DistrictVilages QualitativeStudy: In-DepthInterview Guides

Transcription

1 DistrictVilages QualitativeStudy: In-DepthInterview Guides October2009

2 District Villages Qualitative Study Board of Directors In-Depth Interview Guide I. Introduction Explanation of IDI 1. Introduction of interviewer and subject of discussion Hi, my name is from Woelfel Research. AARP is conducting a study of Villages operating in the District of Columbia and would like to ask you some questions about your experiences with [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]. As people age, nearly all say they d like to stay in their homes for as long as possible or age-in-place. The purpose of this research is to showcase how the Villages in DC are helping people stay in their homes as they age and stay connected to their communities. 2. Assurance of confidentiality, importance of candid and honest answers Your responses to our questions will be kept confidential. They will be combined with responses from other board members and be shared in the aggregate. II. Respondent Information 1. Tell me a little about yourself. 2. Capture occupation, family, hobbies, gender, whether a DC native, and age. III. Volunteer Experience 1. How long have you served on the Board of [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Capture years and months. 2. Were you an original member of the board, i.e., founding member? 3. Why did you join the Board? 4. How were you recruited? 5. Do you have any unique skills based upon your life experiences that help you serve this organization (lawyer, accountant, business owner, social worker, etc.)? 6. What are your responsibilities on the Board? Are you an officer? If so, which one? What committees do you serve on? 1

3 7. What are the strengths of the Board? 8. What are the weaknesses of the Board? 9. About how much time do you spend each month in your board member role? (Capture hours per month). IV. Board Member Insights (ask these questions only if they are a founding board member) 1. Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would do differently in getting [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] operational? Or anything you wish you had known then? 2. What advice would you give to other Villages just starting out? V. Outreach 1. How do you reach people for services? 2. What is your process for launching or providing a new service or membership benefit? 3. How does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] find out what services members need? 4. We ve heard that many Village members are reluctant to ask for help. Have you experienced this with your members? If so, why do you think this happens? Any ideas on how to combat it? VI. Sustainability 1. What is the biggest challenge [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] will face this year? 2. Will [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] be able to sustain itself in 2010? Where do you see your [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] in the next 3 years? What about the next 5 years? 3. What are other challenges [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] faces? 4. Do membership fees cover all operating costs? VII. Fundraising 1. How important is fundraising to [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Does your Village need to raise funds to cover operating expenses? 2. Do you have expertise on your Board in fundraising? 3. Do you have expertise on your Board in grant-writing? 4. What are your experiences in raising money for [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Describe any successes or lessons learned. 2

4 VIII. Board Longevity 1. Has it been difficult to recruit new Board members? Are there any vacancies on your Board? 2. Is it hard to keep current Board members active and involved? 3. Is it hard to bring new members into leadership positions? IX. Overall 1. Do you believe your participation in [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] is making a difference? 2. What strengths does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] have? 3. What weaknesses does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] have? 4. Do you believe you are getting a good return on investment for your time and participation in [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 5. How would you rate your overall satisfaction with your experiences as a Board member? Are you extremely satisfied, very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not too satisfied, or not very satisfied? Probe. 6. Do you plan to continue your membership on the Board? 7. Is there one thing you would change about [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Is there one thing you would keep the same? If yes, please describe both (i.e., what you would change and how you would change it, and what you would keep the same)? 3

5 I. Introduction Explanation of IDI District Villages Qualitative Study Volunteers In-Depth Interview Guide 1. Introduction of interviewer and subject of discussion Hi, my name is from Woelfel Research. AARP is conducting a study of Villages operating in the District of Columbia and would like to ask you some questions about your experiences with [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]. As people age, nearly all say they d like to stay in their homes for as long as possible or age-in-place. The purpose of this research is to showcase how the Villages in DC are helping people stay in their homes as they age and stay connected to their communities. 2. Assurance of confidentiality, importance of candid and honest answers Your responses to our questions will be kept confidential. They will be combined with responses from other volunteers and be shared in the aggregate. II. Respondent Information 1. Tell me a little about yourself. 2. Capture occupation, family, hobbies, gender, whether a DC native, and age. III. Volunteer Experience 1. How long have you been volunteering for [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Capture years and months. 2. Please describe all the volunteer services you perform. 3. How often do you perform a volunteer service? Capture hours per week, or if not that frequent hours per month. 4. Do you live in [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] s service area? 5. Are you reimbursed for any expenses you incur in your volunteer activities? 6. Why do you volunteer for [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Do you do this to satisfy a community service requirement for school or work? 7. How were you recruited? 4

