Business challenge
Our client, a county council, was looking to develop and grow opportunities for environmental volunteering as part of a wider push to improve the quality of life within the county. They also sought to understand what the current environmental volunteering landscape looked like.
Our approach
1. We conducted Desk Research to assess the current level of opportunities that exist in Surrey as well as current level of collaboration between organisations.
2. We conducted a total of 20 depth interviews with environmental volunteering organisations, frequent environmental volunteers, occasional environmental volunteers and lesser-heard-from non-volunteers.
3. We also conducted two focus groups, one with lapsed environmental volunteers and one with non-volunteers. This allowed us to gauge common experiences, pain points, benefits and barriers regarding volunteering for the environment within the county.
Outcome
This research provided our client with a clear outline on what was currently happening in the county when it came to environmental volunteering. While there were many opportunities for volunteering, awareness was low, even amongst frequent volunteers. The best approach for the county council would be to spread awareness regarding the nature of the opportunities available and the benefits that come with them.