Volunteer feedback: key themes and how we’re responding

The feedback and survey responses that we receive from volunteers and their volunteer managers is invaluable. It tells us a lot about the volunteering experience at Guide dogs - from the ‘big picture’ or national trends to the details at role or local level. Thank you for taking the time to share your views - whether this was part of our bi-annual Volunteer Impact Assessment, or in-depth research into puppy raising.

Volunteer View Summary of Findings January 2024

An Overview

As a volunteer, you will already know that the time you give to Guide Dogs enables us to together deliver our mission- to support people living with sight loss to live the life they choose. Volunteering alongside you is another 17,000 volunteers and together, you donate approximately 20 million hours of your time a year! Wow! Guide Dogs simply could not do what we do without you. 

Volunteers give time in a lot of different ways, from supporting the development and welfare of our dogs, to fundraising and from sighted guiding, to raising awareness and supporting the smooth running of our sites. Whichever way you give your time, we want to thank you for your support. We also need you to help us understand what we are doing well and what we can improve. The Volunteer View survey is one way for us to hear your views and opinions. 

In previous years we asked volunteers to complete the Volunteer Impact Assessment (VIA). You fed back that you wanted to share your views, but we were asking too many questions, and that the survey was too complicated and time consuming to complete. We listened and in response created the new (and hopefully you will agree improved) Volunteer View survey. This survey, sent to you in September 2023, was designed to make it quicker and easier for you to give us your feedback and for us to respond to what you told us. 

We are pleased to say it worked, and you responded. We saw an uplift of 7% on the previous survey, with 2973 responses, a figure we hope will continue to grow with subsequent surveys. If you did not respond this time round, please do watch out for coming surveys, we will send out the Volunteer View every two years, but we will email out shorter pulse surveys between these. Pulse surveys enable us to quickly hear your views throughout the year. 

The Volunteer View contained scaled response questions (strongly agree to strongly disagree) and free text responses. It was anonymous, which means we were able to draw out general themes from our volunteer community, however, it also means we are unable to respond to individual feedback. 

Since you completed the survey, we have been busy collating the responses and we are now pleased to share the findings with you. As you read this summary, we know that you’ll be thinking ‘what next?’

While we are thrilled that 84% of you would recommend Guide Dogs as a great place to volunteer, we acknowledge there are some areas that we need to improve.

Your feedback has helped us to identify four key areas of focus. These are: 

1. Volunteer expenses – We will provide clear and consistent information about volunteer expenses and simplify how you can claim them back.
2. Volunteer onboarding – We will simplify the process for joining as a volunteer, improve the contact volunteers receive when they join us and make clear your points of contact throughout your time volunteering with us.
3. Volunteer engagement and communication – We will work to build communities where you can connect with fellow volunteers and make it easier for you to volunteer in different roles. 
   
   We'll work on improving communication, so you feel informed in your role(s) and know the impact you make.
4. Volunteer support – We will work to ensure that every volunteer knows Guide Dogs is here to support them and who is best placed to be that point of contact. 

Over the coming months we will be focusing on the above areas. Our commitment to you is that we want Guide Dogs to be a fantastic place to volunteer. In return, we ask that you continue to give your time (a huge THANK YOU for doing so) and each month you read our volunteer e-newsletter, The Guide, where we will be sharing improvement updates in a ‘you said, we did’ section. 

You will note this month in the ‘you said, we did’ section (April 2024) our focus is on improving communication with volunteers in dog related roles. You told us it was of upmost importance to know how puppies you raised were. So, we looked at our ways of working and from this month you can contact us at any point in a dog’s journey to find out how your puppy (now likely a fully grown dog) is making a difference. 

Looking ahead to next month, we are keen to tell you how we’re making it easier for you to get involved in your local fundraising group. You told us you want to connect with fellow volunteers and give your time in lots of different ways, so we are making it happen. 

Thank you once again for sharing your experience in the Volunteer View. 

Summary of Findings

Where we’re doing well (the higher scores): 

• 84% of volunteers would recommend Guide Dogs as a great place to volunteer. 
• 92% understand their role and what is expected, and feel their role is rewarding and fulfilling. 
• Most volunteers feel a sense of pride when volunteering for Guide Dogs, with 94% feeling comfortable being themselves when volunteering.
• 83% feel volunteering improves their wellbeing, and most volunteers say that our sites and staff are friendly, welcoming, caring, and supportive. 

Where we need to improve (the lowest scores): 

• You told us your experience is inconsistent depending on your role and location. You highlighted a wish for more meaningful and regular support and communication. 61% said that they feel Guide Dog communicates well with volunteers, but we’d like all volunteers to feel we communicate well. 
• You shared that you want to volunteer in lots of different ways, however when joining Guide Dogs or trying out a new volunteer role the recruitment and onboarding process can be lengthy and complex. 
• You told us that community and making connections are an important aspect of your volunteering experience. You want to meet and socialize with other volunteers. 59% said the already feel part of Guide Dogs wider community and have been able to create connections through their volunteering. 
• You also told us gaining new skills is important. 57% shared that my volunteering gives me the opportunity to develop my skills and explore other roles. 
• The question with the lowest rating was linked to volunteer expenses, where 28% said they find it easy to claim expenses. Guide Dogs Volunteer Expenses policy states we will reimburse any reasonable expenses, and we need to improve how we communicate what a reasonable expense is.