6 8. Have you recruited others to volunteer for [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 9. How does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] thank its volunteers? Probe for any reward or recognition activities. IV. Volunteer Insights 1. Please describe the process you went through to become a volunteer with [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Were you required to sign a confidentiality agreement? Did you submit to a background security check? 2. What is your opinion about the volunteer recruitment process? What should [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] continue to do? What should they change? 3. Is there anything [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] should be doing differently in providing services to members? 4. Do you believe [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] has enough volunteers to handle all member needs? 5. What advice would you give to other Villages just starting out? V. Outreach 1. We ve heard that many Village members are reluctant to ask for help. Have you experienced this with your members? If so, why do you think this happens? Any ideas on how to combat it? 2. How would you handle a situation where a member you were assisting through a volunteer activity obviously needs more assistance than he/she is asking for? What is the process for you to alert the Village of the member s additional needs? 3. In addition to volunteering for [INSERT VILLAGE NAME], what other support, if any, do you provide to the Village? Probe on their donation of money, other resources, or marketing and outreach. VI. Sustainability 1. Do you believe [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] will be around in the next 3 years? What about the next 5 years? What will it look like? 2. What do you think is the biggest challenge [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] faces? 5

7 VII. Overall 1. Do you believe your participation in [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] is making a difference? 2. What strengths does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] have? 3. What weaknesses does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] have? 4. Do you believe you are getting a good return on investment for your time and participation with [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 5. How would you rate your overall satisfaction with your volunteer experience? Are you extremely satisfied, very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not too satisfied, or not very satisfied? 6. Do you plan to continue volunteering with [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 7. Would you recommend your family and friends to volunteer for a Village? 8. Is there one thing you would change about [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Is there one thing you would keep the same? If yes, please describe both (i.e., what you would change and how you would change it, and what you would keep the same)? 6

8 I. Introduction Explanation of IDI District Villages Qualitative Study Members In-Depth Interview Guide 1. Introduction of interviewer and subject of discussion Hi, my name is from Woelfel Research. AARP is conducting a study of Villages operating in the District of Columbia and would like to ask you some questions about your experiences with [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]. As people age, nearly all say they d like to stay in their homes for as long as possible or age-in-place. The purpose of this research is to showcase how the Villages in DC are helping people stay in their homes as they age and stay connected to their communities. 2. Assurance of confidentiality, importance of candid and honest answers Your responses to our questions will be kept confidential. They will be combined with responses from other board members and be shared in the aggregate. II. Respondent Information 1. Tell me a little about yourself. 2. Capture occupation, family, hobbies, gender, whether a DC native, and age. III. Member Experience 1. How did you find out about [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 2. Why did you decide to join? 3. How long have you been a member of [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Capture years and months. 4. Have you used any member services? If so, please describe them. If not, why not? What are the top 3 services you regularly use that are provided by [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 5. Have the services you ve used been provided by a Village volunteer or by a paid contractor or someone else outside the Village? 6. Please tell us about your experience with the services provided by 7

9 [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]. Were your needs met? If not, did the Village follow up? Probe for whether interviewee felt comfortable with the service, if the volunteer provider was courteous, etc. 7. About how often do you use a member service? Capture daily, several times a week, weekly, monthly, etc. 8. How satisfied are you with the services you ve received? Are you extremely satisfied, very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not very satisfied, not at all satisfied? Probe why. 9. Are there any services you need that the Village does not provide? If so, what are they? 10. Thinking about the annual membership fee to join this Village, was this cost about right, too high, or too low? If too high or too low, please explain. 11. Do you also volunteer to provide services to members? If so, capture frequency (daily, a times time a week, etc.) and hours spent per week. IV. Member Insights 1. Is there anything [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] should be doing differently in providing services to members? 2. Does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] regularly engage you as a member? Do you participate in the development of new services or in the management of the organization? 3. Does your membership in [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] enhance your quality of life and connection to the community? If so, how? V. Outreach 1. How do you know what services are available to you? 2. How does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] communicate with you? How do you prefer [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] contact you? 3. Do you have access to and Internet at home? How often do you send and receive (capture several times day, daily, every other day, etc.)? How often do you use the Internet or visit a website (capture several times day, daily, every other day, etc.)? 4. Have you ever requested a service that [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] could not provide? If yes, please explain. 5. We ve heard that many Village members are reluctant to ask for help. Were you reluctant to ask for help? If yes, please explain. Do you know of other members who are reluctant to ask for help? If yes, why do you think they are reluctant? 8

10 VI. Sustainability 1. What is the biggest challenge [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] will face this year? 2. What are other challenges [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] faces? VII. Fundraising 1. Have you been asked to donate money to [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 2. Have you been asked to ask others to donate money to [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? VIII. Overall 1. Do you plan to renew your membership to [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] when it expires? If yes, please explain. If no, please explain. 2. What strengths does [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] have? 3. What weaknesses does your [INSERT VILLAGE NAME] have? 4. Do you believe you are getting a good value for the money for your membership in [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? 5. How would you rate your overall satisfaction with [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Are you extremely satisfied, very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not too satisfied, or not very satisfied? Probe. 6. Would you recommend your family and friends join a Village? 7. Is there one thing you would change about [INSERT VILLAGE NAME]? Is there one thing you would keep the same? If yes, please describe both (i.e., what you would change and how you would change it, and what you would keep the same)? 9