You are here: Gathering data > Volunteers > Volunteer case studies

An effective volunteer case study describes how the work of the CLC:

• Leverages volunteer support
• Impacts on volunteers' engagement with CLCs and the community.

Who to involve in writing case studies?

• CLC team members that undertook the activities
• Volunteers that were involved in the problem or the activities.

​

​The essential elements of a case study describe... 

PROBLEM | SOLUTION | RESULT/OUTCOME

PROBLEM

• Describe the problem within the broader social context and how the problem was a threat to commonly held values e.g. access to justice, voice, security, fairness, opportunity
• Situate the problem as part of a bigger social problem e.g. homelessness, violence against women, police targeting marginalized groups, mortgage stress.

SOLUTION

• Describe how volunteer activities added value in addressing the problem
• Highlight the quality and the relevance of the activities and how the activities were best suited to solving the problem.

​RESULT or OUTCOME

• Describe the changes or improvements that were made as a result of the CLC volunteering activities
• The end of the case study should be able finish the sentence, 'Now that the problem is solved…'

Download a template to assist you to develop your case study

DO:

• Choose individual stories that suggest they are symptomatic of a bigger problem, so that the individual is not the problem
• Describe the impact of the problem on people’s lives and communities
• Describe how the relationship with volunteers was developed and maintained
• Provide an overview of the activities that summarises why the CLC and volunteers were best placed to help solve the problem, rather than another organisation
• Emphasise how volunteers contributed to the outcome
• Include a testimonial from a stakeholder (volunteer, community partner, justice system representative, client)
• Describe the change from different perspectives such as the volunteer's, justice system, the client’s, the community’s, other government or non-government organisations
• Refer to the major area of impact and how it was specifically achieved in this case:
  • Leverages volunteer support
  • Impacts on volunteer’s engagement with the CLC and the community.

DON'T:

• Provide so much background information it dilutes the impact of the CLC work on the problem
• Provide blow-by-blow description of the activities undertaken by the CLC or volunteer
• Use a testimonial as the outcome. For example, 'the client was happy to have their legal problem solved' is not an outcome that describes the change created.

Volunteer case study examples

Two example case studies have been generated for you as examples to follow.

Learn More