Measuring the Impact of Your Volunteer Program: 3 Tips

You likely see the positive effects of your volunteer program every day as you manage your team of volunteers. But how do you prove that your program is effective? This question may be on your mind, especially if your community of stakeholders (including volunteers!) needs evidence that volunteers make a difference for your cause. 

The answer to this question lies in taking the necessary steps to measure the impact of your volunteer program and communicate that information. Let’s dig into three tips for doing just that!

1. Create an impact framework.  

An impact framework is a strategic resource that defines how you’ll measure and communicate your impact. There are a variety of tried-and-tested impact frameworks to choose from, but one of the simplest and most effective frameworks comes from UpMetrics. 

Here are the three components of the UpMetrics Impact Framework and how they build on each other: 

Dimensions of Impact: These include who you serve, what you deliver to those you serve, how those you serve are better off because of what you deliver, and more.

Tip: Begin building out your Impact Framework by considering your organization’s mission and vision in the context of these different dimensions of impact. 

Objectives: Objectives are smaller, more manageable goals that will help you achieve your larger mission.

Tip: Break your mission down into objectives. For example, when looking specifically at your volunteer program, you might set an objective to increase your volunteer retention rate. 

Key Impactor Indicators (KIIs): Similar to key performance indicators (KPIs), KIIs are measurable values that help you see your organization’s progress toward its objectives.

Tip: Select KIIs for each objective that will help you fully understand how well you’re progressing toward your goals. To continue with the example above, you might measure how many volunteers sign up for another shift after completing their first shift. 

You can and should set up your Impact Framework to help you evaluate several aspects of your organization’s operations. But for your volunteer program specifically, ensure you’re selecting objectives and KIIs that will set you up to gather evidence that shows what about your program is/is not working. 

2. Collect quantitative and qualitative data. 

Next, it’s time to gather the data that will help you see your progress toward your goals. For a holistic view of your impact, you’ll need to collect two types of data—quantitative and qualitative: 

Quantitative data is data that can be given a numerical value.

Examples: Percentage of volunteers who return after one volunteer opportunity, number of volunteer hours given, volunteer satisfaction ratings 

Qualitative data captures qualities and experiences, usually in narrative or descriptive form.

Examples: Volunteer interviews, survey responses, or testimonials; videos or photographs of volunteers at work

As you gather data, look at your organization’s data sources, such as your CRM and volunteer management platform. You can supplement existing data with information from reputable outside sources, such as academic studies, or take steps to gather additional information from your own community, such as sending out a questionnaire. 

Next, you’ll analyze your data for patterns and trends that will give you a clear picture of the state of your volunteer program. You may find it useful to use a dedicated impact measurement platform to do this. 

3. Share impact findings with your community. 

After analyzing your impact data, you will likely have many exciting insights. For example, maybe you’ve discovered that you have an 85% volunteer retention rate, that volunteers with specialized skills (such as graphic design or teaching) have helped improve the quality of your programs, and that volunteers helped raise 30% of your annual fundraising goal last year. 

This is valuable information you can share with your community to showcase the value of your volunteer program and why they should continue supporting it. You can do this in many ways, from creating a written report to making a short video highlighting your findings. 

In the impact measurement process, you will also likely find some problem areas or shortcomings in your volunteer program. Don’t shy away from sharing these—doing so can help you build trust with your community and create natural opportunities to ask for more support as you plan for a brighter future.  

Evaluating the effectiveness of your volunteer program doesn’t have to be guesswork. Instead, adopt a strategic impact measurement approach that allows you to measure the program’s success over time. This will help inspire your stakeholders to continue supporting you and allow you to carefully improve how you recruit, manage, and retain volunteers!