Citizen science in management research: Practical insights from the Volunteer Environment Check (VEC)

We developed and pilot-tested the Volunteer Environment Check (VEC) to address the dual challenge of (1) resource-constrained civil society organizations needing evidence-based volunteer management practices and (2) academic researchers seeking reciprocal engagement with practitioners. VEC is a tool that employs a citizen science approach to bridge the gap between academic evidence and organizational practices. Collaborating closely with 20 civil society organizations, we designed and administered a survey to volunteers. Moreover, we developed a semi-automated reporting system using Qualtrics and R Quarto, and we organized interactive citizen science workshops to discuss findings in detail with representatives of participating organizations. In this article, we report on our findings from this citizen science pilot project and provide recommendations for practitioners and social science researchers who plan to conduct research in a similar manner. Our main insights can be summarized as follows: participating organizations have been empowered to shift from undirected improvement initiatives toward evidence-informed strategic priorities. Further developing this approach can enable managers to identify which dimensions of volunteer satisfaction require targeted action within their unique organizational contexts. Beyond immediate organizational learning, our pilot study also demonstrates the viability and scalability of citizen science approaches to support the improvement of third-sector management and governance. Finally, critical self-reflection has helped us identify further opportunities for scaling and scope growth in applying a citizen science approach in management studies and in social sciences in general.