Chester Zoo
Case Study
BACKGROUND
Chester Zoo, the most visited zoo in the UK, operates as a conservation and education charity dedicated to preventing extinction. Managed by the North of England Zoological Society and overseen by a Board of Trustees, Chester Zoo is supported by over 1,000 employees who ensure the smooth running of this intricate institution. Staff members are responsible for animal care, managing conservation projects, and providing visitors with an inspiring visit. With over 37,000 animals and 128 acres of zoological gardens to explore, Chester Zoo offers a remarkable and educational experience for all.
Volunteering has been an integral part of Chester Zoo since the 1980s, with a significant expansion in 2015 to support the opening of the new area of the zoo - Islands. Today, the zoo engages hundreds of volunteers annually in various ongoing and seasonal roles in the zoo and local community. Volunteers participate in education, visitor engagement, support and mentoring, citizen science, hands-on conservation, and youth volunteering. Supported by a dedicated volunteer management team within the Conservation Education and Engagement department, volunteers help connect people with nature, encouraging sustainable living and habitat creation for native wildlife. While most volunteers focus on visitor engagement and education, the zoo is increasingly offering specialised roles that align with its educational, scientific, and conservation missions.
*Lindsay Marston is the Volunteer Manager at Chester Zoo, where she leads a team of staff and volunteers dedicated to supporting conservation education and engagement initiatives both at the zoo and in the surrounding community. With extensive experience in the charity sector, Lindsay specialises in working with children, young people, and volunteers. She also serves as the chair of the Volunteer Managers Working Group for the British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).
Chester Zoo previously managed its volunteers using a system based on Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and paper application forms. These tools were utilised for recording and organising volunteer details, applications, and assignments.
*As of July 2024, Lindsay is no longer with Chester Zoo; however, she was in her position when Better Impact was implemented.
CHALLENGES
Before implementing a dedicated Volunteer Management Software (VMS), Chester Zoo sought a system to streamline processes and enhance onboarding and volunteer management for their expanding volunteer base. The growing program, with more opportunities and roles, needed a better system, as reliance on paper forms, emails, and traditional files was an administrative burden. “When I first joined the team, we did a bit of a data cleanse and noticed that the team spend a lot of time entering data,” recalls Lindsay. This created storage challenges and made it difficult to manage volunteer information efficiently.
Their manual system also caused time-consuming processes for both staff and volunteers. Volunteers had to apply using paper forms, and the team communicated primarily through email, leading to constant back-and-forth exchanges. As Lindsay explains “Chester Zoo is such a dynamic organisation; there’s so much information that volunteers need to know, and a lot of that was being managed on a verbal basis, by email, or by text. The team spent a lot of time doing just that.” The lack of a centralised, secure system posed data security risks, and without a VMS, it was challenging to offer a variety of roles for volunteers and accurately track growth and impact. Moreover, the inefficiency of the system made it difficult to measure volunteers' contributions and improvements over time.
🔑 Key Pain Points:
- Heavy administrative workload and time-consuming processes difficulted effective volunteer management
- Storage challenges for volunteer information
- Lack of data security
- Inefficient and cumbersome system
- Difficulty in generating reports
- Volunteers had limited autonomy over their engagement

“Managing volunteer data was incredibly time-consuming, and our methods lacked efficiency andsecurity. The saddest thing was that volunteers didn't have any control over their volunteerexperience. We spent a lot of time just trying to keep up with the administrative demands as everyprocess was manual, there was no automation to anything.”
– Lindsay Marston
When Lindsay used the ROI Calculator to determine how much time was being spent operating in this manner, it revealed that her team was going to save around 1,204 hours per year on tasks that could be automated via a volunteer management software solution.
Here’s a breakdown on how much time was spent in various tasks before using Better Impact:
ROI Calculator Data
Estimated Total Hours Saved Per Year |
Value of Time Saved Per Year |
ROI using new Software |
|
|
|
1,204 |
£ 16,207 |
1,250% |
Journey
Chester Zoo began exploring a VMS in 2016/2017, driven by the expansion of their volunteer program and the need for more efficient management. Lindsay explains, “The reason we actually went from using Excel to a VMS is because in 2015 we grew the volunteer offer.” This expansion included the introduction of a new area called the Islands, which significantly increased the number of volunteers and roles. This growth highlighted the necessity of a system that could demonstrate volunteer impact and manage the increased administrative workload.
The search for a suitable VMS involved several team members, including the Volunteer Manager, Head of Department, and IT support. Lindsay recalls, “Our Volunteer Manager at the time had great connections across the UK and she was looking at what other Volunteer Managers were using, and Better Impact was what they recommended.” The team conducted a needs assessment, attended demos, and sought support from Better Impact. Additionally, they considered volunteer feedback, which emphasised the need for a system that allowed volunteers to have more autonomy over their experience. The IT team also evaluated the software to ensure it met the zoo’s needs for security and functionality, eventually putting together a business case to demonstrate its benefits and potential return on investment. Lindsay noted, “The IT team played a crucial role in ensuring the system would elevate the volunteer experience and improve overall efficiency.”
The team's efforts culminated in the adoption of Better Impact, a decision that has since facilitated better organisation, data security, and volunteer autonomy within Chester Zoo's volunteer program.
Implementation
Chester Zoo began using Volunteer Impact in October 2017.
Their volunteers range in age from 14 to their 80s and have diverse learning and development needs. To accommodate this diversity, the management team utilised the Better Impact app, enabling volunteers to manage their activities directly from their phones. Additionally, they installed an iPad onsite to provide hands-on support, helping staff teach volunteers how to navigate and use the system effectively.

