Evaluating Volunteer Programs with an Eye on Equity, Accessibility, and Effectiveness
A group of volunteers dig plant specimens from the banks of an estuary.
In this post, we’ll explore “The Next Era of Volunteerism” by Elizabeth Merritt, an article from TrendsWatch, an annual report produced by the American Alliance of Museums, and approach it from the lens of evaluation. While Merritt’s work focuses on museums specifically, the insights are relatable to anyone working with volunteers.
In the article, Merritt contends that volunteering in U.S. museums is at a pivotal time when hard decisions are being made about the future of the practice. Influences like artificial intelligence, conversations about paid and unpaid labor practices, shifting economic and demographic trends that influence who is able to spend time volunteering, and attention to equity and accessibility all press on the historic legacy of volunteering, perhaps forcing it to turn into something new.
Volunteering has a storied legacy in the U.S., particularly in nonprofit and museum spaces. Merritt (2025) notes how volunteering benefits institutions that perhaps cannot afford to hire paid staff as well as the many benefits for volunteers themselves, which include “improved mental and physical health, a sense of purpose, enhanced life satisfaction and self-esteem, and wider social connections” (p. 14).
Since the wide adoption of volunteer management in the museum field in the 1990s, volunteer programs have largely focused on the outputs of the role (e.g., envelopes stuffed, hours logged, tours given). More recently, organizations are questioning the “who, how, and why” of volunteerism, according to Merritt (p. 13). Here we might ask, “Who are our volunteers?” “How do they engage in our work?” and “Why do they choose to volunteer?
An important and complex issue with volunteering is the discussion of paid and unpaid labor. As noted by Merritt, “[...] roles that were once filled by volunteers have become increasingly professionalized" (p.13). Yet, many museums rely partially or fully on volunteer labor due to funding constraints. And treating volunteers simply as unpaid staff is a practice that has been normalized in museums, though efforts like the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 attempted to ensure that volunteers were not being used in place of paid staff.
Changing economic and social trends (e.g., the need for two-income households, longer working hours, and less community support for working parents) are making it harder for individuals to feel as though they have the time and resources to volunteer. When most people feel time-poor, committing to a regular volunteering schedule may be daunting or impossible to manage alongside all of one’s other responsibilities. For some, volunteering is a luxury they just cannot afford.
There has long been concern in the fields of nonprofits and museums about livable wages and pay equity. While sometimes relying on unpaid labor may be necessary due to funding constraints, a disproportionate reliance on volunteers to support daily operations results in fewer and more poorly paid permanent staff members. As noted by Merritt, “The US has long relied on volunteers to create a social safety net that in other countries is provided by the government” (p.15). Certainly the issue lies at the systems level here, where we - as a society - ought to commit to further support for nonprofit and museum work, respecting the professions within those institutions and paying them fairly for the work they do.
Says Merritt, “Both law and practice tend to obscure a critically important point: volunteerism is not simply a way to recruit unpaid labor. The relationship between volunteers and the organizations to which they give their time is complex and multifaceted. Successful, mutually beneficial volunteer programs are designed to support those connections” (p.17). To Merritt’s point, volunteerism is distinct from unpaid labor in that it provides an essential pathway of mutual investment between museums and their communities. Through volunteering, the general public is granted access to these institutions beyond the typical visitorship experience, and provides the institution with direct connections to community members whose perspectives can inform and enhance their work. There are also numerous benefits to volunteering for those who partake.
But how does one create successful, mutually beneficial volunteer programs? Merritt notes that museums are seeking to address this by reshaping their practices to better attune to issues of diversity and accessibility. The same principles can be applied to evaluation practices. To start, you might define what a successful volunteer program would look like. What would it need to accomplish to be successful? What would a successful structure look like? What about a successful volunteer pool? You might also consider what mutually beneficial would mean. Perhaps here you incorporate perspectives from your volunteers (and potential future volunteers) to help define what they hope to get from the experience. Then, consider what your organization hopes to gain. How can both be achieved? Is that your new view of success?
Merritt provides several recommendations for how museums might address the issues raised in this article (p.15). I’ll introduce them, then consider each through the lens of evaluation.
“Create a culture that mindfully values the contributions of volunteers and respects the experience and knowledge they bring to their work.”
Evaluators might address this by considering new ways of collecting impact and engagement metrics on volunteers. Rather than relying on hours served or other simple outputs, could we view the contributions of volunteers as things that provide larger outcomes to our visitors?
“Value their volunteer program as a good in and of itself, for the benefits it provides to volunteers and the community, and not just for what it can do for the museum.”
