The end of one year and the start of the next is a great time to "check the pulse" of people in your organization. Keep things easy with a very short feedback request consisting of only two main questions -- one looking back over the year ending and the other looking ahead. But ask for a specific number of short responses to each.
For example:
- In 2009, what two things did you do or see someone else do that you felt were really important to the people we serve?
- For 2010, what two things would help you to be even more successful in your work here?
Note that the questions do not necessarily have to be about volunteers, nor do you have to limit the participants to volunteers only. In fact, asking everyone, regardless of position or pay status, to respond will allow you to use the responses to demonstrate the role of the volunteer office in organizational recognition and planning. Here are two ideas for how to do that, based on the sample questions above.
Sharing the many answers you will get to question #1 will make everyone feel good (it's that time of year, after all). You might even post the "really important" actions on big sheets of newsprint in some area seen mainly by paid and unpaid staff. Make sure the comments are legible and presented seriously, but you can also use colored markers, glitter, whatever, to make these posters festive. (Be sure to say something at the top such as "The Volunteer Office Wants You to Know..." so that you get the credit for the idea!)
For question #2, you might collate the answers and group them under topic headings. Distribute the list to everyone individually. There are many ways you can go from there. You might ask everyone to circle the five ideas they like the best and promise that, in 2010, you will attempt to put volunteer energy into those areas. Or you might offer to facilitate a meeting in each unit or program to discuss what's needed and what you, collectively, can do to accomplish this.
One important caveat: Do not ask for any feedback that you can do nothing about! In other words, if you do not feel able to tackle the issue of "what do you need to be successful," ask a different question. The whole point is not to conduct a survey per se, but rather to use the holidays to make people reflect positively on what they did throughout the year, and then to be upbeat for next year.