Measuring the Impact of Volunteers

As an organisation who has volunteers helping you do what you do on a day-to-day basis and assisting you to achieve your purpose, you will have a good understanding of the difference volunteers make for your organisation, those you support or your cause.

Are you able to describe that impact for others? For your volunteers themselves? For those you support or your cause? For your wider organisation and your governing group? For other external stakeholders?

Impact is the change that happens because of volunteering. Impact measurement is gathering data, information and stories and analysing what this means for different stakeholders. It can help you communicate to volunteers the importance of their work and understand the impact volunteers have for your organisation. It also provides data, information, and stories you can share with external stakeholders.

In this workshop we will:

• Explore volunteer impact measurement – what is it, different types and what are the benefits
• Get clear on why you are wanting to measure volunteer impact.
• Share a framework for planning your project (and reviewing a current project or activity).
• Explore the key questions you want to answer through impact measurement.
• Understand your audiences and how information will be used which will guide the what and the how of the information you gather.
• Explore different data and information collection methods and tools, including collaborative tools, so you can choose the methods you wish to use.
• Share tips for designing and using the different tools.
• Share tips for analysing, reporting, and communicating your findings.