Think about internet hosting an extremely profitable volunteer occasion to your political advocacy group, serving to extra individuals register to vote than you ever thought doable. However then, you discover out that your volunteers felt overworked, underprepared, and dissatisfied total.

Whereas celebrating the win, you additionally want to verify your volunteers really feel supported and proud of their work. Gathering post-event suggestions from volunteers is significant, and asking the proper questions makes all of the distinction. In any case, getting perception into their views will make it easier to enhance your strategy and construct a stronger expertise to your subsequent volunteer occasion.

Let’s discover seven questions that may make it easier to really perceive their expertise.

1. Did your onboarding expertise put together you to satisfy your duties?

Onboarding units the tone to your occasion by offering clear expectations for volunteers. It ensures they perceive their tasks, decreasing confusion and rising confidence of their work.

As a part of your post-event survey, it’s essential to judge how properly your onboarding course of ready your volunteers to satisfy their duties. Particularly, ask concerning the effectiveness of the directions, coaching, and orientation supplies. If volunteers point out that coaching was inadequate, use open-ended inquiries to ask for particular examples or areas that would use some work. 

When studying suggestions about your onboarding practices, deal with these areas:

• Clear Expectations: Volunteers ought to have an in depth overview of their roles, tasks, and any goals related to their participation.
• Introduction to the Crew and Group: Introduce volunteers to workers members and fellow volunteers they’ll work with. They need to additionally perceive your nonprofit’s mission and the marketing campaign’s goal.
• Software program Coaching: Train volunteers the way to use any tools or know-how they’ll work together with whereas finishing up their duties, equivalent to a canvassing app or a cell bidding platform.
• Video and Experiential Coaching: Provide a coaching video that walks by important duties. Then, you would possibly pair your freshmen with skilled volunteers who can present them the ropes in individual.

Even when you have already got these onboarding practices in place, regularly assess how efficient your efforts are. Ask volunteers straight to make sure they really feel assured from the very begin of their experiences.

2. Had been there any assets or instruments that may have helped you carry out higher?

As an extension of your onboarding query, you would possibly ask volunteers whether or not the instruments and assets you offered helped them carry out their duties successfully. Whereas onboarding gives expectations and coaching, the real-time instruments and assets they use throughout your volunteer occasion also can impression efficiency.

For example, let’s say you organized a phone banking campaign the place volunteers referred to as voters to offer details about the election course of and encourage them to vote. On this case, your volunteers would possibly want greater than only a basic script. Possibly having specialised scripts tailor-made to totally different voter demographics or points would have made their conversations extra environment friendly and focused. Further scripts would permit volunteers to have interaction extra meaningfully with voters subsequent time, rising productiveness.

It’s additionally value contemplating whether or not volunteers had entry to the fitting know-how. Had been they capable of simply entry and navigate your databases, fundraising instruments, or occasion administration software program? Or did they encounter technical challenges that slowed them down or made their duties more durable? Suggestions on these instruments can spotlight potential enhancements in your occasion’s tech setup.

3. What did you discover most rewarding about your volunteer expertise?

This query permits volunteers to spotlight the optimistic elements of the occasion and what motivated them to take part. It helps you perceive what elements of your volunteer occasions are most impactful and which areas to place further effort into. Understanding motivations helps create extra rewarding experiences, resulting in larger retention and a extra passionate volunteer base. That method, you’ll be able to tailor duties and outreach to resonate with volunteer pursuits and values.

For extra perception, contemplate asking volunteers to explain particular moments or duties that stood out. Possibly they felt energized by:

• Seeing the rapid impression of their work, like witnessing a profitable voter registration.
• Taking over a extra vital function, equivalent to main a bunch of volunteers.
• Collaborating with a crew or connecting with different volunteers.
• Utilizing particular expertise, equivalent to public talking, problem-solving, or organizing.
• Interacting with beneficiaries or listening to a robust testimony.

No matter motivates them, your nonprofit ought to know, so you’ll be able to proceed offering memorable, satisfying experiences.

4. How would you price our communication earlier than, throughout, and after the occasion?

High quality and common communication is a cornerstone of any profitable occasion. By asking this query in your survey, you’ll be able to decide how knowledgeable volunteers felt all through the method, whether or not by pre-event directions, real-time updates, or post-event follow-ups. From the second volunteers sign up to while you present post-event appreciation, well timed and clear communication ensures volunteers really feel supported and assured.

