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Scouts and UWA Research Project
Summary of Volunteer Survey 2018
Introduction to the research project
In 2016, UWA began a research project with Scouts to develop successful evidence-based
practices and strategies to improve volunteer recruitment, engagement, and retention. For the
development of these practices and strategies we started the annual volunteer engagement survey.
This summary describes the results of the third Scouts volunteer engagement survey. The purpose of
this summary is to 1) describe the results we found in this volunteer survey, 2) connect the findings
from this survey to the findings from the previous two surveys, and 3) provide an update on the
practices and strategies that are being developed based on the survey results. The summary of the
previous survey can be found on the research project website:
http://uwascoutsresearch.com/documentation/
Survey Participation
The 2018 volunteer engagement survey was distributed in seven Scouts branches (Scouts ACT,
NSW, SA, TAS, VIC, WA, and QLD) and was available from October to December 2018. In total, 2951
(15.52%) of the invited volunteers completed the entire survey. The participation rate in this survey
was slightly higher than the 2017 survey (13%), but lower than the 2016 survey (20%). Altogether,
the participation rate is quite good for a 30-minute survey that is repeated on a yearly basis.
The survey participants occupied all types of volunteer roles encountered in Scouting: 61.8%
were Leaders of Youth, 18.1% were Adult Helpers, 22.5% were Leaders of Adults, and 10.6% were
Committee members. It is interesting to note that 31.5% of the participating volunteers occupied
more than one role at the same time (hence the total of the percentages is greater than 100).
Finally, 1489 (50.5%) volunteers who completed this engagement survey had also completed at least
one of the previous surveys. This group allows an investigation of change over time by matching
responses from both surveys. Respondents spent an average of 7.5 hours per week volunteering
with Scouts.
A Cautionary Note. Similar to 2016 and 2017, we compared the demographics of the survey
participants to those of the average Scouts Leader in the participating branches. We found that the
survey participants were very similar to the average Leader of Youth in terms of gender (49.5%
female) and age (majority 35-54 years). However, on average, the survey participants reported that
they had been with Scouts for nearly 12 years whereas the average Leader tenure at Scouts is
approximately 7 years. This suggests that those who have been with Scouts for longer were more
likely to complete the survey. Therefore, we wish to note that the sample may not be entirely
representative of the typical Scouts leader.
Findings of the Volunteer Engagement Survey 2018
The volunteer engagement survey uses a number of questions to measure feelings and
behaviours that are likely to affect volunteers’ intention to stay in Scouts. Compared to last year’s
survey, the core of the survey remained the same. However, questions about volunteering work
characteristics were removed and questions about the reasons to volunteer were added. Figure 1
gives a schematic presentation of the scales that were used in the survey. This figure also describes
how the scales are expected to relate to each other.
On the average, volunteers perceived a good fit between themselves and Scouts. This means
that volunteers generally felt that their needs were being met by Scouts and that they were able to
meet the demands from Scouts. Moreover, Leaders of Youth felt that they fit slightly better with
Scouts than volunteers in different roles.
Volunteers whose psychological needs are satisfied feel competent, autonomous and related to
others during volunteering activities. The feeling of competence refers to the sense of being capable
of performing the volunteering work effectively. The feeling of autonomy refers to the sense of
being able to make decisions and having choice in how to undertake volunteering work. Finally, the
feeling of relatedness refers to the sense of feeling connected and having meaningful relationships
with others while volunteering. In general, the volunteers at Scouts felt that their need for
competence and relatedness were well satisfied. However, the need for autonomy was only
moderately satisfied. Need satisfaction is important to sustain motivation in volunteering and
therefore it seems prudent to consider ways in which the volunteers’ needs for autonomy can be
satisfied even more. For example, by giving volunteers more room for taking responsibility or by fully
explaining why some things need to be done in certain ways. Compared to volunteers in other roles,
Volunteer-
Scouts Fit
Psychological
Need
Satisfaction
Reasons to
Volunteer
Identity and
Retention
Volunteer
Motivation
Volunteer
Thriving
Figure 1
Leaders of Youth felt that their need for relatedness was slightly more satisfied. Psychological need
satisfaction was also clearly related to fit, such that those volunteers who perceived a better fit
between themselves and Scouts felt that all three needs were more satisfied than those who
perceived a worse fit.
