Volunteer Management Team Survey 2015
You are receiving this survey because you volunteer on behalf of UNH Cooperative Extension (Extension) and its affiliated partners*. We need
your help understanding the impact of our volunteer programs in our communities and upon our (wonderful!) volunteers. Your feedback helps
us secure funding, convey the value of our work in New Hampshire communities and beyond, and helps us tell a better story about our
volunteers. In addition, the information you provide will be used as part of research led by UNH Cooperative Extension to understand the
impacts of our volunteer programs. The specific goals are to:
1.
2.
3.
Evaluate the impact of Extension volunteer programs on NH communities
Evaluate the impact of Extension volunteer programs on Extension volunteers
Understand what motivates volunteers to participate in Extension programs
The results of this survey will be used in presentations, Extension media and communications materials, grant reports, and/or a research paper
on the impact of Extension volunteers.
Based on last year’s survey, the survey should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You don’t have to complete the survey, and you can
stop at any time after you have started.
All surveys completed by October 1, 2015 will have the option of entering a drawing to receive one of two iPad minis! The winners will be
drawn by October 9th.
We anticipate that as many as 1000 people will participate in this study this year. All participants must be at least 18 years of age. The research
team anticipates minimal potential risks from participating in this research. Although you are not anticipated to receive any direct benefits from
participating in this study, the benefits of the knowledge gained will help us to understand the impacts of Extension’s volunteer programs. The
research team seeks to maintain the confidentiality of all data and records associated with your participation in this research. There are,
however, rare instances when the research team may be required to share personally-identifiable information (e.g., according to policy,
contract, regulation). For example, in response to a complaint about the research, officials at the University of New Hampshire, designees of the
sponsor(s), and/or regulatory and oversight government agencies may access research data.
Further, any communication via the Internet poses minimal risk of a breach of confidentiality. There may be instances where context requires
general identifiers or aggregate (e.g., “a Coverts Cooperator said…” or “volunteers who participate in multiple volunteer programs said…”).
Extension’s Volunteer Management Team as well as additional Extension staff will have access to the results of this survey. All data will be
reported in aggregate with the exception of one question about a peak experience for which we ask your individual permission to share with
others.
If you have any questions about the survey, you may contact Malin Clyde, Specialist in Community Volunteer Development at 603.862.2166 or
at malin.clyde@unh.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact Dr. Julie Simpson in UNH Research
Integrity Services at 603-862-2003 or Julie.simpson@unh.edu to discuss them.
Thank you for your help and your contributions to UNH Cooperative Extension’s mission!
Sincerely,
UNH Cooperative Extension’s Volunteer Management Team:
Haley Andreozzi - NH Coverts Project and Speaking for Wildlife
Deb Cheever - 4H Volunteer Programs
Malin Clyde - Stewardship Network: New England
Bob Craycraft - NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program
Mary Tebo Davis - Natural Resources Stewards & NH Big Trees
Jeremy Delisle - UNH Master Gardeners - Education Center
Pam Doherty - UNH Master Gardeners - Education Center
Alyson Eberhardt - Coastal Research Volunteers
Marcy Stanton - UNH Master Gardeners
Dari Ward - UNH Marine Docents
*Partners include NH Sea Grant, NH Division of Forests and Lands, NH Fish and Game Department, Great Bay Community College, NH County Conservation Districts, USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service, USDA Forest Service, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
1. First Name:
2. Last Name:
3. County of Residence
 Belknap
 Carroll
 Cheshire
 Coos
 Grafton
 Hillsborough
 Merrimack
 Rockingham
 Strafford
 Sullivan
 Maine
 Massachusetts
 Other state
4. Are you an alumnus, alumna or parent of the University of New Hampshire?
 No
 Yes
If yes, what year did you or your son/daughter graduate?
5. E-mail Address:
6. Do you have a NEW mailing address or phone number? If so, please enter it here:
7. Please choose the UNH Cooperative Extension volunteer program with which you are affiliated. If you are a member of more than
one program, please select all the programs you volunteer for. After a couple of questions about your overall volunteer efforts for
UNH Cooperative Extension, you will have the opportunity to answer program-specific questions for each volunteer program in
which you participate. Thank you.
 4-H Volunteer
 Coastal Research Volunteers
 Marine Docents
 Master Gardeners
 Natural Resources Stewards
 NH Big Tree Program
 NH Coverts Project
 NH Lakes Lay Monitoring
 Speaking for Wildlife
 Advisory Council
8. Thinking about your volunteer efforts for UNH Cooperative Extension this year, please rate the degree to which to which you
achieved the following:
As an Extension volunteer, have you:
Definitely
Quite a bit
A little
Not at all
Learned new knowledge or skill gained knowledge through
training, class, workshop,
publication




