Data is how we listen at scale. When used ethically, it helps us understand who our volunteers are, what support they need, and how our choices affect their experience. This page outlines minimum data sets for each lifecycle stage—profile, training, activity, recognition, feedback, safety, and exit/retention—so teams can focus on a few meaningful indicators rather than collecting everything and using nothing. It also points to secure systems and dashboards, including the IFRC’s Volunteer Data Management System (VDMS), which has been co-developed and implemented with National Societies. The aim is simple: collect only what you’ll use, protect it well, and act on what it shows.
Harnessing Technology for Humanitarian Efforts
Standards for safety, security & well-being of volunteers (what to monitor to keep people safe)
- Minimum viable data: Start with two or three indicators that drive decisions (e.g., training completion before deployment; retention by branch).
- Volunteer Profiles: Demographic information, skills, interests, and availability to support targeted recruitment, role matching, and inclusion strategies.
- Volunteer Activity Logs: Hours contributed, tasks performed, and event participation to measure engagement and impact.
- Training and Development Records: Completed courses, certifications, and skill assessments to guide learning pathways and role readiness.
- Feedback and Satisfaction: Regular feedback mechanisms and satisfaction surveys to understand volunteer needs, improve support, and enhance retention.
- Risk and Safety Data: Incident reports, background checks, and compliance tracking to ensure safe and accountable volunteering environments.
- Exit and Retention Data: Reasons for departure and retention rates to identify trends and areas for improvement in volunteer experience.
- System support: VDMS (powered by CiviCRM) streamlines registration, training/activities, comms and reporting across National Societies. Use secure, GDPR-compliant volunteer management systems like VDMS to store and manage data.
- Alignment: Align with IFRC’s Indicator Bank and global standards where possible.
- Safety & feedback: Track incidents and volunteer feedback with simple, repeatable questions; use trends to shape recognition, supervision, and refresher training.
- Reporting: Enable real-time dashboards and reports to inform program adjustments and communicate volunteer impact to stakeholders.
Publish a short “data dictionary” so everyone uses fields consistently, and let volunteers know why data is collected and how it benefits them. Review dashboards with branches monthly, celebrate improvements, and be honest about gaps. If a metric doesn’t drive a decision, drop it. Data should lighten the load and improve the experience, not become an end in itself.