Streamlining Volunteer Management at The Compass Food Bank with Volunteer Impact

The Challenge

The Compass Food Bank faced significant inefficiencies in managing volunteer schedules, creating reports, and updating personal information using spreadsheets and paper-based processes. These manual methods were labor-intensive, prone to errors, and consumed over 20 hours each month. This not only took a toll on the staff but also made it difficult to attract and retain volunteers, especially younger ones who expected more streamlined processes.

The Solution

Seeking a solution to these challenges, The Compass Food Bank explored various volunteer management software options. Sheryl Darlington, the Volunteer Manager, conducted trials of eight different software solutions. 'Volunteer Impact met all my criteria and was very affordable,' Sheryl noted. She added, 'I did trials of 8 different software. Volunteer Impact was basically the only one that checked off everything on my list and the price was good and the support was so great, so it was a really easy sell to my Board of Directors to get it approved in the end.' With Volunteer Impact, The Compass was able to automate scheduling, streamline communications, and centralize volunteer profiles, making the volunteer management process much more efficient.

The Results

After implementing Volunteer Impact, The Compass Food Bank saw remarkable improvements. The time spent on administrative tasks was significantly reduced, freeing up more than 20 hours per month. This allowed the staff to focus on more strategic initiatives. In 2022, volunteers donated 37,794 hours, and The Compass was able to distribute 705,278 pounds of food. The number of active volunteers increased to 328, thanks to a more streamlined application process and better engagement through the software. 'Using spreadsheets and paper were labor-intensive and very prone to errors,' Sheryl observed, but with Volunteer Impact, 'Volunteers LOVE the software!' The software's reporting capabilities also made it easier to recruit volunteers for specialized roles, such as writing, marketing, and social media, further enhancing the organization's capabilities.