One of the most reliable indicators of a stable, useful service program is volunteer satisfaction rate. Global Volunteers works diligently to measure and report, and then act on, volunteers' assessments of their assistance to our host communities and the insight they've gained in the process. Our dedicated on-site staff and community partners use this data to make corrections where needed, and to direct volunteer efforts toward essential services for serving at-risk children. Since 1984, our volunteer satisfaction rate has grown steadily, to an overall 96 percent of all volunteers rating their service experience above 3.5 on a 5-point scale. More than 35 percent of our new volunteers were referred to Global Volunteers by a former volunteer. Word-of-mouth recommendations have consistently brought new volunteers to our partner communities worldwide.

The "Vacation Volunteer:" Team members routinely report that the team dynamic is one of the most satisfying aspects of our programs. Great care is taken to optimize team cohesion. Joining like-minded, motivated and compassionate people from all over the world on community development projects can be one of the most significant events of your life.

"We've known each other since last Saturday and I am amazed at the talent and achievement level of this group. There is a fighter pilot, journalists, students, entrepreneurs, a biologist, an artist, and master teachers, many of whom have also mastered life's most difficult task of parenting. I've been some places, done some things, am perhaps a bit smug about it. But after talking with my teammates in recent days, I said to my wife, 'man, can you believe what this group has done? I gotta go home and get a life."
~ Don Campbell, Vietnam volunteer

"Encore" volunteers are foundational to our continued success, and enrich our service programs. More than 30 percent of our volunteers join future teams... either within the same host community, or on a different service program. Some 40 percent of volunteers have served on three teams or more; and more than 20 percent have joined more than five teams. These repeat volunteers enrich service programs with their experience as team members, and their practical understanding of Global Volunteers' Philosophy of Service. "Encore" volunteers are the backbone of our consistent and high-level service to host communities worldwide. Further, they are excellent resources for new volunteers on most service programs.