When we talk about impact, we also need to be willing to listen first. That is why this year at Volies we wanted to broaden our perspective on the change we generate and, for the first time, we directly asked two key stakeholder groups in our work: the volunteers who participate in our activities and the social organizations we collaborate with.
We did this in collaboration with Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteering, which we are part of, and incorporated these two new perspectives into the one we already gather each year through our customer satisfaction survey.
The result is an exercise that allows us to look at our work from three different perspectives and, perhaps most importantly, identify not only where we add the most value, but also where we can continue to grow.
Three perspectives on our impact
Each of these groups experiences its relationship with Volies differently.
- With our clients, we asked about their satisfaction, their likelihood of recommending us, and the aspects of our work they consider to be our main strengths.
- With volunteers, we asked about their experience and the changes they have experienced as a result of volunteering, as well as their intention to volunteer again and recommend volunteering to others.
- And with the social organizations we collaborate with, we asked about their experience working with Volies, their intention to work with us again, and how they perceive our understanding of their mission and reality.
Three different perspectives that help us answer the question: Are we creating the value we want to create?
The perspective of our client companies
The annual satisfaction survey confirms some results that make us particularly proud.
- Satisfaction stands at 9 out of 10, maintaining this result for the third consecutive year.
- Likelihood of recommendation reaches 9.4 out of 10, our best result to date, while 95% of ratings fall between “good” and “very good.”
- In addition, 100% of respondents consider Volies to be an ethical organization that is true to its mission.
When we asked about our main strengths, one clearly stood out: support, mentioned in 56% of responses. This was followed by connection and service quality. A result that reminds us of something important about the way we work. Impact depends not only on what we do, but also on how we support organizations throughout the process.
What changes for volunteers?
The new volunteer survey allows us to explore a question that is particularly relevant to us: what happens to people after they take part in a volunteering experience? And the results are very positive.
- Empathy scores 4.6 out of 5, as does the perception of positive impact and the likelihood of recommending volunteering to others.
- Connection with the community and understanding of the community reach 4.3 out of 5, while personal growth stands at 4.1 out of 5.
- But if there is one figure that stands out in particular, it is the likelihood of volunteering again, which reaches 4.8 out of 5.
These results show that volunteering experiences do not remain limited to the activity itself. Participants perceive real changes, learn, and gain a closer understanding of the social realities affected and of volunteering.
For Volies, this reinforces an idea we see every day in our work: when we succeed in designing and supporting an experience well, its impact can go far beyond the moment in which it takes place and transform the person who participates in it.
The perspective of social organizations
The third perspective comes from the social organizations we collaborate with. Their assessment of their relationship with Volies is also very positive. And here we find one of the most interesting insights from the entire exercise.
- When we asked about their perception of the depth of our mission and their understanding of it, the rating was around 4 out of 5.
- The likelihood of collaborating with us again reaches 4.8 out of 5.
The report identifies a clear difference: social organizations value Volies as a good connector with companies, but feel that we still have room to make our purpose and the value we bring beyond that connection more visible. And this is precisely the kind of result we wanted to uncover. Not because it is negative — the overall rating remains high — but because it points us toward a concrete opportunity for improvement.
Continuous improvement
This is one of the main conclusions we take away from this first exercise of broadening our listening to three of our key stakeholder groups. The data confirms important strengths: client companies particularly value the support they receive; volunteers experience changes related to empathy and connection with the community; and social organizations show a strong willingness to collaborate with Volies again.
But we have also found a difference that invites us to reflect:
Volunteers seem to clearly experience the impact of the activities, while social organizations challenge us to communicate better everything that lies behind our work.
This window of opportunity gives us a clear direction for continuous improvement: continuing to work so that social organizations have a better understanding of our mission, understand the value we aim to bring, and can find new ways alongside Volies to build partnerships and shared projects.
Listening also means taking action
This is one of the main conclusions we take away from this first exercise of broadening our listening to three of our key stakeholder groups. The data confirms important strengths: client companies particularly value the support they receive; volunteers experience changes related to empathy and connection with the community; and social organizations show a strong willingness to collaborate with Volies again.
But we have also found a difference that invites us to reflect:
Volunteers seem to clearly experience the impact of the activities, while social organizations challenge us to communicate better everything that lies behind our work.
This window of opportunity gives us a clear direction for continuous improvement: continuing to work so that social organizations have a better understanding of our mission, understand the value we aim to bring, and can find new ways alongside Volies to build partnerships and shared projects.
Keep asking
Measuring our impact does not mean obtaining a definitive snapshot. It means stopping every so often, looking at what we are doing, and asking those on the other side what they are experiencing. This year, we have broadened that conversation.
We will keep listening. We will keep measuring. And we will keep learning from the people and organizations who make our work possible and who, in turn, are the reason Volies exists.