Volunteers can draw motivation from various sources. The survey results indicated that Scouts
volunteers are typically highly motivated by a sense of responsibility and enjoyment. The volunteers
also indicated that they are not motivated by the expectations of others or a sense of guilt if they
would not volunteer. Compared to other volunteers, Leaders of Youth were slightly more motivated
by a sense of responsibility, enjoyment, or guilt, but equally unmotivated by the expectations of
others. Moreover, all three psychological needs were equally important in predicting the volunteers’
motivation. This indicates that all psychological needs should be satisfied to optimally motivate
Scouts volunteers.
The survey results indicated that Scout volunteers generally have high intentions to stay with
Scouts, and most expected to still volunteer for Scouts for the next two years. Still, about 14% of the
participating volunteers indicated that they want to leave Scouts, however, the majority of this
group felt that they could not leave (see Figure 2). In addition to having high intentions to stay, Scout
volunteers experienced a moderate degree of thriving (i.e. they felt energised by volunteering and
they were learning/growing). Finally, most volunteers identified with Scouts moderately. This means
that most volunteers felt like a typical Scouts volunteer and related to the successes and failures of
Scouts as if they were their own. Leaders of Youth were slightly more positive than other volunteers
about their intentions to stay, thriving, and identification with Scouts.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Leaders of Youth Other volunteers
Which of the following statements best describes your feelings about volunteering at Scouts?
I WANT TO STAY in this organisation and I CAN STAY if I want to
I WANT TO STAY in this organisation but I may HAVE TO LEAVE
I WANT TO LEAVE this organisation but I feel like I HAVE TO STAY
I WANT TO LEAVE this organisation and I CAN LEAVE if I want toFigure 2
The motivation of the volunteers was clearly related to intentions to stay, thriving and
identification. The motivation to volunteer out of enjoyment and purpose were most positively
related to all three outcomes (i.e., wanting to stay with Scouts, feelings of thriving, and identifying
with Scouts). Volunteering that was motivated by the expectations of others or a sense of guilt
showed a much smaller relationship with the outcomes. A complete lack of motivation was
negatively related to these outcomes, meaning that unmotivated volunteers identified less with
Scouts, felt less energised, and were keen to leave.
Once again, the results of this year’s volunteer engagement survey painted approximately the
same picture as the last two years’ surveys. Volunteers at Scouts generally feel that they fit well and
that their needs are satisfied. These feelings lead to the volunteers feeling motivated and ultimately
to thriving, wanting to stay and identifying with Scouts.
In this year’s survey, reasons for volunteering were measured for the first time. The most
important reason people volunteered with Scouts was to be able to contribute to the community.
Most of the top-rated reasons fell under the categories of altruism, learning (e.g., developing new
skills), and the content of the volunteer work (e.g., Being able to work with young people). Reasons
to do with career (e.g., Improving career prospects) and the person’s children (e.g., Allowing my
children to attend Scouts) were found to be of lesser importance. Out of 17 total reasons, the fifth
highest rated was “to ensure there are responsible adults around the children” (see Figure 3). Most
reasons to volunteer related to higher intentions to stay with Scouts, except for the reasons “doing
so allows my children to attend Scouting” and “no one else was stepping up to do it”, these reasons
predicted lower intentions to stay.
Figure 3
Perceptions of training
Recently joined volunteers also answered some questions about their training perceptions, to
gauge how Scout volunteers feel about the training they have received. We asked the participants
how they rated the training in general and the e-learning specifically. We compared the perceptions
of current newcomers to the average perceptions of volunteers in 2016. We found that volunteers
showed greater satisfaction with both overall training and the e-learning component compared to
2016 (see Figure 4).
Perceptions of the New Youth Program
The 2018 survey also asked volunteers 13 questions about their feelings towards the new
program and the youth program revision (YPR). The first question showed that about 65% of the
volunteers knew about of the new program (note that this information was collected in Oct-Dec
2018). The remaining questions focused on how much influence they thought they had on its
content (e.g. “Scouts has taken into account my opinions and ideas regarding the YPR”) and how
much they accepted the new program (e.g. “The YPR was needed and necessary”). Using the
responses of the 65% of the volunteers who were aware of the new program, we found that they did
not feel that they had much say in or influence over the new program (2.80 on a scale of 1-5) and
showed only a moderate acceptance of the new program (3.62 on a scale of 1-5). Leaders of Youth,
compared to other volunteers, felt that they had slightly less input in the new program and were
slightly less accepting of the new program. Finally, 14% of the volunteers indicated that they had a
very good understanding of the YPR (about 20% of the 65% who had knowledge of the YPR). These
volunteers were much more positive about the new program than the other volunteers who knew
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
2016 2018
Satisfaction with training
Overall Elearning Rated on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)Figure 4
about the new program. This indicates that more information about the new program is likely to
increase acceptance of the new program.
