Volunteer Survey

One of the many important puzzle pieces to the Playhouse is our volunteers. They lead and assist our programs, help out at events, and dedicate their hours to us. Another important puzzle piece is always looking for improvements – improving our processes, programs, how we work with participants, community partners, etc. We asked our volunteers to complete a survey so we could hear their valuable input and put it to good use. We honor their voice and take their opinions seriously! Here are some of the results so far – these are based on those who responded with a 4 or 5 (agree or strongly agree).  

94.4% feel that we connected with them after their initial inquiry/application in a timely manner, that their orientation was sufficient, that they are confident in their tasks, that they are comfortable approaching program leads and/or staff with concerns or ideas, and that they feel valued and appreciated. 

88.9% feel that their volunteer efforts have made an impact on GiGi’s Playhouse Rockford. 

While 100% feel overall satisfaction with their volunteer experience, only 77.8% feel well-informed about the program they volunteer for, general Playhouse information, events, etc. So… we realize we have some more work to do regarding communication. 

Some respondents shared a positive experience they have had at the Playhouse. A few that stood out to us are below. 

“Volunteering at GiGi’s is such a joy. We love the opportunity to hang out with GiGi participants helping them to experience an environment that is fun and socially engaging.” 

“One of my greatest moments in my adult life was seeing one of my students outside of GiGi’s in the summer and the smile on his face and the hug I received was confirmation that I have a positive effect on Monday nights ❤️”

“Although my position is literacy volunteer, my time at GiGi’s feels more like a book club. I’ve been working with the same person for several years and I think I enjoy it as much as he does.”

“I love every minute I am there. The friends are fantastic and the staff makes you feel needed.”

When trying to improve, we want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. Constructive criticism is just information that will help us grow, and we need to hear it. Here are some responses about how we could improve the overall volunteer experience.

“More communication about upcoming/available volunteer activities, better communication on when the events are coming up.”

“When someone says they want to volunteer, start the process right away, don’t let any time lapse. Make them feel wanted.”  

Based on this, it’s clear that we need to make some strides in a better direction in certain areas. The first comment directly reflects the lower scores we received for communication, and it reinforces the need to make that a priority. In the situation with the delayed response time, we fully admit that we inadvertently dropped the ball in the midst of a staff transition. While we know we can’t always be perfect, our volunteers are critical to our mission, and this should NOT happen.  There is always room for improvement, and we truly appreciate the honesty of our volunteers’ feedback!  

About two-thirds of respondents said they would be interested in joining a roundtable discussion so we can hear more personal thoughts and ideas to further include our volunteers in this ever-changing journey that is GiGi’s Playhouse. If you are one of these volunteers, please reach out to us so we can coordinate a roundtable discussion in the future. 

If you have been volunteering here for years, you are new, or you have never been to the Playhouse before but are interested in volunteering, keep an eye out for our Volunteer Appreciation event coming in April! 

The survey is still open, so if you have not yet taken it, please give us your input! https://forms.gle/oUvjSPsKRmgQbATn9