Volunteer Voice

Thank you to everyone who took part in the 2024 Volunteer Voice survey.

Below we have highlighted some themes from the survey feedback.

This is excellent. These high scores tell us that volunteers are generally feeling positive about their experiences with Sue Ryder, which is great to see.

• Respect and support – This year’s scores improved in the statements about feeling safe, respected and supported. One statement that scored highly and improved on last year was ‘I feel respected and supported by my manager or key contact’.
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) – Statements about ED&I scored highly in Retail, meaning lots of our volunteers think we are doing well in this area. Scores for the statement ‘People of all cultures and backgrounds are respected and valued at Sue Ryder’ improved from last year.
• Recommendations – The statement ‘I would recommend Sue Ryder to other volunteers’ scored very highly. We’re pleased to see that lots of our Retail volunteers would be happy to recommend Sue Ryder as a place to volunteer, as this shows the positive experiences they are having overall.

• Wellbeing – Statements about wellbeing scored highly in Healthcare and Fundraising. The statement ‘I feel that Sue Ryder wellbeing opportunities are available to me as a volunteer’ saw a large increase in its score. This means that more volunteers are aware of the wellbeing resources we offer.
• Line management – The results show that lots of volunteers feel positive about their managers. One of the statements that had high scores and a strong improvement from last year was ‘My manager or key contact makes it clear what is expected of me in my role’.
• Connecting – The statement ‘There are opportunities to connect and/or collaborate with other volunteers and the wider Sue Ryder community’ scored lower than average last year, and this is something we have focused on improving. We’re pleased that this is one of the areas where there was a big improvement in scores this year.

While all statements had high scores, there are some areas which score more poorly than others. Some of the areas we can look to make improvements are:

• ED&I – The number of volunteers choosing ‘prefer not to say’ in response to the ED&I questions was higher than we would like. The results also highlighted a trend of volunteers with disabilities who had not asked for reasonable adjustments. This suggests that volunteers may not feel confident sharing information with us. We have work to do here to build trust as well as understanding of reasonable adjustments and how they can improve volunteering experiences.
• Keeping our volunteers informed – The statement ‘I feel I am well informed about what is happening across Sue Ryder’ scored lower than average this year. While the score was higher than last year, there may still be more we can do.
• Encouragement to learn and try new things – Statements such as ‘People are encouraged to try new approaches and learn from their efforts, mistakes and successes’ and ‘I am encouraged and given opportunities to enhance my skills’ both scored lower than average. This tells us that there is more we can do to support volunteer development.

Based on your feedback, we’ve made improvements to the volunteer experience.

You said – We need to keep you more informed about what’s happening across Sue Ryder.

We did – We’ve introduced a new video update, which will feature in our newsletter every three months. Staff from across our teams share important updates about the charity and our work. We also hosted a Town Hall meeting for volunteers with our new Chief Executive, James Sanderson, which we’ll be doing again in the summer.

You said – You wanted more support with your wellbeing.

We did – We’ve allocated a dedicated team of Mental Health First Aiders just for our volunteers. We’ve added lots of new information about how to stay healthy and happy on our Volunteer Hub. We’ve also invited volunteers to attend a range of online wellbeing sessions. This February, we’ll be trialling a new Inclusion Passport for volunteers to help volunteers have an open conversation about their support needs.

You said – You wanted more opportunities and encouragement to try and learn new things.

We did – We’ve introduced new Bereavement Awareness training and Disability Allies training to all our volunteers. We hosted an employment support month, offering volunteers opportunities to develop their skills and move closer to their dream job! We’ve also written new case studies that showcase our volunteers introducing new initiatives in their roles and we’re sharing these in our newsletter.