Volunteers play a major role in helping animal shelters keep their organizations running smoothly. They provide fresh feedback, offer a wide range of skills, and fill a gap in labor for short-staffed facilities. Recently, more people are participating in “episodic volunteering,” opting to volunteer at multiple organizations for shorter periods rather than committing to one location long-term. Episodic volunteering is especially hard on animal shelters who depend on volunteers who have completed training or have experience. To counter this trend and retain volunteers, animal shelters need to ensure helpers are satisfied in their role. 

This study aimed to determine the impact of volunteer input on their levels of satisfaction in an organization. Researchers surveyed volunteers at 15 animal shelters in Michigan. Additionally, a focus group was conducted to see how they perceived their volunteer input, or “voice,” at their organizations. The results of 651 respondents were analyzed to determine what factors increased volunteer satisfaction.

The survey found that personal motivation seemed to be more important than individual personality traits when it came to volunteer satisfaction. Volunteers with motivations such as helping animals or feeling better about themselves expressed higher happiness with both their “voice” in the shelter and their experience overall. 

Their specific role also played a part in their satisfaction. People who held a support role in their shelter ranked higher in satisfaction than those who did more hands-on animal care. The study suggests that support role volunteers may work closer with administrative staff who are open to input. They also have less exposure to euthanasia decisions. Volunteer satisfaction tended to be higher at limited-intake shelters where most animals were adopted. Interestingly, volunteers at high-intake shelters felt like they had less input in the organization but had more satisfaction overall. These volunteers may feel fulfilled by their motivation to make a difference in animals’ lives. 

By far, the best predictor of satisfaction for volunteers in the shelter was their perception of their voice in the organization. 97% agreed or strongly agreed that contribution to an organization was important to their satisfaction. The impact of a volunteer feeling like they could contribute to their shelter ranked higher in satisfaction than both personal traits of the individuals and the type of shelter. 

When asked how shelters could improve, volunteers had two primary recommendations: regular meetings with volunteers that allow for open discussions about the shelter and an anonymous suggestion box. Most importantly, volunteers wanted a culture at the organization that welcomes volunteer input in a respectful, valued way.

This study’s limitations include that it was limited to animal shelters in Michigan, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings. Because the surveys were only distributed to shelters that agreed to participate, there is also the possibility of sampling bias. Future studies in this area could benefit from exploring the perspectives of staff and management to gain a better understanding of the culture within the shelter and other variables that could affect volunteer satisfaction.

Overall, this study showed that animal shelters that allow volunteers to participate in decision-making for the organization have increased levels of satisfaction that may lead to retention. High-intake shelters that have higher euthanasia rates could especially benefit from increased volunteer satisfaction by letting them participate in decision-making. The authors suggest that shelters can improve volunteer voice with face-to-face conversations about the organization and provide the opportunity for suggestions.