It needs to be noted that the Youth Program Revision included three years of member
consultation. A significant portion of the consulted members would have left at the time of this
report’s survey. Meaning that we could have underestimated how much influence the members
effectively had on the development of the new program. Additionally, it is incredibly difficult to give
people a feeling that they had say in large organisational changes. Keeping that in mind, the
perceptions of influence and acceptance could have easily been much worse. In our opinion, the
survey results indicate that, during the implementation of the new program, the branches need to
pay careful attention to the communication with their volunteers, to involve the volunteers and
clearly explain the benefits of the new program.
Transitioning from Adult Helper to a Leaders of Youth
At the end of the survey, we asked the participants what their role in Scouts is. Volunteers who
said their current role was an Adult Helper or Committee Member were asked if they had ever
considered becoming a Leader of Youth and the reasons why they had either not yet done so or
decided not to. The responses showed that the time commitment required to be a Leader of Youth
was by far the greatest barrier. Around 55% of volunteers reported that they were too time poor or
could not commit the necessary time to the role.
Of those who had thought about becoming Leaders of Youth, 10% felt that they lacked the
necessary skills or qualifications or that they did not have the right personality for the role. A further
10% said they had already been Leaders of Youth in the past and were now enjoying other roles.
Group politics and interpersonal conflicts with other group leaders were a barrier for 8% of those
who considered becoming Leaders of Youth. Finally, 7% mentioned training accessibility or training
requirements as a barrier.
Adult Helpers and Committee members who had not considered becoming Leaders of Youth
before mentioned various potential barriers: 14% simply found the nature of the role (e.g. camping,
hiking, working directly with youth) unappealing; 10% felt that they lacked the necessary skills or
qualifications or that they did not have the right personality for the role; and 10% cited age or poor
health as a barrier. Other reasons that volunteers cited for not becoming Leaders of Youth included
feeling that there were already enough people in the role, wanting their child to have independence
from them, having a partner or spouse who was already a Leader of Youth, being new to Scouts or
not knowing enough about the role, feeling like they could contribute more in a different role, and
religious differences (being unwilling to promote a religion to which they did not personally
subscribe).
Altogether, there is a multitude of reasons for not transitioning from an Adult
Helper/committee member role to a Leader of Youth role. The main reason, ‘a lack of time’, is hard
to address. However, other reasons can be addressed, such as self-doubt, training, or interpersonal
conflict. Any initiative that would aim to convert Adult Helpers to a Leader of Youth role would have
to address various aspects that are potential barriers.
Combining the Findings from 2016 to 2018
As mentioned in the introduction, 1489 volunteers who completed the 2018 engagement
survey had also completed at least one of the earlier engagement surveys. Of these, 590 volunteers
had completed all three surveys. The opinions expressed by these volunteers are especially valuable,
because they allowed us to investigate changes in engagement from 2016 to 2018.
Changes in volunteer engagement from 2016 to 2018
Figure 1 shows a schematic presentation of how the different aspects of volunteer engagement
relate to each other. In addition to testing this model of volunteer engagement with the survey data
from one year we were able to test it with differences from one year to the next year. From a
research perspective, this is a much better test of the quality of a model than to look at the data
from just one year.
In the previous report, we found that if volunteers experienced more fit in 2017 than in 2016,
this improved their psychological needs satisfaction, which was related to higher levels of good
motivation (motivating because of purpose and enjoyment). This was in turn related to greater
levels of thriving, identification with Scouts, and intentions to stay with Scouts. This year, we
evaluated the data from 2016, 2017, and 2018 together and found that the model remained
accurate over the three-year period. Those who perceived their psychological needs to be more
satisfied in 2016 had higher levels of good motivation in 2017, which was associated with greater
thriving, identification with Scouts, and intentions to stay in 2018. This provides further evidence
that supporting volunteer needs satisfaction has positive consequences for volunteer engagement
and retention.