To go one step additional, observe up with a query asking volunteers to establish any gaps in communication or areas the place they felt the data offered was unclear or premature. You may additionally ask in the event that they acquired all the data they wanted on time.

For example, possibly some volunteers felt like your electronic mail communication was too imprecise or didn’t embrace sufficient particulars, leaving them not sure about expectations. Others might notice that essential updates — equivalent to last-minute reminders or modifications in occasion logistics — have been communicated too late and would’ve been simpler if despatched by faster channels like SMS.

5. Did you’re feeling your effort and time have been valued?

Volunteer satisfaction finally determines whether or not somebody will return to assist out with future occasions. This survey query gauges whether or not volunteers felt acknowledged for his or her contributions. You would possibly present a follow-up survey query that asks about how they like to be acknowledged and gives volunteer appreciation choices like:

• Thank-You Letters: Customized notes expressing gratitude for his or her effort and time can both be despatched digitally or by mail.
• Cellphone Calls: A private name from the occasion organizer or volunteer coordinator provides a direct thanks that opens the door for a two-way dialog.
• On-line Shoutouts: Public recognition on social media, your group’s web site, or a e-newsletter is an effective way to showcase excellent volunteers. First, be sure that people are okay with public appreciation.
• A Goodie Bag or Branded Merchandise: Considerate items equivalent to event-related objects present an incredible memento of your volunteer occasion.

In your survey, you would possibly present a listing of choices for volunteers to select from, making it simpler to investigate responses and guarantee your recognition efforts are sensible. Tailoring these efforts will finally strengthen your volunteer program by boosting retention. Plus, you’ll create a optimistic popularity to your group when the phrase will get round that you just present appreciation.

6. Have you learnt in case your employer provides volunteer grants or volunteer time without work (VTO)?

Volunteer research signifies that 84% of employers imagine volunteerism is an efficient option to have interaction workers. Because of this, many companies supply office giving packages, equivalent to:

• Volunteer Grants: Corporations donate cash to a nonprofit the place an worker volunteers. These grants are sometimes awarded as soon as a sure threshold is met (e.g., $50 for 20 hours of volunteer work). One other standard choice is to donate per hour (e.g., $10 per hour).
• VTO: Companies supply a set quantity of paid time without work particularly for volunteering with nonprofits. For instance, full-time workers would possibly obtain two VTO days per 12 months.

Your post-event survey is the right time to ask about volunteers’ eligibility for these alternatives. For many who are not sure, present a device that lets them search a database of company-specific volunteer packages. This device ought to cowl particulars on particular person companies’ program choices, worker eligibility necessities, and the method for requesting grants or time without work.

7. What strategies do you could have for enhancing future volunteer occasions?

This open-ended query invitations volunteers to offer constructive suggestions. Volunteers typically have distinctive, unbiased views on the way to make issues extra satisfying or environment friendly. Their contemporary concepts can enhance your volunteer management and create higher experiences for everybody concerned in future occasions.

In response to this query, they may present suggestions on areas equivalent to:

• Occasion construction: Solutions concerning the total circulate of the occasion, together with its timing, breaks, and pacing
• Obligations: Suggestions on whether or not roles have been well-defined, organized, and manageable
• Logistics and venue: Ideas on the bodily setting, equivalent to occasion location, accessibility, consolation, parking, or signage
• Crew collaboration: Insights on how properly volunteers labored collectively, together with strategies for enhancing teamwork, communication, and group coordination

Place this query in the direction of the top of your post-event survey so volunteers can present strategies that haven’t already been lined in different sections. This strategy respects their time and permits them to supply extra in-depth responses.

By the point they attain this part, they’ve already addressed extra particular elements of the occasion, which permits them to offer well-rounded and considerate strategies for enchancment.

Each volunteer occasion provides a wealth of studying alternatives. The easiest way to uncover them is with a well-crafted post-event survey that dives deep into their experiences. You’ll want to pay attention and implement suggestions. When volunteers really feel heard, they’re extra more likely to return, making your group stronger with every volunteer occasion it hosts.