Measuring the Value of Your Volunteer Efforts

Nikki RussellVolunteer Initiatives ManagerUnited Way of King County

Introductions

Goal of Workshop

Explore the real value of volunteers

Discover how to measure results

Provide tools and strategies

The Nonprofit Volunteer Mantra…

“Volunteers are the heart of our organization”

How does your organization articulate the value of your volunteers?

What difference do volunteers make (what changes for your organization as a result of volunteer activity)?

Articulating Value

You are asked to present to your board/funders a review of your

volunteer efforts, accomplishments and impact in

your organization.

What do you tell the funder about the value and results of your volunteer

efforts?

Where’s The Impact?

5,871 volunteers put in 48,729.3 hours this quarter; that's an

average of 8.3 hours per volunteer, valued at $20 hour for a total dollar value of $974,586

Find the Results/Impact

Six RSVP volunteers are calling parents of children who have

been absent from school, unexcused for two or more days. The volunteers spend a combined average of 10 hours a week and called more than 60 families.

Since Implementation Absenteeism at the school has decreased by an average of 30 percent compared to the previous

three years

The Whole Story of Volunteer Value

Why do we engage volunteers?

To what end?

What are the benefits or what changes as the result of their

involvement?

The Whole Story of Volunteer Value

Leverage existing resources

cost effective

Credibility

Luxury of focus

Connection to community

Advocacy

Extend sphere of influence

Outside/inside perspective

Free to experiment

Bring resources and skills

Nine in ten nonprofits report benefits from volunteer involvement

Increase in quality of services or programs

More detailed attention to the people served

Increased Services or levels of service provided

Increased public support for programs

Leverage limited budget/resources

Increased Access to specialized skills

Balancing Act: The Challenges and Benefits of Volunteers, The Urban Institute, 2004

An Added Value…

For giving households, the average contributions were $2,295 from volunteers and $1,009 from non-

volunteers.

What about Cost?

Volunteers are not free

What is the real cost of involving volunteers in your organization?

Betty Stallings, 12 Key Actions of Volunteer Program Champions

Cost Vs. Value Added

Return on Investment

When the value that volunteers bring to the

organization exceed the costs of dealing with

recruitment and support of volunteers

So…How do you articulate the value of your volunteers?

By Evaluating Results

What is the measureable change resulting from our

volunteer engagement efforts?

Evaluation

The systematic collection of

information about the activities,

characteristics and outcomes of programs

How Do You Feel about Evaluation?

You Are Not Alone

National Study

Only 30 % of Nonprofits utilizing volunteers measure the impact

of volunteers annually

Volunteer Management Capacity Study, 2003

Why Don’t We Measure Results?

What gets in the Way?

Who sets the expectation?

The Value of Evaluation

What gets

measured gets done

If you don’t

measure, you

can’t tell success

from failure

If you can’t see

success, you

can’t reward it

If you can’t

reward success, you are probably rewarding failure

If you can see

success, you can

learn from it

If you can recognize

failure, you can correct it

If you can demonstrate results, you can

win public support

Excerpted from “Measuring the Difference Voluteers Make…”

Getting Started

It doesn’t have to be scary

Evaluation Design

Takes Forethought Is part of your planning

process Should be outcomes focused

3 Steps to Effective EvaluationStep 1: Plan for Evaluation

Decide what to evaluate (what outcome sought?)

Decide what information to collect

Step 2: Evaluate: Gather, Analyze Data and turn it into results

Step 3: Report the results

Planning for Evaluation

Start with…

Defining the results you expect from the volunteer,

program or project.

Ask “So What?”

Youth Mentoring Program

What are the goals/objectives/desired results for the activity?

Youth in mentoring program develop a trusting and positive relationship with an adult

Then…

Determine how to measure each result.

What information would tell us that the result is being achieved?

How will we collect it?

Measuring Results:

Define the Outcome Measure:

How many youth have developed a trusting and positive relationship with an adult?

Set a Performance Standard: 80 percent of youth, 70 percent of mentors and 75 percent of parents express satisfaction from mentoring relationship

Identify Information Needed

• Numbers, “quantity”, list of responses given.• How many teens reported a positive

relationship ?

Quantitative Data

• Data collected through open-ended questions: text, pictures, video, audio (anything other than numbers).

• Can you describe how you feel about the relationship with your mentor

Qualitative Data

Evaluation Instrument

Questionnaires or surveys

Documentation review

Interviews

Observation

Focus Groups

Collect Data and Turn Into Results

Determine how to collect your data:

Questionnaires to assess the relationship between mentee and an adult are conducted at three, six and 12 months

Collect, Analyze and Interpret data

Communicating Results

What is the context for the report?

What information is most important to communicate?

What action will be taken in response to the findings.

Ways to Communicate Results

Report Outcome Results

Who do you report to?

How will you report the results?

Review

Plan! focus on outcomes/resultsDecide what to measureDecide what data to collectKeep it simpleCollect and AnalyzeCelebrate and communicate success

VolunteerInvolvement

Strategy

Mission and Vision

+Strategic Plan

Marketing and Recruitment

Screening and Placement

Orientation and Training

Ongoing Supervision and Management

Evaluation

Volunteer Management Cycle

It’s a Wrap