How to Conduct Effective Exit Interviews with Youth Volunteers: Key Questions to Ask

Youth leaving your organization as a volunteer due to other commitments, priorities, or opportunities is never ideal. Still, it is a chance for you and your organization to take stock of their experience and hopefully provide a glimpse into how other volunteers are experiencing or feeling about working with your organization.

With that, I encourage you to take some time before they leave to have an exit interview. It does not have to be strictly formal, but a casual and easy conversation to understand how youth have engaged with your organization. Furthermore, it's an opportunity for you to pinpoint any barriers, obstacles or challenges youth volunteers might be facing and how you can take action to fix those issues. 

With that, I have created a list of questions that can help you structure your exit interview and take a deep dive into the youth volunteer experience so you can improve it for the next youth volunteers.

Questions To Ask In Exit Interview

1. Did you feel heard and respected?

2. Were there any initiatives or projects you liked working on more than others? If so, which one(s)? Why?

3. In three words, how would you describe your time volunteering with our organization? Are there any words or aspects you would like to elaborate on?

4. Did you feel like you had adequate training and support from our team and organization?

5. Would you recommend volunteering at our organization to other youth?

6. How do you think that our organization can support the youth perspective more?

7. How can we as staff and as an organization do better to support youth?

Remember, you should approach these answers with an open mind and remember this is not an interrogation. It is a discussion for youth to share with you their feedback and experience. Keep it light, easy and casual.

If you need additional help or support structuring your exit interview for youth volunteers, reach out to me and I’d be happy to help!