Staff and volunteers' perceptions of the volunteer programme: an alternative use of the Net Benefits Index

  • Carolyn Cordery, Karen Smith, Sarah Proctor-Thomson
  • Voluntary Sector Review, June 2015, Policy Press
  • DOI: 10.1332/204080515x14291983096544

Measuring Volunteer Programmes

What is it about?

It is important for not-for-profit organisations to measure the success of their volunteer programmes. Hager and Brudney's Net Benefits Index is a benchmarking scheme that they used across a number of organisations. We tested it within two organisations to compare and contrast staff views with those of volunteers and to find ways to improve the volunteer programme.

Why is it important?

Volunteers' and staff perceptions of the challenges and benefits of the volunteer programmes differed in each organisation. By comparing the two groups in different organisations we found biases (e.g. towards cost savings or towards supporting clients). The Net Benefits Index is useful to analyse these and other cheallenges and benefits.

Perspectives

Professor Carolyn J Cordery
Aston University

As one of many ways to evaluate a volunteer programme, the Net Benefits Index provides a simple measure of the views of a large group of people. Its a helpful way to understand the benefits and challenges of volunteer programmes.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/204080515x14291983096544

The following have contributed to this page: Professor Carolyn J Cordery