Survey says: 2012 a banner year for FMR volunteers

Overall, the responses to the 2012 Volunteer Survey were incredibly positive. First-time and long-time volunteers alike enjoyed their time outside at FMR events. Many volunteers deeply appreciated being in the company of like-minded people who want to make a difference together in their local environment, and it also meant a lot to volunteers to be able to see real changes in the natural landscape after working at a site.

Beyond the events, many volunteers applied what they learned in their own homes, gardens, schools, and community. Were proud to work with so many dedicated and generous people to protect the Mississippi River and its surrounding watershed, and to play a role in motivating citizens to embark on their own projects to positively impact the rivers health.

About the surveyRespondents included both new and veteran volunteers — 46.5% of respondents were first-year volunteers while 31.7% had volunteered four or more years.

The online survey was once again conducted with Survey Monkey and e-mail, and sent to individuals or group contacts representing the 1,200 participants of our 45 habitat restoration events in 2012, including litter pickups, invasive species removals, native seed collections and plantings.

The 2012 volunteer survey had a high response rate of 49%, even higher than the response rates of 36.5% in 2011 and 41% in 2010.

Motivations

Volunteers indicated several factors that affected their decision to attend an FMR event:

• 89.1% indicated working to protect parkland and natural resources as a primary motivator,
• 77.2% were motivated by a desire to be more active in their community,
• 62.4% sought to learn about native plants and invasive species,
• 42.6% looked forward to meeting other people with similar interests, and
• 38.6% wanted to learn more about the site where the event was held.

The rewards of volunteeringMany volunteers took the time to write a little extra and describe what was rewarding about their event participation. Volunteers mentioned that they enjoyed being outside at beautiful locations while still doing something useful, and noted the positive and uplifting feelings associated with acting as a steward and preserving the Mississippi River and its watershed for future generations.

In addition, volunteers were excited to see tangible, local and natural results from their hard work. Whether they saw plants they had helped put in the ground growing the next year or whether they saw how much buckthorn was removed at a single event, volunteers felt like their contributions mattered.

Volunteers also pointed to the well-structured organization of FMR events. There was time and space for meeting other people as well as for learning about ecological concepts and native plants in addition to having the time to accomplish the restoration tasks at hand.

Some noteworthy responses regarding the rewards from volunteering in 2012 include:

• You can see the immediate impact of the work, and come back later to see natural results.
• Soaking in some of the passion for environmental issues from the staff and other volunteers.
• … I work with High Behavioral Autistic Boys and to bring them out into the community and for them to be happy and building confidence is a joy in itself.
• I enjoyed the experience of pulling buckthorn, which I had never done before. It was also nice to get outside into a peaceful natural area as a little break from city life.
• It has been a wonderful blessing for our family. We have found a lot of joy in attending these events, by meeting new people, being outdoors, protecting the environment, learning a great deal, serving our community, exercising, and all this as a family.
• Good info, fellowship, and accomplishment.
• I love learning details about a site and learning more about the plants and the geology.
• I like seeing the differences year-to-year when I can get back to previous sites.
• Fun projects, beautiful destinations, very well coordinated outings, wonderful people, new experiences, getting outside, making a difference! This list could be endless.
• Being able to spend time in a pretty location while also accomplishing something useful.
• It is a reason to go out into nature and just be outside. It is also rewarding because it feels like you are taking care of the environment.
• Saving the earth, one step at a time!

Keeping up the momentum

In the survey, volunteers were also asked about post-event actions:

• 67% felt more connected to the Mississippi River after volunteering,
• 52% indicated that their experience volunteering increased their understanding of water quality issues in the Mississippi River watershed,
• 47% of the respondents then initiated conversations with other acquaintances about the Mississippi River, its watershed and the issues affecting both, and
• 69% of respondents told other people about FMR.

Some volunteers took the time to share more about their post-volunteering experiences:

• I am often energized by events and go home to do more projects.
• Told my child about the experience and now he always picks up trash when we are by the river!
• … We raked community area parks and some marked sewers with reminders not to leave leaves by them.
• I now have a very large garden filled with native plants. My daughter and I feel invested in the areas that we have helped protect, I am much more aware of how important habitat restoration is.
• I am also on a neighborhood environmental committee. This in combo with the Friends activity has led to much interaction with neighbors on their actions [sic].
• Better native species planning, seeing yard-scaping differently, picking up more litter in gutters, being mindful of yard waste and proper disposal [sic].

Hows FMR doing?

Several volunteers mentioned really enjoying learning about the history and ecology of the site prior to beginning work as well as expressing a general sense of being part of a larger effort (which delighted us, since we place great importance on the educational aspect of our volunteer events and strive to convey how volunteer contributions fit into the restoration of the site we're working at and the health of the river in general). Many volunteers also commented on how refreshingly well-organized FMR events are.

Most importantly, 93% of respondents felt that FMR and FMR staff value and recognize their contributions.

Several elaborated:

• More than any other organization I have ever volunteered for, FMR SHOWS their appreciation.
• The staff knows so many volunteers by name, and greets us with hugs and smiles. Your staff is AWESOME!!!
• Very friendly, open, supportive staff. Made me feel so welcome. Thanks!
• I love the staff at FMR. I love FMR's mission. The fact that you bother to send a survey says that you care what your volunteers think and that you care about the quality of work you do. You guys just get more and more awesome.

Volunteers also had helpful suggestions that we look forward to discussing and possibly implementing in 2013, such as facilitating more opportunities for social engagement with other FMR volunteers.

Join us in 2013

The FMR stewardship events team is hard at work planning a new season of opportunities to volunteer for the river. If youd like to get involved this year, sign up for our email newsletter, Mississippi Messages, via the periwinkle box above and to the right, to make sure you hear about upcoming events. Or e-mail Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator sue rich at srich@fmr.org if youd like to be added to our River Gorge Stewards and/or Vermillion Stewards email lists.