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Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey (SVOS) – Fall 2026
Listen, Learn, and Benchmark Your Volunteer Program
The Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey (SVOS) is a proven tool that helps organizations gather meaningful feedback directly from volunteers. Participating organizations gain insights into volunteer satisfaction, engagement, communication, and overall experience. In addition, SVOS provides benchmarking data so you can see how your program compares with others across the sector. Historically this survey has only been offered to on-site healthcare organizations such as hospitals and long term care homes. This year we are actively looking to introduce this valuable tool to other sectors.
Why Participate?
Understand your volunteers – hear directly from them about their experiences and satisfaction.
Benchmark your program – compare your results with other organizations and identify areas for growth.
Strengthen engagement – use the insights to improve retention, communication, and volunteer support.
SVOS Fall 2026 is now open for healthcare organizations to save their spot. Completing the interest form ensures you’ll receive updates and registration details as soon as the survey launches.
Healthcare Interest form: SAVE MY SPOT!
Help Shape the Future of Volunteer Engagement in Other Sectors! Interested in bringing this tool to your sector? We are looking for champions to help promote it to at least 10 other similar organizations with a minimum of 50 volunteers each. Please complete the new sector interest form and we will reach out to you to evaluate the opportunity to implement the survey, likely sometime after we run the fall hospital-based SVOS.
New Sector Interest Form: GET STARTED HERE
By participating, your organization will be part of a sector-wide initiative to enhance volunteer experiences and build stronger volunteer programs.
Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey (SVOS) OVERVIEW
What You’ll Receive
Participating organizations will receive a comprehensive package of tools, insights, and benchmarking data designed to help strengthen volunteer engagement and identify opportunities for growth.
Included in Your Participation:
✅ Customized Online Survey Distribution
We will provide online survey links for you to share directly with your volunteers. For multi-site organizations, surveys can either be separated by individual site or combined into one overall organizational report.✅ Options for Volunteers Without Internet Access
For volunteer who do not have access to the internet, hard-copy surveys can be provided/mailed to volunteers by the respective volunteer departments. The hard-copy results can then be entered into the survey tool, however it must be entered by a volunteer to ensure confidentiality for respondents.✅ Comprehensive Final Sector Report
A final report highlighting sector-wide strengths, opportunities for improvement, and benchmarking data, including the top three and bottom three organizations in each survey dimension. Check out a sample final report (coming soon).✅ Presentation of Key Findings
A presentation summarizing the overall survey findings, trends, and key takeaways across participating organizations.✅ Detailed Quantitative Data & Heatmap Analysis
A comprehensive spreadsheet containing quantitative results for all participating organizations, including question-by-question comparisons and heatmap analysis showing top and bottom performers.✅ Anonymized Qualitative Feedback
Access to anonymized comments and qualitative insights shared by volunteers to help provide deeper context behind the data.
The standardized volunteer opinion survey provides professional administrators of volunteer resources with an evaluation of their volunteer program and organization from the point of view of volunteers. The report will help you:
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Obtain comprehensive feedback from your volunteers
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Identify strengths to champion within your program
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Identify and monitor problem areas or challenges
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Identify best practices and learn from high performers within the profession
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Provide a forum for benchmarking with similar organizations
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Provide data to support outcomes based measurements, goals and accountability
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Improve the service your role or department provides to volunteers, clients/patients and your internal customers
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Respond more quickly to changing volunteer interests and needs in the key areas known to be important to volunteers
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For hospital-based organizations in Ontario, the SVOS supports the requirements of the Excellent Care for All Act, 2010 (ECFAA). In 2015, the CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association encouraged organizations to participate in this Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey.
See what one PAVRO member says about her experience using the SVOS. Read SVOS TestimonialSchedule for the hospital-based survey
Registration opens Sept 8 and closed Oct 28, 2026
Survey runs from Nov 9th to Nov 30th, 2026
Results available in February 2027
Cost Information – SVOS Fall 2026Online survey participation (2023): $2.50 per volunteer, with a minimum of $375 and a maximum of $2,000.00, depending on the number of volunteers invited.
Survey Administration Fee: Complimentary for PAVRO members | $175 for non-members.
The SVOS continues to be substantially more affordable than typical employee or patient surveys, providing excellent value for meaningful volunteer feedback and benchmarking data.
For further information please contact us at 416-907-1007 or pavro@pavro.on.ca or check out our FAQ page
PARTICIPATING HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS
The following healthcare institutions have participated in the Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey in previous years.
Bruyère, Hôpital Montfort, Perley Health, Queensway-Carleton Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital, and The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. Brampton Civic, Brant Community Healthcare System, Bridgepoint Health, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Credit Valley Hospital, Deep ,River & District Hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences (Chedoke, General Hospital, Henderson General Hospital/JCC, McMaster University Medical Centre & St. Peter's), Hawkesbury General Hospital, Holland Bloorview, Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, Kingston General, Lakeridge Health (Bowmanville, Oshawa, Port Perry & Whitby), Mackenzie Health (York Central Hospital), Markham Stouffville Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre, Southlake Regional Centre, St. Joseph's Care Group, Thunder Bay (Hogarth Riverview Manor, Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital, St. Joseph's Heritage, St. Joseph's Hospital), St, John’s Rehab, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Toronto, St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, Toronto Rehab (Bickle Centre, Hillcrest Centre, Lyndhurst Centre, Rumsey Centre, University Centre), The Hospital for Sick Children, Trillium Health Centre, University Health Network (Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital), West Park Healthcare Centre & Women's College Hospital.
Villa Colombo Homes for the Aged Inc.
The Standardized Volunteer Opinion Survey is a well researched and designed survey tool that addresses key dimensions for a successful volunteer program. This comprehensive survey tool provides a unique opportunity to seek feedback from volunteers and to benchmark with organizations from across the hospital sector.
The goals of this survey are well aligned to support the requirements of Bill 46, The Excellent Care for All Act passed as part of the Hospitals Act in June 2010. This bill stipulates that every organization shall carry out surveys once every two fiscal years collecting information on the satisfaction of ‘employees’ and ‘other persons’ with their experience working for or providing services within the organization and to solicit views about the quality of care provided by the health care organization. Volunteers play an important role in supporting patient care and services in the hospital sector and their feedback through a standardized survey process provides important information to support volunteer engagement and organizational goals and objectives.
The survey tool was developed by Christine Burych, Alison Caird, Joanne Fine Schwebel, Michael Fliess and Heather Hardie with guidance from a Senior Research Advisor with NRC+PICKER Canada who specializes in patient and staff satisfaction projects and quality improvement methods. The survey was first piloted in 2006 by nine Toronto hospitals. The original project work for the survey was funded through the Department of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada.