Measuring the Impact of Volunteering and of Volunteers

Written by LBG Canada Relationship Manager, Jennifer Eldridge

Many companies are seeking to measure and communicate the benefits of employee volunteer programs. Within LBG Canada, we have seen a steady rise in companies stating that they want to evaluate the employee experience, which is why we are incorporating volunteering measurement metrics into our soon to be launched Impact Measurement Framework.

Despite 50% of companies stating that they seek to measure impact, too many still report that they fall short of their objectives. We find measurement efforts often do not meet expectations when companies either overlook the importance of planning the impact they hope will be achieved through volunteering, or focus on gathering output data rather than capturing true impact information.

To overcome these hurdles, it is important to take into consideration several key steps to measuring the impact of volunteering:

Step 1 – Decide what kind of impact you want to have, or can reasonably expect to have, on the community, your employee volunteers, and the business, and set clear targets.

Step 2 – Develop and implement a plan to collect the data to understand whether the impact occurred in the community, for the employees, and for the business.

Step 3 – Focus on the essentials. Keep metrics and surveys short and direct. Only gather the information you are sure you will be able to utilize.

Step 4 – Ensure key stakeholders, in the community and the business, can see that they are represented in the reporting. This will encourage them to continue providing feedback over the long-term.

Step 5 – Report on the impact of volunteering.

It is important to note that half of these steps happen before the volunteering initiative occurs. Measurement starts at the time of program design, not after the event has occurred.  

The type of impact that companies are looking to measure will vary depending on the nature of their volunteer programs, as well as what story companies are looking to tell. LBG Canada’s Impact Measurement Framework breaks impact on employee volunteering into three categories:

Job-related skills – leadership, problem-solving, technical

Personal well-being – self-confidence, empathy, inspiration to volunteer

Engagement – job satisfaction, job performance, company pride

What you measure will depend on the goals of your volunteer programs. Here’s to purposeful, strategic, impact-oriented volunteering!

To learn how to put LBG Canada’s Impact Measurement Framework to work for you, please contact us at communications@simpactsg.com