The point Merritt raises here is interesting. Different parties are impacted by volunteer efforts beyond just the museum or institution itself. We know that volunteering provides huge benefits to the volunteers themselves, but we might also consider what impacts volunteering has on communities (for example, by seeing someone who looks like you serving as a docent, by encouraging your friends and neighbors to get involved with you as a volunteer, to provide learning and wellness opportunities locally in your community, etc.). Each of these framings could be measured, depending on what the organization chooses to value.
“Evaluate the current organizational culture for both staff and volunteers. Are there tensions arising from the power, status, and respect that goes with paid versus unpaid work, amateur versus professional standing, young versus old? How might those tensions be defused?”
Here, we might consider employing some lessons from DEI to measure accessibility and inclusion of volunteers in our institutions. Constructs like sense of belonging, equity, and power could all be measured to understand how different volunteers and staff members perceive their place in the organization and see their relationship to others.
“Embed the volunteer program, its goals and activities, into the strategic and operational plans.”
Institutions might choose to formalize and measure volunteer contributions according to larger goals. Rather than treating staff-led programs and volunteer-led programs as separate entities, consider how both can contribute to reaching larger goals. Then, design and plan how you’ll measure progress towards these goals across both program types.
“Include volunteers/volunteer representatives from the beginning in key processes that set the direction and tone of the museum, including visioning and planning. This may include creating leadership roles for volunteers to give them a formal “voice” in decision-making.”
There are two primary ways from an evaluation perspective to involve volunteers in this type of visioning and planning - (1) in strategic planning and other formative planning processes (e.g., setting up departmental plans, logic models, etc.), and (2) in evaluation planning. Merritt includes an example from the Oakland Museum of California that used a co-creation model during a museum reimaging process to engage volunteer leaders in setting the direction for volunteerism at the museum and ensuring equity in its practices. There are many ways volunteers could be included in participatory evaluation processes, ranging from deeper engagement in the evaluation design process to routine feedback sessions and meaning-making.
“Evaluate institutional needs and how they do or do not align with the current cadre of volunteers. If major realignments are needed, include current volunteers, and representatives of groups that may be future volunteers, in the process of planning for change.”
This is another opportunity for participatory methods and strategic planning tools. Here, you might bring together a diverse group of interested parties (e.g., volunteers, staff, board members, community members, visitors, potential future volunteers, students) to contribute to a SWOT analysis, listening session, focus group, or other methods. The idea of involving potential future volunteers is particularly interesting, especially if your organization is considering a shift in volunteer recruitment to, for example, better reflect your community or audience.
Through employing these kinds of participatory methods, you will capture a more diverse (and perhaps more accurate) reflection of your community’s needs and priorities. You’ll also shift existing power dynamics that typically lean on the traditional centers of power (e.g., institutional boards, CEOs, staff) to ensure that diverse voices are heard.
“Consider the needs and expectations of prospective and existing volunteers: what kinds of experiences would make them feel valued? What might the museum do to make volunteering accessible to people who cannot currently participate (e.g., evening hours, shorter time commitments, assistance with transportation)?”
Evaluation is a huge asset to answering these questions. You might design a focus group, survey, or other method to ask these questions. Identifying your sample for prospective volunteers will be particularly important.
Merritt centers her argument around three main topics: equity, accessibility, and effectiveness. Let’s consider some questions you might ask to help guide your evaluation and understand your museum volunteer program’s alignment with these values.
Who are our volunteers?
What keeps others from volunteering? What are the barriers to participation?
Do our volunteers feel a sense of connection with the organization?
Do they feel a sense of belonging in the institution and in the volunteer program?
Do our volunteers feel comfortable with their roles and responsibilities?
How do we know that we are making proper accommodations for people of differing abilities?
What other opportunities could we provide to engage more diverse volunteers?
Is our volunteer program successful? What does “successful” mean to us in this context?
Is our volunteer program mutually beneficial? What do volunteers get out of volunteering? Is this aligned with what they hope to gain? What does the museum get out of volunteers? Is this aligned with our needs?
How well are volunteers engaging visitors?
Do our volunteers reflect the community we wish to serve?
What impacts on the community is our volunteering program having?
These questions are a great starting point for those looking to evaluate their volunteer programs, though certainly not all-encompassing of potential questions that may be valuable to ask. You’ll also need to consider your values around volunteerism; and not just your organizational values, but the values of all who contribute to your volunteer efforts. By doing so, you’ll be on your way to ensuring that your volunteer program is equitable, accessible, and effective.
References:
Merritt, E. (2025). The Next Era of Volunteerism. TrendsWatch, 12-19. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://www.aam-us.org/programs/trendswatch/trendswatch-mapping-complexity/
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