The Volunteer Program Assessment (VPA, pronounced vee-pah) is a cutting-edge and innovative volunteer assessment system. Thanks to generous funding and support from our partners, VPA services are completely free for scholarship recipients. The survey is designed to promote nonprofit organizational effectiveness using validated attitude and engagement items that highlight the perspective of volunteers. While the VPA is not a comprehensive assessment of your entire volunteer program, it captures the voices of a key stakeholder group within your organization – your volunteers.
Since VPA’s development by researchers at UNC Charlotte in 2009, we have continually worked to improve and expand our services. We are now supported by our fantastic partner, Maddie’s Fund, and our work would not be possible without them. We are contributing to the Maddie’s Fund mission to achieve a no-kill nation by promoting the effectiveness of volunteer programs within animal welfare organizations.
VPA is maintained by graduate students and faculty in the Organizational Science doctoral program at UNC Charlotte as well as our partner universities. While much of our consulting work is with animal shelters, we work with all kinds of nonprofit organizations including police, health & human services, and arts & sciences.
If you are interested in implementing the VPA at your volunteer organization, please submit an application by clicking the “Apply Now” tab. If you have questions before you apply, please email us at volprogram@charlotte.edu. Please note that we respond to each incoming inquiry as quickly as possible, but there may be some wait time as our consultants are consistently working with clients.
Curious how previous clients feel about their VPA experience? Here’s a peek at a testimonial from Sarah Fallin, Program Coordinator at Orange County Animal Services. Read more testimonials here!
“From the start, the Volunteer Program Assessment team from UNC Charlotte impressed me with their efficient, professional, manner – an approach that not only inspired confidence but generated the results I was looking for. I needed a volunteer program evaluation tool that would not take too much time away from my busy schedule but would also provide the right tool for the information I wanted…”