In the summer of 2016, National Pyr applied for a grant to have a Rescue Groups Program Assessment survey done. The program, which evaluates the effectiveness of volunteer programs within non-profits, is administered by the University of North Carolina Charlotte partnering with the Humane Society of the United States. We met all the requirements and in January 2017 we were told that we had been accepted. The survey was conducted in February 2017 and we were very pleased by the results. The full results of the survey can be seen here.
This survey received the highest response rate UNC has received on the RGPA survey—62% of our volunteers responded to the survey vs. other organizations which average a 30-40% response rate. Research shows that people participate in surveys because they feel it will affect something they care about and they want to share their opinion with someone who will listen. Close to 75% of the volunteers who responded have volunteered with us for more than one year, which shows a high level of caring and long-term commitment.
The results show our volunteers have a:
- High level of organizational commitment 95%
- High level of satisfaction with volunteer work 94%
- Strong perception of their own competence 86%
- Strong perception of group effectiveness 84%
Several measurements cluster in the 70% range:
- Satisfaction with volunteer colleagues 78%
- Recognition (appreciation of their services) 76%
- Satisfaction with volunteer coordinator 75%
- Role ambiguity (know what their responsibilities are) 74%
The lower percentiles 45-65% are:
- Satisfaction with communication 65%
- Desire to interact with colleagues 52% (half want to interact more, half do not)
- Perception of voice (do they feel they are heard?) was 45%. We are told this is always a low number in this survey, because everyone wants to be heard more. This is an area we can work on. Adding an anonymous suggestion box, like the one at http://freesuggestionbox.com, could be helpful and we hope our volunteers can provide ideas on how to improve this, too.
The respondent's perception of their own competence is high (86%), but when asked about specific training areas like health care, dealing with behavioral issues or integrating the pet into the home, the level of perceived competence drops to half. A quarter of respondents or 25% say there is a lack of necessary information about what to do or how to do it, so more training in specific areas would be helpful, especially for newer volunteers.
The overall results are very positive and speak highly of our committed volunteers and their engagement with the organization. Are you thinking about volunteering with a rescue? National Pyr should be at the top of your list. Click here to learn more about volunteering.
RGPA Summary Results
|
SCALE |
Strongly Disagree |
Disagree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
Agree |
Strongly Agree |
% Favorable |
|
Organizational Commitment |
0% |
1% |
4% |
34% |
61% |
95% |
|
Recognition |
0% |
4% |
20% |
44% |
32% |
76% |
|
Satisfaction with Communication |
1% |
15% |
19% |
41% |
23% |
65% |
|
Perception of Voice |
4% |
15% |
37% |
33% |
11% |
45% |
|
Perception of Rescue Group Effectiveness |
0% |
3% |
13% |
39% |
45% |
84% |
|
Competence |
0% |
2% |
13% |
54% |
32% |
86% |
|
Role Ambiguity |
0% |
11% |
15% |
46% |
28% |
74% |
|
Satisfaction with Volunteer Work |
0% |
1% |
5% |
38% |
56% |
94% |
|
Satisfaction with Volunteer Colleagues |
1% |
1% |
20% |
41% |
37% |
78% |
|
Desire to Interact with Colleagues |
2% |
12% |
34% |
44% |
8% |
52% |
|
Satisfaction with Volunteer Coordinator |
1% |
9% |
15% |
42% |
33% |
75% |
|
Organizational Constraints |
52% |
30% |
15% |
3% |
1% |
4% |
|
Burnout |
47% |
28% |
18% |
5% |
2% |
7% |
|
Intention to Quit |
52% |
22% |
11% |
13% |
2% |
15% |
|
Note: Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. '% Favorable' refers to the percentage of respondents who 'Agree' and 'Strongly Agree.' Scales below the bold lines are reverse worded (e.g., small % Favorable with 'Organizational Constraints' reflects fewer perceived constraints.) |
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