Volunteer Satisfaction Survey Insights

July 7, 2023

Earlier this year we launched our first volunteer satisfaction survey. This was a chance for our volunteers to share how they’ve found their role, feedback on their experience and recommend change. We’re always looking for ways to improve your experiences with us, and we’re happy to present the results and our plans to make positive changes!  

Our Student Engagement and Insight teams have been reviewing this feedback and have identified three key areas for improvement that we will be focusing on over the next 1-2 years.  

These are:

‍1. Process
2. Training/Networking
3. Support and Empowerment

For each we’ve identified a short term, medium term and long-term action to create change in these identified areas. We will be updating this page with our progress against these priorities, if you have any thoughts or ideas in relation to any of these please don’t hesitate to get in touch and share these with us!

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Key Results

‘I am given the resources and tools, including digital tools, necessary for my role’ Disagree – 18% Neither Agree nor Disagree - 17% Agree – 66%
‘I know where to go to access support about my volunteering role’ - Disagree – 25% Neither Agree nor Disagree - 18%  Agree - 57%  
% agree that the Guild supports and empowers them in their role: Committee members – 48% Academic Rep/department officers – 69% Community volunteer – 50% Student activist - 40%
‘I am given the training necessary for me to carry out my role’ Disagree – 19% Neither Agree nor Disagree – 16% Agree – 65%
‘The students guild helps me acquire skills and knowledge’ Disagree – 24% Neither Agree nor Disagree – 22% Agree – 54%
‘I am given the resources and tools, including digital tools, necessary for my role’ Disagree – 18% Neither Agree nor Disagree - 17% Agree – 66%

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Open Text Responses

What one thing would you change about volunteering for the Students’ Guild?

  • Support and empowerment came out as the top priority

What could we do to help you achieve more in your volunteering role?

  • Support and empowerment came out as second priority

What one thing would you change about volunteering for the Students’ Guild?

  • Training and Networking came out as a priority

What one thing I would change & what could we do to help you achieve more?

What one thing would you change about volunteering for the Students’ Guild?

  • Process came out as a top three priority

What could we do to help you achieve more in your volunteering role?

  • Process came out as a top two priority

Your top three reasons that inspired you to start volunteering were:

1. I wanted to improve my CV/employability
2. I wanted to be in a team or community
3. I wanted to meet new people or make new friends

Your top three things you gained from volunteering

1. It gives me experience of leadership or responsibility  
2. It gives me a sense of personal achievement
3. I’ve met new people and made new friends  

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Support and Empowerment

This theme covers the support available to you from our staff teams and services, in addition to how we ensure you feel confident and able to excel in your roles. You said there was a lack of clarity and transparency, too much bureaucracy, the support we offer wasn’t enough or didn’t meet your needs and didn’t always feel empowered.  

Key Results:

‘The students guild demonstrates by its actions that it cares about its volunteers’

Disagree – 18%  
Neither Agree nor Disagree - 20%  
Agree - 62%

What actions are we taking re Support and empowerment?

1. By September 2023 we will have reviewed and implemented different formatting of the knowledge base to make resources clearer and easier to find. We will also have introduced student perspective into these resources through co-creation, ensuring resources are written from the student volunteer perspective.
2. By July 2024 we will have reviewed what support for student volunteers look like, with the aim of embedding more co-creation and direct support for student volunteers.  
3. During the academic year 2024-2025 we will look to introduce a peer support system for our different volunteer roles to enable volunteers to support and learn from each other.

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Training and Networking

This theme covers the opportunities you have to meet other volunteers doing similar positions and the opportunity to attend training to equip you for your role and beyond. You said: you felt like more training was required, more opportunities to meet peers, training needed to be more engaging, useful and specific.  

‍What actions are we taking re Training/Networking?

1. By September 2023 we will have hosted networking events for our volunteers to meet other volunteers.
2. By July 2024 we will have Implemented a training programme for student volunteers led by students.
3. During the Academic year 2024-2025 will create an online asynchronous training platform available to all student volunteers all year round.  

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Process

This theme covers the tools, procedures and resources that exist to facilitate you in your role. You said, there was too much bureaucracy and red tape, there was a lack of clarity and transparency, and processes were too complicated.

‍What actions are we taking re Process?

1. By September 2023 we will have embedded transparency and expectation across our processes and communication to ensure they are clear on why, how and when.
2. By July 2024 we will have reviewed all our processes with the aim of streamlining, removing red tape and unnecessary steps.  
3. During the Academic year 2024-2025 we will undertake a new review of processes to ensure they are still fit for purpose and support the needs of volunteers.