Volunteer Updates
What's NEW in volunteerism this month!
NEW! Adopt-A-Park:
Spring is almost here and so is Adopt-A-Park! Learn more about this year's event here and claim your volunteer spot to get outside and give back for Earth Day!
NEW! Annual Volunteer Survey Results:
- We received 205 responses for our annual volunteer survey. Here's what we learned:
- 183 volunteered with us in 2023.
- 22 did NOT volunteer with us in 2023.
- Reasons for not volunteering were: not enough time, scheduling conflicts, work, health issues for self, health issues for family.
- 154/205 said that our email communication frequency was "Just right." 24 said "A bit too frequent."
- The most valued email notifications are the "Today's Volunteer Shift: It's Almost Time to Check In" and the Volunteer Opportunity Response confirmation emails.
- Thank you is still the highest valued form of appreciation (76.7% verbal and 31.8% written) Other valued forms of appreciation included Volunteer Apparel/Gear (57%), Training Opportunities (49.2%), Volunteer Programs or Appreciation Events (40%) and a Volunteer Discount Program (37.9%). The least valued were potlucks, picnics, and formal recognition dinners.
- Half of respondents had volunteered with us at a special event in 2023 with most volunteering at Adopt-A-Park and The Wagner Subaru Outdoor Experience.
- The most common responses to the question "What is the most positive/ rewarding aspect of your experience in your volunteer position?" were:
"Helping out with a good organization, exposing people to information for being better world citizens", "Making a difference", "There is not a specific opportunity. The reward is knowing that I filled a spot that would have been left vacant had I not helped out. This was true of bat monitoring and the Subaru event", "Connecting with people who share the same passions as I do", "Learning something new", "I take pride in seeing what we accomplish together each week. I love giving back to our local landmark in our community. It's a joy working with likeminded people", "Being the eyes and ears", "Gardening", "Working with the horses", "Interacting with visitors, youth and families at programs", "Sharing knowledge", "Working alongside MetroParks staff", "I feel that I am contributing in a small way with the Five Rivers mission, conservation and nature!"
- The majority of respondents (162) felt that they made a difference volunteering for MetroParks in 2023.
- Respondents gave Five Rivers MetroParks 4.62 out of 5 stars for quality of volunteer experience.
NEW! Get Connected Site Updates:
- Registration Updates
We're collecting more information up front at account registration for new volunteers including many data fields needed for the Volunteer Profile and Emergency Contact qualifications. This means we may be able to reduce or eliminate these qualifications moving forward, but in the meantime, you'll now find your Emergency Contact information in your volunteer profile by clicking "Edit Profile" in your account menu.
- Individual Hours
Beginning in April, all volunteer hours submitted will need to be connected to a volunteer opportunity. When you check in to service, this automatically happens, but for those adding hours, they will need to select the opportunity they have responded to in order to apply the hours to that opportunity and submit. This is an easy drop down on the "Add Hours" and "Track Hours" pages. This will help us better track volunteer service across the agency.
- VIP Item Request Form
We have created a VIP Item Request Form to make collecting your earn Volunteer Incentive Program items like tshirts, hats, and pins even easier! We've added a link to the form in the main Get Connected navigation menu and in the image rotator. Learn more about this form and our VIP, Volunteer Incentive Program in this month's Volunteer Appreciation piece.
Volunteer Impact Report:
Have you read this year's report yet? 2023 was truly an incredible year for volunteer engagement and we've done our best to capture it in the data, stories, and photos in this year's Volunteer Impact Report. Volunteer Services has created a report to help share the impact volunteers like YOU make in support of our parks, programs, and events every year.
View this year's report online here. Interact by hovering over the bottom of the screen where you can select emojis for your favorite content, adjust the magnification of the view by clicking the magnifying glass, and, at the top right of the screen, you can click "Share" to share this report with your family and friends on social media or through your email! As you view the online version of this report, you'll be able to view even more data by hovering over the various graphs and click links to more volunteer opportunity information.
Thank you for volunteering!
Volunteer Services is available if you have questions or need assistance in signing up.
Contact us at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or #937-275-7275 (PARK).
Join us at an upcoming Volunteer Open House!
Your Volunteer Services Team
Yvonne Dunphe - Outdoor Connections Programming #(937) 277-4147
Allie Zimmerman - Parks & Conservation #(937) 274-3176
Janelle Leonard - Administration & Animal Care #(937) 277-5445
Amanda Wheatley - Ambassador & Special Events #(937) 277-4109
Jenny Hymans - Human Resources Manager of Volunteer Services #(937) 567-1413
