Tuesday 18-05-2021 - 10:37

Volunteer Survey 2021

The Volunteer Survey is sent to all volunteers and academic reps in order to gain their honest feedback on their volunteer experience and allow the Students’ Association to determine the areas that are successful and which areas could be improved.  We conducted this survey between December 2020 and January 2021.

 

What inspired you to start volunteering? Choose up to 4 reasons

The main reasons students volunteered with the Students’ Association were to meet new people or make new friends (55.26%), to make a difference (51.75%), to improve CV/Employability (45.61%) and to help people (41.23%).

 

What have you gained from volunteering? Choose up to 4 reasons.

The main things students have gained from volunteering are that they have met new people and made new friends (58.77%), experience of leadership or responsibility (46.5%) broadens their experience of life and other people (39.5%) and volunteering made them feel part of the university community (36%).

 

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements

94% of our volunteers would wholeheartedly recommend GCU Students' Association as a good place to volunteer. This is one of our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) within The Bigger Plan 2020, our strategic plan. Our strategic target was 85% and the 2021 result is comparable to 2019 where 93% of volunteers agreed/agreed strongly.

The areas that had the highest disagree scores were; I am given the necessary training to carry out my volunteering role effectively (13.2%), I am given the materials and tools necessary for me to carry out my role effectively (8.9%), I feel I make an impact through the volunteer work I do (8.9%), I am able to play my volunteering comfortably around my studies and other commitments (7.14%) and I know where to go to access support about my volunteering role (6.2%).

 

In comparison to the 2019 survey, the following three statements saw an increase in agree scores; I feel I make an impact through the volunteer work I do (+8%), I am kept up to date with changes and development which affect my volunteering work (+6%) and I feel I can be myself when volunteering at the Students’ Association (+5%). There was one statement that saw a significant decrease; I am given the training necessary for me to carry out my volunteering role effectively (-7%).

 

What is the best thing about volunteering at the Students' Association?

Theme	Number Of Comments
Meeting new people/social aspect	42
Making a difference/helping others	23
Developing skills/Confidence/Leadership	18
Community/Teamwork	14
Organising Events	6
Makes me happy/fun	5
Support from Students’ Association	4
Accessible/Easy to manage alongside other commitments	2

 

How could we support you better in your volunteering work?

Theme	Number Of Comments
Nothing-support is great	32
Better training/tools and event help	24
Improved communications from staff	12
Networking Opportunities with other volunteers	7
Role specific information/Improved handover	7
More funding	1
Less pressure from staff	1
Students’ Association Website	1
Bigger scope for change	1

Overall, the organisation performed well in the survey. This survey was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, while the Students’ Association was providing an online delivery of all services. The results of this year’s survey have provided a valuable insight into how the organisation has performed online, and some of the areas needing developed can certainly be attributed to the challenges the move to online delivery has provided. However, with most results being comparable to 2019 it can be said the move to online delivery has been executed well.