Introducing the Queensland Voice of the Volunteer Survey Tool
A new way to understand and strengthen the volunteer experience coming in 2026
Volunteering Queensland, in partnership with My Community Directory, is proud to announce the Queensland Voice of the Volunteer Survey Tool — the first large-scale mechanism designed to measure and monitor the volunteer experience across the state is coming in 2026.
This free, practical tool will empower volunteer-involving organisations to better understand their volunteers, improve engagement, and strengthen the sustainability of their programs.
The Voice of the Volunteer Survey Tool will available on the Volunteering Involving Organisation (VIO) Register in early 2026.
The VIO Register is Queensland’s biggest volunteering network, developed to identify organisations across Queensland that involve or want to involve volunteers, and to help create a more connected volunteering ecosystem.
Why it matters
Volunteers are the backbone of Queensland communities — yet recent years have seen a decline in volunteering participation. Many organisations are struggling to attract and retain the volunteers they need.
The Queensland Voice of the Volunteer Survey has been created to help reverse this trend. By capturing honest, consistent feedback from volunteers, organisations can identify what’s working well and where improvements can be made — building stronger, more rewarding volunteer experiences that keep people engaged.
What questions are asked in the survey?
- Leaders visibly value and support volunteers
- I know who is responsible for supporting me in my volunteer role
- Volunteer policies and procedures are easy to understand
- I have the time, equipment and technology I need to do my role effectively
- Why did you choose to start volunteering?
- How has volunteering benefited you personally or professionally?
- How did you find out about the volunteering role with your organisation?
- Were you satisfied with the time it took from when you applied for your volunteering role to get started?
- What was unsatisfactory about the timeframe?
- I am satisfied with the overall quality of my onboarding experience
- Which aspects made your onboarding a postive experience?
- Which aspects would have improved the quality of your onboarding?
- My duties were clearly defined and explained when I started
- My volunteer role makes good use of my skills and abilities
- When you started your role, did you receive any training, and how useful was it?
- What would have made the training more useful?
- I receive help for my volunteer role when I need it
- I receive meaningful recognition when I do a good job
- What are some ways you would like to be recognised or appreciated for your contributions?
- I get useful feedback about how I am doing in my volunteer role
- I have the learning opportunities to progress if I want them
- I feel adequately informed about my volunteering role at my organisation generally
- I feel as if I belong at my organisation
- I know how to speak up if I have feedback or a complaint and feel supported to do so
- I’m satisfied with the amount of flexibility I have in my volunteering schedule
- Are there any other ways you’d like to be able to volunteer?
- I can see the positive impact of my volunteering on beneficiaries/the community and how it aligns with my organisation’s purpose
- Overall, to what extent does your volunteering experience at my organisation meet your expectations?
- I would recommend my organisation to my friends and family members
- What do you enjoy most about working as a volunteer at my organisation?
- What one thing would you improve to make my organisation a better place to volunteer?
- How long have you been volunteering in your current role with my organisation?
How it works
The survey tool is embedded within the Queensland Volunteer Involving Organisation Register — a free platform for organisations to connect, stay informed, and access tools that make volunteering stronger.
With just a few clicks, organisations can:
Data can be viewed at both the organisational and location level, providing meaningful insights to guide improvements and celebrate success.
Carefully curated insights, practical tools, and resources have been gathered by Volunteering Queensland and will be made accessible to organisations to quickly turn their survey results into action — kickstarting their journey to enhance and strengthen the volunteer experience.
How to implement it in your organisation (don’t worry, we’ve made it so easy!)
Our survey tool is designed to seamlessly fit into the way your organisation already gathers volunteer feedback. Whenever you normally check in with your volunteers, simply share your unique survey link at the same time — it’s yours to use whenever it suits your organisation’s workflows. You can integrate the survey into your existing feedback cycle or use it as a complete replacement for your current volunteer survey.
Don’t currently have a formal feedback process? No problem. We recommend running the survey at least once a year. If you’re aiming to strengthen your continuous improvement efforts, consider running it twice annually. Our suggested timings: February and July.
Below is an example of how the survey process may look within your organisation.
Engagement Approach tips:
Reinforce the survey deadline and its importance to them and the organisation
Establish a firm completion timeframe and drive urgency and enable future comparisons
Communicate through multiple channels to reach everyone effectively
Update the team on the outcomes and what you are going to do about the results
Distributing the survey
We have developed three different ways for you to distribute the survey:
- If you’re a big organisation with multiple locations and you want to send it out centrally, you can send an organisational link out to all of your volunteers. They will be prompted to select the location they volunteer from first so you can still segment the results down to a location level.
- Prefer to send it out location by location or just have one location? No worries, we have specific location links as well.
- Do your volunteers prefer to do things when they pop in and see you? We have developed posters with a QR code that you can print off to encourage people to scan and respond.
No matter which distribution method you use, the data will all be collected and collated the same way.
Resources and Templates
A statewide movement for better volunteering
Volunteering Queensland will also use anonymised data to build the first statewide and local government area (LGA) picture of the volunteer experience. These insights will inform future training, advocacy, and support for the sector — helping to reignite a culture of volunteering across Queensland.
The Queensland Voice of the Volunteer Survey is more than a measurement tool — it’s a collective step towards revitalising volunteering, ensuring volunteers feel valued, supported, and inspired to continue making a difference.
This survey tool was developed using evidence-based methodology and aligned with sector standards. For more information on the rigorous survey design process, view the image below or read the document here.
Have questions?
Join the VIO Register
Register your organisation today and start listening to your volunteers through the Queensland Volunteer Involving Organisation Register.