Posted by sdudley

Developing Volunteer Projects: Project Evaluation

You should always try to evaluate your service projects. It provides great information and will show the impact of the project on the community and/or the agency/school you’re serving. Evaluation will also help you in planning, managing, and implementing your next project.

Start planning your evaluation as you are planning your project. Think about how you will evaluate, whom you will involve, and how you will use the results. You can consider three types of evaluation:

• Goal-based: Did you meet the goals of the project?
• Process-based: Was the project planned, managed, and implemented effectively?
• Outcome-based: Did you achieve the objectives of the project?

If you never know what volunteers and/or community contacts think, you will never be able to adequately address future needs. So, don’t hesitate to ask people for their feedback! Most people will be happy that you asked and are interested in their replies.

To get feedback, ask those involved (volunteers, community members, people from the agency/school) to complete a Service Evaluation Survey at the end of the project before everyone leaves. You already have them there; the experience is fresh on their minds; and you can get it from them quickly.

Don’t ask people to put their names on the forms. People are more comfortable giving feedback anonymously. Don’t read the surveys or react to comments while at the project site. If a volunteer gives his/her name and contact information, you should call him/her to discuss the survey further shortly after the project.

If immediate feedback is not an option, you can mail or e-mail participants a survey within a week of the project. You can attach a survey to the thank-you letter or follow-up correspondence. If you are mailing the survey, be sure to include a stamped return envelope to increase the likelihood of getting the survey returned.

You can download a sample Service Evaluation Survey. Feel free to use this one or adapt it for your project.

Back to the Developing Volunteer Projects Toolkit.