The Volunteer Experience No One Designed
Most NGOs operate under constant pressure as they navigate grant cycles, bureaucratic hurdles, and volunteer turnover. They rarely have the resources, time, or space to design systems that work smoothly and sustainably. Instead, they find themselves working in reactive mode, firefighting issues rather than developing long-term solutions.
But what if funding and policy weren’t the only factors determining whether an NGO survives or thrives? What if the way NGOs design their services and internal structures had equally significant impacts?
When I worked for one of the Polish Science Communication NGOs, we had an ambitious mission: to share science, teach critical thinking, and equip scientists with skills to engage with the public. We were successful in many ways: we built a strong presence, had a successful public-speaking training program, and a growing budget. We expanded our network significantly and increased engagement with media outlets. However, beneath this glossy surface, we were experiencing the following problems:
- A small, overburdened core of volunteers carried out most of the work.
- A large number of recruits slowly disengaged because they didn’t know where or how to contribute.
We had assumed that passionate people would find their own way and that, if we recruited the right people, they would figure out how to integrate into our workforce, but they didn’t. This wasn’t a recruitment problem, it was a design problem.
Mapping the Volunteer Journey: Where We Were Losing People
We needed to understand our organization better before we could fix it. So we did what any service designer would do for an external audience of users: we mapped the volunteer journey. We began by identifying two key personas, as follows:
- New Science Communicator with Potential—This persona represented a PhD student who was bursting with ideas but lacked structure and confidence.
- Work Titan—This persona describes an accomplished scientist who was juggling multiple high-impact projects and was too busy to mentor newcomers.
Both personas represented crucial members of this NGO ’s ecosystem, but they rarely interacted in meaningful ways. The Work Titans needed people with fresh voices to whom they could pass the torch. The New Science Communicators needed guidance, structure, and direction, so they had difficulty collaborating in ways that were in sync with their broader goals.
Next, we looked at the volunteer journey—from application to active participation—to see where volunteer engagement had dropped off, as follows:
- Application & Vetting—This was a high point. Our rigorous selection process made people feel validated when they joined us. They were excited, hopeful, and eager to contribute.
- Post-Joining Experience—After acceptance, there was no clear path forward. New members weren’t sure where to start, how to get involved, or who to talk to.
- First Organizational Meetings—The annual NGO meeting should have been a moment of connection and shared purpose. Instead, experienced members often dominated vague, inaccessible discussions.