The UGA Professional I-O Psychology Master’s Program (IOMP) is proud to partner with the Volunteer Program Assessment (VPA, pronounced “vee-pah”). Through this partnership, IOMP students and graduates can apply what they have learned while helping nonprofit organizations better support their volunteers. 

VPA started in 2009 through a partnership between UNC Charlotte and the Humane Society. The program uses research-based assessments to help nonprofits learn more about their volunteers and find ways to improve satisfaction, engagement, and commitment. 

Through UGA’s partnership with VPA, IOMP students and graduates serve as consultants to nonprofit organizations. They work with volunteer coordinators to administer the VPA survey, analyze the results, and provide a report with evidence-based guidance and recommendations.

Since 2018, feedback from organizations that have worked with the UGA VPA team has been overwhelmingly positive. Across completed client evaluations, organizations reported that the assessment helped them better understand the strengths and weaknesses of their volunteer programs and provided useful information for making improvements.

“These surveys have been really helpful to our organization. We've done three surveys now and we learn something new every time and it really helps us implement productive changes to help our organization grow.”

- Jackie Nowinski, Volunteer Manager, Humane Society for Boone County

For IOMP students and graduates, the partnership provides valuable hands-on consulting experience and an opportunity to put the science of I-O psychology into practice. For participating nonprofits, VPA provides an assessment report and consulting service at no cost, designed to help organizations better understand and support their volunteers. 

To learn more about VPA and UGA’s IOMP partnership, please visit: https://psyc.franklin.uga.edu/vpa-consulting

Who Can Participate?

Nonprofit organizations with more than 30 volunteers and a physical, brick-and-mortar location are eligible to participate in VPA. Organizations that do not meet these requirements may still be able to participate and are encouraged to learn more about available options. 

Apply Here: 

https://vpa.charlotte.edu/apply/ 

Note: In the referral section of the application below, please note if you would prefer to work with the UGA team. This helps the national office route the work back to us when they can.

Questions? 

Contact the VPA Co-Director at volprogram@charlotte.edu