A study exploring volunteer satisfaction within a formal religious institution

Volunteers are the backbone of many non-profit organizations, and the knowledge concerning their experiences and how to improve them is somewhat lacking. The National Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014) stated that U.S. volunteering is at one of its lowest rates, and volunteer retention is problematic, with 1 out of every 3 volunteers quitting after one year. Research is needed to address this problem. This study served as an independent service learning research project which examined church-volunteer satisfaction with their experiences. The participants for this study consisted of 46 volunteers from a formal religious institution in the Midwest. The volunteers’ duties consisting of devotional leader, set-up crew, and Sunday school teacher within a church environment. The volunteer organization was contacted through a Volunteer Program Assessment at the University of Omaha (VPA-UNO) analyst and sent an online survey consisting of qualitative and quantities questions. Based on survey results, three strengths, three growth areas, and three recommendations were provided to the client. The results showed that volunteers experienced high satisfaction with the nature of their work, their volunteer coordinator, and the recognition they were receiving from the volunteer organization. In contrast, volunteer concerns included dissatisfaction with communication and high levels of role ambiguity and burnout. Recommendations were provided based on industrial/ organizational and empirical literature concerning this population