“I love watching entrepreneurs achieve their goals and dreams and being able to share some wisdom and encouragement along the way.”

For the first time last year, we conducted a Volunteer Impact Survey. We’ve always gathered feedback from volunteers after programming, but we wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the overall volunteer experience at RMMFI. We also wanted to learn about the impact our volunteers have and, in turn, the impact volunteering has had on them.

From our survey, we learned that the main reasons our volunteers choose to give their time are to help entrepreneurs on their journey, give back to the community, and support the mission and work of RMMFI. Being able to share their unique skills is a top reason why volunteers choose to work with RMMFI specifically.

A large majority of volunteers have found their experience at RMMFI meaningful. Not only did 88% of volunteers feel that RMMFI opportunities were very aligned with their skills, but more than 60% felt they gained new skills and knowledge through volunteering — including coaching and mentorship skills, facilitation and communication skills, and knowledge of community challenges and barriers for entrepreneurs. Overall, 86% of volunteers were very satisfied with their volunteer experience.

We were excited to see that many of the connections made through RMMFI programs last well beyond graduation. Although we don’t require volunteers to continue working with entrepreneurs after programming ends, 46% continued connecting with their mentees after completing their official volunteer engagement.

In addition to sharing anecdotes about their favorite or most meaningful moments, volunteers also provided great suggestions for how we can enhance the volunteer experience at RMMFI. These ranged from improving our programming to fostering connections between volunteers, and we’ve already met as a team to start implementing some of these new ideas.

We’re incredibly grateful for our amazing community of volunteers, and we could not create the impact we do without them. Most volunteers who completed the Impact Survey said they would highly recommend volunteering at RMMFI to others. If you know someone looking to share their skills, give back to the community, and build lasting connections, please send them to our Volunteer page to learn how to get involved.