"We wanted to understand from volunteers what they needed, and Better Impact was chosen because it allowed us to tailor the volunteer experience. We recently upgraded to an enterprise account, so we are starting to use it for our corporate volunteering offer."
– Lindsay Marston
Why Volunteer Impact
Chester Zoo selected Better Impact for its affordability, user-friendliness, and security. Lindsay explains, “The real thing that stood out for Better Impact was how affordable it was. The system was within our budget, making it a cost-effective solution.” Additionally, the software's user-friendliness for both administrators and volunteers was an added benefit.
For Lindsay, Better Impact has “such a multi range of things that makes it such an attractive system”. For example, it stores detailed volunteer information, such as next of kin, qualifications, and training records. This makes scheduling and role matching much simpler. “Once you match that qualification with an opportunity, volunteers only see the opportunities available to them,” Lindsay says. She emphasises that it has facilitated onboarding and it’s a really simple way of managing volunteers and engaging with them well.
Security was also a critical consideration for Chester Zoo. Linsday recalls “Better Impact offers a very secure way of contacting volunteers, which alleviates our concerns about data breaches associated with using bcc and cc in traditional email.” Not only does the software allows to email volunteers straight from the system, but it assigns specific access rights to administrators based on their tasks, ensuring they only see relevant information.
Lindsay explains some of her favourite Volunteer Impact features:
- Opportunities for Volunteers: One feature I like about Better Impact is creating opportunities for volunteers to sign up for. You can make them very attractive with catchy titles and embedded pictures, fully describing what the volunteers will be doing.
- eLearning Module: What we really like about Better Impact is that it’s got its own eLearning area for volunteers! We can create tailored training programs, embed videos and put lots of different content in them. We've just made a new security training module in health and safety, and it's so much easier now with the eLearning capabilities. In the past, volunteers had to sign physical forms for policies, which we constantly checked. Now, with quick reports, we can easily verify completion and identify gaps.
- Badges: One feature my team and I absolutely love about Better Impact is the use of badges to reward volunteers. You can customise badges for everything from years of service to training and qualifications, which beautifully illustrates their contributions and skills.
- Feedback fields: They allow us to efficiently handle volunteer inquiries and issues at the end of every engagement. Previously, we were overwhelmed with emails and verbal questions about various topics, which I couldn't always answer. Now, we can collect these questions, run a weekly report, and get answers from the zoo rangers and animal teams. This system helps us capture important interactions without needing immediate attention, making our time with volunteers more productive and their feedback incredibly useful.

"We chose Better Impact because it offered an affordable, easy-to-use solution that met all our needs, from scheduling and training to secure communication and volunteer engagement."
– Lindsay Marston
Results
Following the implementation of their new VMS, one of the most important lessons Chester Zoo learnt was that it is essential to allow ample time for both staff and volunteers to become accustomed to the new system. Encouraging tech-savvy volunteers to support their peers in using the app proved beneficial. Additionally, Lindsay emphasised the importance of seeking support from Better Impact staff, “Allow time to embed a new system and don't hesitate to ask for support from Better Impact staff - they're incredibly helpful!”
Since adopting Volunteer Impact, Chester Zoo has experienced significant improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of their volunteer management processes. Better Impact allows the volunteer management team to successfully match volunteers with suitable roles, track their hours and feedback, and recognise their contributions. Lindsay states “Our team spends less time wrappedup in volunteer administration as Better Impact supports us in managing every aspect of the volunteer journey from entry to exit.”
The customisation capabilities of Better Impact have greatly improved Chester Zoo's volunteer experience. Volunteers can easily sign up for volunteering opportunities, log their time, complete eLearning modules, and track their years of service. The platform’s feedback fields allow the zoo to measure volunteer satisfaction after each shift and gather daily feedback. Additionally, the creation of custom badges recognises volunteer contributions and achievements. Lindsay highlighted, “We really enjoy how well you can customise the volunteer experience on Better Impact,” reflecting the positive impact on volunteer engagement and satisfaction.
Lindsay advises organisations considering a VMS that it will reduce their administrative burdens and enhance volunteer engagement. Reflecting on the positive changes Better Impact has brought to Chester Zoo she notes, “You may be concerned about how the system will be embraced by staff and volunteers, but it is so easy to use, and the users will soon recognise the benefits of engaging with the system and having more autonomy over their volunteer experience.”

"Using a VMS will reduce a multitude of administrative duties and support you to engage volunteers more effectively in your organisation. Better Impact has allowed us to elevate what we’re doing."
– Lindsay Marston
Download the Case Study
