Assessment of Volunteer Engagement

<< Back to Guide for Nonprofits

Use the questions below to assess your overall capacity to engage, support, and sustain volunteer resources and increase impact through strategic engagement.

Adapted with permission from JFFixler Group’s “Assessment of Organizational Volunteer Engagement.”

Download as PDF

 

Organizational Commitment to Engagement
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We have a strategic plan that includes volunteer engagement and/or a stated philosophy of engagement.        
We engage volunteers across all levels of the organization.        
We assess organizational needs and develop volunteer opportunities to address those needs.        
Our leaders explicitly support strategic engagement, model engagement, and talk about it widely.        
The volunteer corps reflects the diversity of the community we serves.        
We have a professional dedicated to volunteer engagement on staff and that individual’s position within the organizational structure reflects the resources this individual manages.        
Volunteer engagement is incorporated into all staff position descriptions and hold staff members accountable for doing so.        
Volunteer Roles
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We regularly assess goals and needs to identify opportunities to engage volunteers in the work.        
We engage volunteers in roles that leverage their skills (such as team leaders, project managers, pro bono consultants, skilled laborers, technology experts, etc.).        
We offer flexible schedules and/or virtual volunteer opportunities.        
We have written position/project descriptions for current and future volunteer opportunities.        
We include volunteers as equal members of teams.        
Cultivation
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We have a volunteer cultivation plan that is reviewed regularly.        
We support and encourage individuals to take on new roles in order to stay connected over the years.        
We train and support staff and volunteers in how to effectively cultivate volunteers.        
Screening and Placement
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We have an effective screening process for each volunteer position and it is appropriate to the level of skill and risk for each position.        
We involve both volunteers and staff in the interviewing and placement process.        
We place volunteers into positions only when their skills, motivations, and interests are a strong match for the position specifically and organizational culture overall.        
Support and Accountability
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We provide all volunteers with an orientation to familiarize them with the people, systems, programs, and policies relevant to their work with the organization.        
We ensure that staff and volunteers agree on timeline, communication, outcomes, and accountability for the work at the start of all collaborative projects.        
We allocate adequate budget, space, technology, and equipment for volunteers to be successful in their roles.        
Training and Professional Development
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We train and coach all staff members to work effectively with volunteers.        
Volunteers receive training specific to their roles.        
Volunteer engagement is incorporated into all staff position descriptions and staff members are held accountable appropriately.        
Evaluation, Recognition, and Acknowledgement
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We regularly measure and evaluate volunteer impact.        
We acknowledge individual volunteer contributions and impact through creative and personally meaningful ways.        
We assess the performance and effectiveness of individual volunteers.        
We routinely share volunteer impact with leadership, partners, funders, and the community at large.        
Policies, Infrastructure, and Technology
Rate how true the following statements are for your organization. Completely True Mostly True Somewhat True Not at all True
We develop comprehensive volunteer engagement policies and review them regularly.

 

        
We include volunteer engagement in our risk management planning.        
We use technology to make volunteer cultivation, tracking, scheduling, and training easy and efficient.        
We coordinate and communicate between the agency’s volunteer engagement and fund development functions.