Survey identifies a strong desire for more volunteer roles

At Volunteer Peterborough, we are always listening and learning so we can offer better service to this region’s non-profits. Over the summer, our annual survey provided some valuable insights.

In case you haven’t mastered it yet, Volunteer Peterborough’s portal is set up like job-hunting sites like Indeed. Non-profits create a profit about what they do, then ‘jobs’ they have open.

At this point, we have more than 2,030 volunteers registered on our site. A further 2,000 people surf our site each month so they can see what’s available and follow up directly groups.

One third of the volunteer managers who answered the survey say they found multiple volunteers via our service. Most of them learned about our service from a networking event or a referral from a peer. Only one came across our site while online.

Meanwhile, 38 percent of the volunteers who filled in the survey landed at our site via an internet search. Twenty-two percent noticed our media coverage and 16 percent came to us thanks to advice from a friend or a teacher.

Sixty percent of volunteers had one request: post more opportunities! They want groups to tell them exactly what they can do to help.

Therefore, if your group created a profile but have not added any jobs, you are missing out on meeting people who are ready to come to your aid. We have made it easier and quicker to post to the site so sign in and accelerate your recruitment today.

(Thank you, Jordan Lyall, for the lovely photography on this page and on our refreshed homepage!)

More volunteer survey findings

The survey findings reflect their experiences with our two approaches: offering a year-round online match-making service and hosting in-person volunteer fairs. In both cases, organizations want to sign up new talent and reduce the time needed to find and screen new helpers.

Each online job listing has a short description and checkboxes related to the skills and time required to fill the role. This data filters to every registered volunteer who has matching skills. That way, the non-profit’s need goes directly to those volunteers’ profiles when they log into the site. Voilà, a match can be made right away!

Groups who attended Meet Your Match Volunteer Fairs had twice as much luck as those who only posted jobs online. Anyone who has attended can tell you about the positive energy in the room hundreds of people walk in willing to help.

“The in-person Meet Your Match events are great!” one respondent wrote. “We are a volunteer-run organization recruiting for an annual event, so any help on a tiny budget is greatly appreciated.”

How to get more support for success

The survey showed that our chosen time for drop-in support sessions works for our clientele. If you are a person trying to find the right role or a volunteer manager who wants to learn how to use the site more effectively, this is for you.

Come see us on Wednesday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. in the lobby of Venture North,  270 George Street, right at King Street.

We also asked what people liked most about us. Most answers mentioned our service, pleasant volunteers, the quality of the roles posted, ease of use and the convenience of having information in one place.

Finally, these comments from volunteers made us smile:

• “I really appreciate the friendly and supportive environment. The team is always welcoming and they provide meaningful opportunities to give back to the community. It’s a great way to connect with others and make a difference.”
• “Thank you for all the work you do in organizing volunteer opportunities. It has been a rewarding experience for me. I look forward in participating in more projects.”

Thank you to everyone who filled in the surveys.