Volunteer Retention Assessment Tool
How well do you support your volunteers?
Answer these 7 questions based on your organization's practices. This assessment helps identify key areas for improvement in volunteer retention.
Select one answer per question. Your results will show how your organization compares to best practices for volunteer retention.
1. How do you show appreciation for volunteers?
2. How do you approach volunteer training?
3. How connected do volunteers feel to the impact of their work?
4. How well do you match volunteers to roles?
5. How would you describe your volunteer culture?
6. How do you support volunteers who need to reduce or leave?
7. How do you foster community among volunteers?
Your Volunteer Retention Score
Volunteers don’t walk away because they’re lazy. They don’t quit because they don’t care. In fact, most of them care too much. The problem isn’t lack of heart-it’s lack of support.
They’re Overworked and Underappreciated
One of the biggest reasons volunteers leave is feeling like their time doesn’t matter. You ask someone to show up every Saturday for six months to sort donations, pack food boxes, or tutor kids. Then you never say thank you. Not in a card. Not in a meeting. Not even a quick text. When people pour hours into a cause and get nothing but silence in return, they start wondering why they keep showing up.
A 2024 study by the New Zealand Volunteer Network found that 68% of volunteers who left their roles in the past year said they felt invisible. Not ignored-invisible. They did the work, but no one noticed. No one acknowledged the early mornings, the missed family dinners, the emotional toll of working with people in crisis. That kind of neglect doesn’t just hurt feelings-it kills motivation.
The Training Is Either Nonexistent or Useless
Imagine being handed a mop and told to clean a hospital wing without being shown where the supplies are, how to use the equipment, or what the safety rules are. That’s what happens to a lot of volunteers. Organizations assume because someone wants to help, they already know how. They don’t.
Volunteers need clear onboarding. Not a 10-page PDF they’re supposed to read while eating lunch. A 30-minute walk-through with someone who’s been there. A chance to ask questions. A buddy system for the first week. When volunteers show up confused, unsure what’s expected, or afraid they’ll mess up, they don’t stick around. They feel like a liability, not an asset.
In Wellington, a food bank that started pairing new volunteers with experienced ones saw retention jump by 42% in six months. The difference wasn’t more hours-it was better support.
The Work Feels Meaningless
People don’t volunteer to do busywork. They volunteer because they want to make a difference. But if all they ever do is stuff envelopes or stand at a booth handing out flyers, they start to doubt if it matters.
One volunteer at a youth mentoring group told me she spent six months printing worksheets. She loved working with the kids, but she never saw the impact. She didn’t know if the kids were learning. She didn’t know if anyone was tracking progress. After a while, she felt like a glorified photocopy machine. She quit.
Volunteers need to see the results of their work. Not just vague stories like “we helped 200 families.” They need to know how. Did the child pass their reading test? Did the elderly neighbor stop being lonely? Did the tree you planted survive the first summer? Concrete outcomes stick. Vague claims fade.
They’re Not Asked What They Want to Do
Too many organizations treat volunteers like interchangeable parts. Need someone to paint a wall? Call the next person on the list. Need someone to answer phones? Anyone who’s free. But volunteers aren’t robots. They have skills, interests, and limits.
Someone who’s a retired teacher might be perfect for tutoring. Someone who’s a graphic designer might want to help with flyers or social media. But if you only assign tasks based on what’s convenient for you, you’ll lose the people who could bring the most value-and the most passion.
A community center in Dunedin started asking volunteers during sign-up: “What are you good at? What do you love doing?” They stopped assigning tasks and started matching them. Within a year, volunteer turnover dropped by half. People stayed because they were doing work that felt like an extension of who they were, not just something they were told to do.
The Culture Is Toxic or Clunky
It’s not always about the work. Sometimes it’s the people.
Volunteers report leaving because of passive-aggressive staff, cliques that won’t let them in, or leaders who take credit for their efforts. One volunteer at a homeless shelter said her supervisor would show up late, then blame her for delays. Another said she was scolded for wearing jeans to a fundraising event-even though she’d been working 12-hour shifts for three weeks straight.