Improved, applied, or shared
knowledge or a skill – e.g., staffed
an exhibit or display, talked to a
neighbor or passerby, gave a
presentation, collected data or
samples




Made an impact in the community
– improved social, economic, or
environmental conditions e.g.,
joined a public board or
commission, initiated a workshop
or speaker, restored a habitat,
organized a community group or
event




Advocated for UNH Cooperative
Extension programs - told others
about your experiences, wrote a
letter to the editor, contacted a
decision maker




9. In general, why do you volunteer for UNH Cooperative Extension? (check all that apply)






Because I learn a lot. Because I enjoy participating.
Because I feel proud of myself for doing it.
Because I think it is important to engage in these activities.
Because I believe that doing these activities will help me in some way.
For the recognition or response I'll get from others.
Because these activities are a contribution to my community.
10. Please reflect on your experience as an Extension volunteer in the last 12 months. Can you describe a peak experience or high
point? How do you feel your work made difference in a community, or what have your learned from your experience as a volunteer?
Tell us a story.
Do we have permission to use this story in Extension media outreach?
 Yes
 No
NH Coverts Project
1. What is your current status as a Coverts Cooperator?
 Active: I have actively promoted forest or wildlife conservation sometime in the last 12 months.
 Deferred: I have not actively promoted forest or wildlife conservation in the past 12 months, but I am still interested in the
Coverts Project and would like to continue to be included in the program and mailings.
 No longer interested: Please remove my name from the mailing list (checking this box will take you to the end of the survey.)
Land Ownership & Management
2. Do you own or help manage land in New Hampshire? This includes land you own, family land, or land trust land and community
lands if you are involved in decision-making or stewardship of these properties.
 Yes
 No
3. If you OWN land in New Hampshire, approximately how many acres of land do you own?
4. If you are involved with management decisions on land you do NOT own (e.g. town land, land trust land, etc.), approximately how
many acres do you help manage?
5. Have you initiated any habitat management on land you own or manage in the last 12 months?
 Yes
 No
Stewardship & Habitat Management Activities
6. Please estimate in the number of acres (if any) of habitat management practices that you initiated on your land (or lands you help
manage) in the last 12 months.
Acres
# of acres managed as grassland or old field habitats
# of acres harvested to create early successional habitat
# of acres harvested to regenerate or enhance softwood
(evergreen) habitats
# of acres harvested to maintain or enhance northern
hardwoods or oak/pine habitats
# of acres managed to enhance habitat around wetlands
# of acres of timber stand improvement
# of acres inventoried for timber, wildlife, vernal pools, or
other natural resources
7. If you released any apple trees or fruiting shrubs or trees this year, please estimate the number of trees/shrubs released.
8. Please describe any other land management activities on your land (or land you help manage), initiated in the last 12 months.
Examples might include updating a management plan, planting trees, improving roads, etc.
Your Volunteer Efforts
9. From the list below, consider your natural resource-related volunteer activities in the past 12 months and ESTIMATE THE HOURS
spent in each activity. If all or some of your activities are related to your job, please note in the comment box in the question below
Hours
Talking with other landowners or neighbors about
stewardship or conservation
Leading or hosting natural resource tours in the field
Distributing written resource materials to others
(neighbors, community members, etc.)
Writing and providing information to media about
natural resources or conservation
Giving presentations to adult groups (such as "Speaking
for Wildlife" talks)
Staffing natural resource exhibits or working at events
Attending forestry or wildlife conferences, workshops
or seminars
Time spent helping manage town forest or other
conservation land (e.g. town forest, land trust land,
neighbors)
Time spent working to conserve my own land
Time spent working to conserve land of another
landowners/town/land trust
Serving on a conservation commission
Serving on a select board, planning board or town
council
Serving on open space group, land trust board or
conservation group board
Serving on a watershed assoc., river coalition or other
water resources group
Helping a community with a master plan or natural
resource inventory
Volunteered for a wildlife monitoring program (e.g.
RAARP, Audubon bird surveys, Bio-thons)
10. Any other natural resource volunteer projects not included above? If yes, please estimate hours spent. Also include a note if
some or all of the hours recorded in previous question are part of your job.
11. Have you helped your town or local conservation group to protect land this year? If YES, how many acres of land was protected?
12. Over the past 12 months, how many friends, neighbors, or members of the public did you reach through your stewardshiprelated outreach activities? Please provide your best estimate.
13. Are you affiliated with any of these programs? (Check all that apply)
 Member of a Conservation Commission
 Member of a Planning Board
 Member of other Legislative Body (Selectboard, State House or Senate, etc.)
 Tree Farm Program
 Land Trust Volunteer or Board Member
14. Other affiliations or memberships related to natural resources conservation?
About the NH Coverts Project
15. Which aspects of the Coverts Project do you value most?
Very valuable
Medium value
Not very valuable
Email Updates from
Coverts Office



