Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities - ILRC

Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant CommunitiesJanuary 2003§ 11.9 Evaluation of the Volunteer ProgramEvaluation is one of the most important components of a volunteer program, but is often themost neglected. The organization should continually ask itself what works well, where thechallenges are, and whether the volunteer program is meeting its goals and objectives.Continuing evaluation ensures that the program grows in a direction that benefits theorganization while providing enriching experiences for volunteers.Potential evaluation tools include collecting and reviewing statistics; conducting regularperformance evaluations; allowing volunteers to evaluate the program; and conducting surveysof clients, staff, and volunteers. Outcomes should be measured against objectives and theprogram should be altered accordingly. The evaluation stage can assess such things as retention,whether the current number of volunteers is optimal and whether more or less oversight isrequired.Evaluation leads to further planning, and volunteers can play an important role in the ongoingplanning process.11-5