Volunteers don’t need to be treated like celebrities. But they do need to be treated like humans. Respect matters. Consistency matters. Fairness matters. If the culture feels like a chore to navigate, people will walk away-even if they love the cause.
They Don’t Know How to Advance or Step Back
Volunteers don’t want to be stuck forever. They want to grow. Or they want to leave gracefully.
Some people start volunteering because they’re between jobs. Others are trying something new. Some just want to give back for a season. But if there’s no path to take on more responsibility-or no clear way to say “I need to step away”-they feel trapped.
One woman in Christchurch volunteered at an animal rescue for two years. She loved the dogs, but her health started declining. She didn’t know how to tell the team she needed to reduce her hours. She felt guilty. She ended up just stopping-no goodbye, no explanation. She still regrets it.
Organizations need to normalize transitions. Say it out loud: “It’s okay to change your role. It’s okay to take a break. It’s okay to leave.” Create simple forms or conversations for that. People will stay longer if they know they won’t be judged for stepping away.
They Don’t Feel Connected
Volunteering isn’t just about tasks. It’s about belonging. People stay when they feel part of something. When they know the names of the other volunteers. When they share a laugh over coffee before a shift. When someone remembers their birthday or asks how their mom’s surgery went.
But many volunteer programs treat people like a queue. Sign in. Do your task. Sign out. No connection. No community.
One small library in Tauranga started hosting a 15-minute coffee hour every Friday before shifts. No agenda. Just chat. Within months, volunteers started showing up early-not because they had to, but because they wanted to. They looked forward to seeing each other. That’s the glue that holds people together.
What Can You Do About It?
If you’re running a volunteer program, here’s what actually works:
- Say thank you-in writing, in person, in public. Make it specific: “Thanks for staying late last Tuesday. The kids were so excited because you read to them.”
- Train properly-don’t hand out a pamphlet. Show them. Let them practice. Pair them up.
- Show impact-share photos, stories, numbers. Let volunteers see the difference they made.
- Ask what they want-let them choose tasks based on their skills and interests.
- Fix the culture-listen to feedback. Address gossip, favoritism, or disrespect fast.
- Build community-create space for connection. Coffee. Lunch. A group chat.
- Normalize leaving-make it easy to say, “I need to take a break.” Thank them. Keep the door open.
Volunteers don’t quit because they’re ungrateful. They quit because they’re exhausted, unseen, and unvalued. Fix those things, and you won’t just keep volunteers-you’ll turn them into lifelong supporters.
Why do volunteers quit even when they love the cause?
They quit because the experience doesn’t match their expectations. Loving the cause doesn’t fix poor communication, lack of appreciation, or feeling like a cog in a machine. Volunteers need to feel respected, supported, and seen-even if they’re working behind the scenes.
Is volunteer burnout real?
Yes. Volunteer burnout happens when someone gives too much for too long without rest, recognition, or boundaries. It’s not about being weak-it’s about being overextended. People who pour emotional energy into helping others, especially in crisis settings, can develop symptoms like fatigue, irritability, and detachment. The fix isn’t to work harder-it’s to work smarter, with better support.
How can small organizations retain volunteers with limited budgets?
You don’t need money-you need attention. A handwritten note, a public thank-you at a meeting, a coffee and chat with a team leader, or a simple survey asking “What’s working and what’s not?” cost almost nothing but build deep loyalty. Recognition and respect are free, and they’re what volunteers remember.
Should volunteers be paid stipends or perks?
Not usually-and not because it’s wrong, but because it changes the dynamic. Most volunteers want to help, not get paid. But small, thoughtful perks can help: free meals during long shifts, parking reimbursement, or access to training courses. The key is to make them practical, not transactional. Don’t offer a gift card and expect loyalty. Offer a chance to grow, and you’ll get it.
What’s the biggest mistake organizations make with volunteers?
Treating them like temporary labor instead of partners. Volunteers aren’t cheap staff-they’re people who chose to give their time because they believe in your mission. When you treat them like a resource to be used up, they leave. When you treat them like part of the team, they stay-and bring others with them.