Coverts "Gatherings"
(walks on other
Cooperators' lands)



Learning about new
volunteer opportunities



Learning about new
workshop or continuing
education programs



Connecting me to the
Coverts Project or UNH
Cooperative Extension
websites



Learning about what
other Coverts Cooperators
are doing (through
"Volunteers Working for
Wildlife" blog, emails,
Facebook, at workshops,
or other means)



Having Extension staff
available to answer
questions



The experience of the
Coverts Project Workshop



16. Any other comments what aspects of the Coverts Project are most important to you? What can we do better?
17. Do you have any suggestions for continuing education or training you would like? What topics would like to gain a deeper
knowledge in?
18. How do you most like to be recognized for your volunteer work? e.g. annual potluck/dinner, certificates, award ceremony,
stories about your work in the media or newsletters, earned benefits (hats, pins, etc.)
19. Anything else you'd like to share with us?
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, and for all you do as a volunteer on behalf of New Hampshire's wildlife and
forests!
Speaking for Wildlife
1. What is your current status as a Speaking for Wildlife/Field Trip 101 volunteer?
 Active: I have delivered at least one presentation or have led at least one field walk in the past 12 months.
 Deferred: I have not delivered a presentation or led a field walk in the last 12 months, but I am still interested in the Speaking
for Wildlife program and would like to continue to be included in the program and mailings.
 No longer interested: Please remove my name from the mailing list (checking this box will take you to the end of the Speaking
for Wildlife section.)
2. If you have not participated with the Speaking for Wildlife program, or did not participate as much as you would have liked, what
were the barriers to your participation?
3. Which aspects of the Speaking for Wildlife program do you value most?
Very valuable
Medium value
Not very valuable
The materials and tips
provided at the Speaking
for Wildlife training



Speaking for Wildlife/Field
Trip 101 e-mail updates



Learning about requests
from groups for volunteer
presenters/trip leaders



Access to Speaking for
Wildlife presentations and
scripts



Access to presentation
and field walk materials
and supplies in the county
kit



Connection to UNHCE
County Foresters and staff
as a resource for
information and guidance
in planning field walks and
presentations



Coverage under University
of New Hampshire’s
liability insurance (when
acting in an official
volunteer capacity)



4. As a Speaking for Wildlife volunteer this past year, please rate the degree to which you have achieved the following:
Very valuable
Medium value
Not very valuable
Provided people with
valuable information on
New Hampshire’s wildlife,
forests, natural
communities, etc.



Helped a community
group, library, town
board, teacher, or local
group enhance their
programming to include
information on New
Hampshire wildlife



Inspired others to take
actions that benefit New
Hampshire’s wildlife



Made a positive
difference for wildlife in
New Hampshire



5.Are there things that you would want to improve about the Speaking for Wildlife program? If so, what are they?
6. We greatly appreciate all that you do in the Speaking for Wildlife program. In what way would you like to be recognized? (e.g.,
news article, annual celebration, a special outing, awards, a thank you note, merchandise, etc.)
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, and for all you do as a volunteer in the Speaking for Wildlife program. In
addition to this annual survey, remember to fill out the Presenter's Self-evaluation for each talk or field walk that you lead. All of
your input helps improve and grow Speaking for Wildlife!
- Haley Andreozzi, Coordinator, NH Coverts Project & Speaking for Wildlife