Understanding Our Docents

Format: Formative Evaluation and Needs Assessment

Venue: The Huntington, San Marino, California

Docent Volunteer Experience Assessment:

As the Evaluation Manager, I had the privilege of assessing the sentiments, needs, and challenges of our docent volunteers. This initiative, requested by the Associate Director of Audience Engagement and Interpretation, aimed to understand the impact of returning to in-person volunteering post-pandemic and identify areas for improvement.

Overview:

The assessment gathered insights on demographics, volunteer experiences, preferences, challenges, and suggestions for enhancing the docent volunteer experience at The Huntington. Our goals were to understand their motivations, collect demographic data, and segment our docents to better support their roles.

Evaluation Findings:

Demographics:

• Age Group: 48% are aged 65-74, and 32% are 75-84.
• Gender: Majority are female.
• Race/Ethnicity: 75% White/Caucasian, 11% Asian/Pacific Islander.
• Education Level: 40% hold Master’s degrees, 29% have Bachelor’s degrees, and 17% have Doctorates.

Volunteer Experience:

• Years of Service: Most common tenures are 1-3 years (24%) and 11-15 years (22%).
• Roles Served: Popular roles include Ask Me Docent (56%), School Program Docent (49%), and Special Event Docent (32%).

Preferences and Comfort:

• Preferred Learning Format: Hybrid (49%) and In-person (47%).
• Comfort with Online Platforms: 50% are very comfortable, and 30% are somewhat comfortable.

Interests in Learning Experiences:

• Top Interests: Guest lectures (83%), more interactions with curators (81%), interactive workshops (50%), and skills-based learning (45%).
  

Community Building:

• Importance: Very important to 51%, somewhat important to 32%.
• Preferred Activities: Monthly meetings (76%), informal gatherings (70%), and group discussions (55%).

Common Themes:

• Scheduling Issues: Difficulty in finding suitable opportunities.
• Staff Changes: Inadequate training for new volunteers and perceived lack of follow-up.
• Physical Challenges: Post-COVID-19 recovery impacting stamina.
• Operational Issues: Occasional closures and parking problems.
• Engagement: Feeling underutilized in certain roles.

Suggested Improvements:

Key suggestions from the docents include:

• Increase hands-on, practical experiences.
• Enhance communication and support from management.
• Provide stable management and consistent leadership.
• Offer more interactive training sessions.
• Strengthen community-building initiatives.

Conclusion and Recommendations:

Recommendations:

• Address scheduling and training gaps.
• Improve communication and support systems.
• Ensure stable management and consistent leadership.
• Focus on interactive, hands-on training sessions.
• Expand community-building activities.

This assessment provided valuable insights into our docent volunteers' needs and sentiments, guiding us in making informed decisions to enhance their experience and engagement at The Huntington.