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Conducting regular feedback sessions

Chapter 6:
Reviewing volunteer management

Process of Conducting Regular Feedback Session

Holding feedback sessions helps your volunteers in their role and provides a two-way channel for volunteers to provide and receive feedback.

What are the benefits of regular feedback sessions?

  1. Get new ideas

  2. Improve current processes

  3. Increase engagement

  4. Assess volunteer performance & suitability for future

  5. Evaluate programme effectiveness

Planning For Feedback Sessions

Pre-Planning Note:

It is good to inform volunteers during their onboarding session that volunteer feedback will be collected so that they will feel comfortable throughout the whole process. Allow them to understand the significance of collecting their feedback. This also means it is important to brief them clearly on their tasks and communicate to them clear expectations of their role & responsibilities. This is to avoid vague and unsatisfactory responses during feedback sessions that will not provide accurate or meaningful data.

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Planning for feedback sessions:

  1. Decide the frequency of feedback sessions to be collected for your programme or organisation

  2. Arrange for an appointment with volunteers and decide on the time and venue

  3. Gather feedback on the volunteer’s performance

    • Be objective 

    • From the volunteer’s supervisor / manager

    • Use a feedback form to evaluate volunteer

  4. Decide on who will conduct the interview! It’s best to have a neutral party or a volunteer manager/coordinator to ensure a fair and comprehensive review of their performance, as well as to evaluate feedback given by the volunteer.

  5. Prepare how the volunteer’s feedback will be collected. Will it be through a form? An online document? What are the questions that will be asked? A volunteer feedback/satisfaction survey can be useful in gathering their feedback. 

  6. Decide how the feedback session will be conducted. Will it be a physical or online session? Is this formal or informal? 

Executing Feedback Sessions

After planning for the feedback session, it’s time to get right into it! Here are the things you should do to ensure that you get valuable feedback and exchange constructive feedback. It’s a time for two-way communication between the volunteer and your organisation to improve processes and to include your volunteers as key stakeholders in future plans.

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NOTE: Capture their feedback prior to their exit as the response rate for feedback after volunteers leave will be much lower.

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Execution of feedback sessions:

  1. Take note of the meeting. Be sure to inform them that whatever is spoken will be recorded and adhere to the necessary procedures if audio and / or video recordings will be made. 

  2. If a form has been provided to the volunteer to fill in, run through the form thoroughly and ask for specific examples.

  3. Ask for their personal thoughts on the programme or organisation or if there is further feedback not written down in their form 

  4. Discuss issues raised by the volunteers and ask for suggestions or ideas. Both parties should be able to present their own perspectives objectively to have an open discussion.

  5. Provide constructive feedback on the volunteer’s performance

  6. Appreciate and thank volunteers for the time and effort they have put in. Let them know that their service was valued and made an impact on the organisation and service users. This might positively influence their decision to rejoin your organisation in the future

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During the volunteer feedback sessions, there are also some important things to take note of.

 

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To help you understand your volunteers’ experience, it might be useful to use the Volunteer Engagement Tool (VET). It provides a sample Volunteer Satisfaction Questionnaire and was developed by NCSS to help agencies gauge volunteer satisfaction and identify areas for improvement.

Post Feedback Sessions

What to do as part of post feedback sessions:

  • Upkeep data by filing them for proper storage according to the data system of your organisation’s choice. Keep all the notes that were taken as well as their written forms for future reference.

  • Remember to take note of follow-up actions required and plan for the next step accordingly.

  • Set date for the next feedback session if applicable 

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