Leading a Project Reflection

Your project tasks are complete, and your goals were accomplished – but that doesn’t mean the project is over! Take time at the end of each project to bring volunteers back together and reflect on your experiences. 

“Debriefing” a project can help answer volunteer questions, build a sense of camaraderie, and help volunteers feel their efforts were valuable to the group and partner agency. A typical debrief should take about 5-10 minutes. Use the tips below to craft your own project debrief: 
 

• Thank the volunteers for coming. Volunteers who feel recognized for their time and service are more likely to return, and more likely to become Team Leaders themselves! 
   
• Provide a recap of the day’s accomplishments. Include any numbers that show the group’s impact on the partner and project. For example, “We were able to pack 80 grocery bags for families in this community.” 
   
• Ask volunteers what they enjoyed about the project and what they might do differently next time. Remind volunteers that they can also share feedback by completing a project evaluation, which they can find next time they log into their New York Cares account. 
   
• Invite volunteers to your next project, and/or the next project at the agency. 
   
• Emphasize that volunteers’ presence and service is what makes the project great. 
   

After the project, be sure to complete the following steps: 

• Complete your New York Cares project evaluation. Your feedback as a Team Leader helps us make sure projects are running well, Team Leaders have what they need, and partners are being served effectively.
   
• Inform New York Cares staff of any exceptional volunteers. We love to pass on positive feedback, and even encourage volunteers to sign up to lead projects themselves!