Volunteer Debrief

I'm not going to mince words. Debriefing with your volunteers after an event, shift, or activity is critical to the success of your organization.

In previous roles managing volunteer coordinators, I explain this to folks I'm training and usually I get an earnest head-nod, as in, "yeah I get it." And then guess what? "Oops, I forgot."

Debriefing volunteers is the number one thing volunteer coordinators forget to do.

Yeah okay, it might seem a little trivial, like, it's less important than the actual work that a volunteer does, right? And it's not really relevant to whether the volunteer has a good time, which is why they come back, right? Wrong! Wow that's so wrong!

Sorry I yelled.

I truly believe that a debrief conversation at the end of a volunteer activity or event is just as, if not more important than the activity or event itself.

Seriously? Yes.

Why? Because hopefully that activity or event won't be your last. And if you're not learning about what went well and what you should improve upon, your organization will fail at its objectives. So, who has the best insight into what went well and what needs improvement? Your volunteers. And how do you learn from them? Debriefs. It's that simple.

If you're not debriefing, you're not learning.

The other reason debriefs are super important is because it's the easiest and most reliable way to get honest feedback from volunteers when their thoughts are still fresh.

If volunteers are feeling frustrated or anxious about something that happened, getting the chance to let that out soothes them in a big way. It makes them much less likely to complain later or get caught in a vicious negative thought pattern. You hear them and sympathize, you write their feedback down, and you promise to improve.

By debriefing your volunteers, you can turn feelings of frustration into feelings of teamliness: we're all in this together.

And when things go well, the debrief maximizes those good feels, giving volunteers a chance to gush, share victory stories, and shower praise.

One last point before we go over the fundamentals of a good debrief:

As the volunteer coordinator, your role is central to improving every aspect of your organization. Your voice at team meetings or discussions with your Executive Director is crucial. Many organizations under-value this. Regular and systematic volunteer debriefs will empower you to represent your organization's volunteers at team meetings. You stop being one voice at the table, and you become the Official Representative of Volunteers. And that's a voice that can't be ignored.

That's enough preamble. If you're still with me, you're probably convinced that volunteer debriefs are super important. Below you'll find the fundamentals of a good volunteer debrief.

Let's start with a basic definition.

Like any debrief, a volunteer debrief is a simple conversation, usually held in pairs or groups up to 10, where everyone (that includes the coordinator!) gets to discuss their experience, reflect on the highlights & lowlights, and share & receive feedback.

At a high level, a debrief consists of a series of prompt questions that each person answers while others actively listen. As the volunteer coordinator, you may want to ask some simple follow-up questions and engage them in a short discussion to tease out tangible examples and clear points that they're trying to make. Or, you may want to stay silent and just let them talk. That's why I call it an art.

Prompt Questions

You'll get varying advice on the best prompt questions, but here are my favourites:

How did it feel?

This question gives you a sense of how the person is walking away from the experience - what's the overarching feeling that they experienced during the activity?
"Good" is not a feeling. We need to tease out feelings here, like "energized" or "anxious."

What was the best part?

The power of positive thinking is a well-studied concept. This gives the person space to reflect on what went well, or at least reminds them that something good happened.

What would you change or do differently?

We want the volunteer to engage this question with both self-reflection ("what would I do differently?") and constructive suggestions ("What should have been done differently?").
Take notes. Make sure your volunteer's feedback gets recorded and acted upon. If you can't take notes during the debrief, jot down notes immediately afterward before you forget.

These three questions help keep it short and sweet, ensuring you get valuable feedback, the volunteer gets the opportunity to be heard, and the volunteer(s) share good news, reinforcing positive experiences and reminding themselves and each other of the fun, value, and impact that they're having.

Try to keep your volunteer debriefs to less than 10-15 minutes total, and each person's time to 1-3 minutes. This might take some moderating skills!

And the final piece that brings the whole volunteer debrief together: Follow up. A day or two later, email or text each volunteer, or if that's not feasible, send an email to the group. You want to reiterate what you heard and share the love & positivity. Most importantly, tell them how you'll act upon their advice and feedback - share your action items and plans for improvement.

Volunteer debriefs are magical.

You take a isolated event - a one-off volunteering activity - and connect it to a greater purpose. Volunteers get the chance to sympathize with you if things weren't perfectly executed. They get to gush, brag, and share stories. And they get to share their ideas in a constructive way, that you can act upon. You also clear the air - tease out any issues & address them - which frees you up to ask the all-important last question:

"When can you volunteer next?"

In summary:

Don't forget to debrief! Make time for it and value its importance.
Debriefing is a core component of learning as an organization and giving volunteers a great experience where they feel valued.
Keep it short & sweet and use prompt questions to promote positive thinking and constructive dialogue.
Follow up the next day and be transparent about what (if anything) you're going to act upon.

Alex McGowan is Purposely's Director of Community and Partnerships and an experienced volunteer coordinator.