- Being asked to speak in public.
- Gifts or dinners…”this diminishes my value as a volunteer.”
- Annual volunteer appreciation dinners “aren’t necessary for me.”
- Paper certificates or cheap trinkets.
Volunteer Leaders Survey Results
We had a lower response rate from Volunteer Leaders, but nevertheless, there are pearls of wisdom to glean from the responses. Respondents were almost evenly split between paid and unpaid positions.
1. What is the most compelling reason for WHY you work with your organization?
If you are an organization seeking a new executive director or staff member or seasoned volunteer leader, these answers may be useful to you.
- Deep belief in the mission of the organization.
- Desire to give back to the public and/or make a positive impact in the community.
- Love of supporting underserved populations.
- Setting a good example for one’s children.
- Love of the people with whom they work.
- For our faith leaders: Called to it by God; to serve the Lord; sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. What traits/characteristics make up your ideal volunteer?
There were no real surprises here. Volunteer leaders are looking for volunteers who are dependable, caring, and easy to work with.
As volunteers, it’s worth reviewing a few more of the suggestions offered by volunteer leaders.
- Don’t cancel after you commit to something.
- Take initiative.
- Have independent opinions, but be understanding if the group needs/decides to take a different approach.
- Be prompt.
3. Please share any FAVORITE ways in which you have recognized or thanked your volunteers.
The good news here is that the Volunteer Leaders’ responses, for the most part, dovetailed nicely with what Volunteers told us above.
- Saying “thank you” often: verbally, hand-written notes, emails, texts.
- Small gifts like gift cards.
- Volunteer of the Year awards.
- Volunteer socials to thank people, but also to allow them to get to know one another.
- Perks associated with the organization (e.g. free tickets to a show, admission pass, etc.)
4. Please share any ways in which you have recognized or thanked volunteers that did NOT work well.
We found these answers quite interesting. It certainly pays to really get to know your volunteers. Before expending big efforts on volunteer recognition, check in with several volunteers to make sure you understand your organization’s volunteer culture. You may have a group that loves any excuse to get together, or you may have a group that is constantly strapped for time in which a volunteer social event presents yet another source of calendar stress for them.
Some key answers for #4
- A dinner and meeting that no one attended.
- A competitive approach that did not produce cohesiveness.
- Volunteer Recognition Events that were poorly attended.
- Forgetting to thank them.
- Trying too hard.
5. Please share any ways in which you have built a sense of community and belonging among volunteers to increase retention.
Our Volunteer Leaders shared numerous ideas on how they’ve build a sense of community and belonging with their volunteers. We list them all below as they can serve as both inspiration and reminders of how/what we can do better as volunteer leaders.
- Regular zoom meetings and an online community.
- Reach out when upcoming activities are in need of volunteers, have them save the date on their calendars, and placed a Volunteer coordinator to work with them.
- We welcome anyone willing to volunteer and treat them all as family. We laugh and have a good time together and also with the guests we serve.
- Facebook group page with frequent posts, surveys, conversations.
- 1) Clearly communicate the “Why” of the effort. 2) Work as hard as volunteers are being asked to work. 3) Acknowledge all efforts even in just a small way.
- We send surveys and we try to engage with volunteers on a monthly basis.
- Small committees work best for us. Parents want to be involved in the activities of their children or in support of our teachers.
- Pictures
- Creating an overall sense of listening, respect, understanding, and organization. Nothing special. Just treating people the way they should be treated.
- In the process of having stickers made that say they volunteer at our organization.
- I host coffees, open houses, appreciation events, and I send emails helping them feel connected.
- Reporting results of events back to volunteers and potential volunteers.
- Communication, participation reaching out.
- Kindness, encouragement, tell them how their hard work related to great results, share results.
- Listening, sharing, and making them feel important.
- Recognizing by name on social media (Facebook).
- I make it a priority that when they volunteer together they have time to get to know one another on a personal level including prayer requests and concerns.
How about you?
Do you have ideas/answers to our questions that you’d like to share with the PlanHero community? Please share below in the Comments area!