Explaining volunteer turnover with the results from the 2016 and 2017 surveys
Capturing data over a three-year period enabled us to look at trends not only in turnover
intentions, but also in actual turnover. Of those volunteers who completed the 2016 survey, 21.8%
(725) were no longer volunteering with Scouts in 2018. An examination of the results from the 2016
survey revealed that intentions to stay with Scouts in 2016 were related to actually staying with
Scouts through to 2018. Additionally, those whose needs for relatedness and autonomy were more
satisfied in 2016 were more likely to still be volunteering with Scouts in 2018. Moreover, need
satisfaction in 2017 was predictive of actual turnover in 2018. In short, the measures included in the
volunteer survey seem to predict if volunteers will really leave Scouts. This conclusion is especially
important for this research project, because the ultimate goal is to improve volunteer engagement
and retention by influencing volunteers’ feelings of fit, need satisfaction and motivation. We are
aiming to improve these sentiments in three different ways: 1) Recruiting for fit, 2) Improving the
newcomer training experience, and 3) Enhancing knowledge sharing.
Three Interventions to Improve Volunteer Engagement and Retention
The main purpose of this summary is to describe the main findings from the volunteer
engagement surveys. This section builds on this summary by providing an update on the three
interventions that the research team is working on to improve volunteer engagement and retention;
the ultimate goal of this research project. The overall aim of these three interventions is to improve
either fit or need satisfaction of volunteers at Scouts which should ultimately lead to improvements
in the engagement and retention of volunteers.
Improving recruitment
In February 2017, Scouts Victoria, with the assistance of the UWA-Scouts research group,
launched a targeted recruitment campaign (called LeaderBuild) to accurately and attractively
promote the role of a Scouts Leader. This campaign aims to attract volunteers who will fit well
in Scouts and, as such, should improve future Leaders’ intentions to stay with Scouts. For this
recruitment campaign, Scouts Victoria and the research team revised the recruitment materials
that were available to Scouts Leaders and built a training to help Scouts Leaders with
recruiting people who should fit well in Scouts. Preliminary statistics show that LeaderBuild is
effective in attracting more volunteers. Given the preliminary positive results, other branches are
now also starting to implement LeaderBuild for recruitment purposes. Future tests will determine if
the campaign indeed attracts people with the desired profile. In the third quarter of 2019 we will
evaluate if the recruitment campaign indeed attracts desirable new volunteers.
Improving training
The national Scouts training team, assisted by the UWA-Scouts research group, is working on
improving the online training experience. Based on the results from the 2016 survey, the UWA-
Scouts research group compiled a set of recommendations to improve the online training for
Leaders of Youth. After meeting with representatives of the national training team it was decided
that the main focus would be on 1) developing a clear roadmap for the online training, 2) collect
information of user experience via an online training evaluation, and 3) potentially starting an online
forum on which the trainees can discuss their experiences and learning. Together with the national
training team the roadmap video and the training evaluation were developed in 2018. These
initiatives will be implemented on the online training platform in the first quarter of 2019. The online
forum was unfortunately not implemented.
Introducing knowledge sharing groups
Finally, the research team is investigating the benefits of Communities of Practice for Scouts.
Communities of Practice are groups of people who share a passion for something that they know
how to do, and who interact regularly to learn how to do it better. The primary aim of a CoP is
to allow Leaders to develop best practices on a topic they find important together with a group of
likeminded Scout volunteers. As a side product, these groups could also improve volunteers’ need
satisfaction and motivation.
This part of the research focuses on understanding the conditions under which CoP-like
initiatives in Scouting are successful, to provide Scouts with advice on how to foster these initiatives
and their positive effects. In the 2017 engagement survey, we asked volunteers if they are part of a
group that resembles a CoP – outside of their regular Scouts Group – and if/why that group is
effective. In the 2018 survey, we asked volunteers if they were part of such a group in Scouting. Of
those who had indicated they were part of a Community of Practice in 2017, 88.6% responded that
they were still part of this group. Most of these groups (39%) met once per month. Overall,
volunteers felt that these groups were effective in sharing knowledge, that the group’s members
share the same goals and interests, that members were freely able to decide on topics, and that
people were free to join and leave the group. Those who had left their groups since 2017 cited
reasons such as changing roles or locations, a lack of time, interpersonal issues within the group, the
group disbanding, and their children no longer being in Scouts. Those who were still in their groups
were asked if they ever thought about leaving their groups and, if so, why? The main reason
someone would leave their Community of Practice group would be due to interpersonal issues,
closely followed by time commitments. Lack of support, health problems, and wanting the younger
generation to take over were also cited as reasons for thinking about leaving in future.