High School Volunteer Programs Take a More Innovative Approach

Kathryn Tatum, Editor-in-chief|October 3, 2016

Steps to evaluating a volunteer program:

Step 1: Recognize where your program has room for improvement. Then, define what you are trying to achieve accordingly.

Step 2: Decide What to Track

-What does your program aim to achieve for the community?

Step 3: Collect Data

  1. Select an indicator. An indicator is a specific item that will represent the level or degree to which a process measure, output, outcome, or impact occurred.
  2. Select methods of data recordings. For example: Existing information collected by other agencies, interviews, first-hand observation of interactions and events, tests, and written surveys.

Step 4: Turn data into findings
Step 5: Use finding to make a change within your program

   Taking part in volunteer projects is a generous way for people to spend their time. For high school students, volunteering can be an important part of their religious, extracurricular, or in-school experiences. Some clubs at Oakton dedicated to volunteer projects include Key Club, Octagon, “Codi’s Hats,” the American Red Cross Club, and “Team up for St. Jude’s.” While many students spend a large amount of time volunteering, most forget to stop and think: Am I really making a difference? Or even: How can my efforts be made more effective?

   There is undoubtedly more to volunteer work than the simple act of giving up your time. It is necessary for volunteers to examine the situation of the people they help and strategize ways by which they can most effectively serve them. Volunteer programs often improve the effectiveness of their efforts by using analytics or examining the situation from an economic perspective. But before changing the approach to community service, leaders of volunteer programs must first recognize where their program has room for improvement.

   Evaluating volunteer programs is the first step in creating more “successful” service projects. Effort evaluation helps to lend credibility to the club, fundraise, retain volunteers, and better serve the mission of the organization.

   Senior Afia Habib experienced the benefits of reevaluating her volunteer program first-hand as the President of Oakton’s American Red Cross Club. In past years, the Red Cross Club has not always been successful in their efforts to make a difference in the local community. The club struggled with a lack of passion. Small numbers of students came to meetings, and even of those who came, most lacked a clear idea of why they were there.

   In an effort to revamp her dwindling club, Habib reevaluated Red Cross. She recognized that their 2016 Blood Drive would require the Red Cross Club to conduct more careful planning than it ever had before. To prepare for the blood drive, Habib and other members outlined how many volunteers they would need at any given hour. “Everything we did for the blood drive was planned out to the very last detail,” said Habib. And as the blood drive event unfolded, Red Cross Club members prioritized the collection of data to keep track of the pints of blood students donated.

   Habib said, “The 2016 Blood Drive was our most successful one yet.” By the end of the drive, the Red Cross Club had exceeded their initial goal. Habib recognized that a major reason for the blood drive’s success was that the students who donated blood knew why they were there and were passionate about the cause.

   The 2016 Blood Drive served as proof for the Red Cross Club that it is not only active, but successful in its efforts to make changes in the community. The club has goals in mind, and future members have taken notice. At the club’s interest meeting at the start of the 2016-2017 school year, it earned more recognition than it ever has. “The line of interested students was out the door!” Habib said.

   Program evaluation and data analysis transformed the Red Cross Club. Habib showed how important it is to show evidence of success. Successful volunteer projects help students who are thinking of joining the club know that what they’re signing up for is really going to make an impact. Habib said, “People take notice of how well a club does and what they do at Oakton to make it a better place.”

   At the core of any organization, for-profit or non-profit, is the quest to achieve its goals in the most efficient manner possible. When club leaders take advantage of analytical predictive modeling, they are paving the way for more successful use of their resources. The outcome, as seen by the Red Cross Club, is higher volunteer retention rates, and most importantly, a real difference in the community that volunteers can be proud of.