Volunteer Management

An all-in-one system to manage, communicate, register and schedule your one-time and ongoing volunteers with shifts, a calendar and a database

We love GivePulse! It’s user friendly for our young and elder volunteers, and allows nonprofits like us to reach a target audience instantly. There are so many uses that I am constantly amazed at the capabilities!

Debra Silva, Catholic Charities of San Antonio
Director of Volunteer Services
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Making a center, workspace and activity safe, clean and welcoming

It's imperative that all centers, programs and initiatives have procedures and ongoing tasks in place to protect the health and safety of volunteers, donors, clients and members of the community. Coordinators and admins who are prepared can publish or list opportunities for virtual experiences or the COVID-19 option here.

  • Wipe Down Center
    It is uncertain how long coronavirus can last on surfaces (for this and other information, see the WHO FAQs: https://www.who.int/en/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public). In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus for those in your center, wipe it down with alcohol-based disinfectants both before and after it is in use. If you are using a tablet for volunteer check-in, make sure to sanitize it regularly. If volunteers or employees are using shared computers or tools, make sure they wash their hands regularly, use hand sanitizer, and wipe down their stations before and after use as well.
  • Tools & Supplies Clean-up
    It is also recommended the organization ensures all tools (laptops, tablets, phones, supplies and stationary) be wiped or cleaned per usage or activity. At the same time, individuals and groups who are committed to a program or activity should double check their workspace and tools are cleaned to protect their own safety and health.
  • Provide Disinfectant Wipes and Hand Sanitizing Solutions
    Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are almost as effective as hand-washing (although we always recommend that volunteers, employees, and clients wash their hands for at least 20 seconds as often as possible). Provide this to anyone engaging in your organization’s space to avoid transmission of the virus. In addition, provide disinfectant wipes so that any droplets containing the virus can be removed before individuals touch surfaces.

Scheduling

Schedule one-time and ongoing volunteers individually or in a group and do the reporting you need

  • Schedule
    Set up orientation dates, one-time events, or ongoing opportunities and post them in a calendar or list
  • Group Registration
    Enable individuals, clubs and business groups to create accounts to streamline registration and management
  • Kiosk or Mobile App
    Use a desktop, kiosk or mobile device to sign-in individuals, clock in or out volunteers, and track hours, attendance and other metrics

Applications

Set up and customize the onboarding and application form so individuals and groups can sign up

  • Custom Application
    Configure your membership or volunteer application to include an orientation video, inputs, waivers and other critical fields
  • Membership Payment
    Set up payment along with the application to fund additional items (t-shirts, background checks, and other items)
  • Review and Approve
    Review, edit, deny and approve applications to determine if they can join or be a member

Database

Collect and track all your data in one single place

  • All-in-one
    From event data and volunteer applications, to hours and attendance, we help aggregate and bring all the data together for you to review
  • Data Collection
    Configure the database to include additional variables and columns to track metrics and data you want from an administrative standpoint
  • Reporting
    Organize all data related to your volunteers and create, review and export reports to determine where volunteers are in the application process, how active they are, who the most active is, etc.,

Communication

Communicate and message specific individuals, groups and people with your tagging system

  • Message
    Communicate with specific individuals in an event or subgroup, create a listserv or filter by a common tag to reach specific individuals and groups
  • Email Templates
    Configure the emails you want to send out so they follow with the tone and verbiage aligned with the mission and goals of your organization
  • Automated Emails
    Determine if there are automated reminders and emails you should send out and customize

Subgroups & Individuals

Subgroups and individuals can create and oversee their own profiles to track, review and run their own impact reports

  • Organize
    Subgroups can be groups of people, programs, departments, chapters or categories. Subgrouping allows you to create a separate portal for individuals and members to join as unique stakeholders over a specific project or initiative.
  • Hierarchy
    Whether you use subgroups as a way to create unique pages for members or as a way to organize people, our hierarchy management allows you to show the connections, links and partnerships within your whole network.
  • Reporting
    Since each subgroup can be tied to a hierarchy or be independent, administrators or managers of the group have the ability to do their own reporting or to collectively pull all the data in the hierarchy together

Managing Remote & Virtual Volunteers

Managing Remote & Virtual Volunteers requires setting different expectations and procedures to ensure a successful outcome for the organization and volunteer.

  • Setting Goals and Expectations
    The best virtual and remote volunteer management efforts should have clear goals and expectations. In many instances, these opportunities should allow flexibility, with the focus on what is being accomplished vs. what is being done. For additional information, please review https://www.givepulse.com/virtual-volunteer or https://www.givepulse.com/remote-volunteer. If you are an administrator, your public opportunities can be listed on https://www.givepulse.com/list so they can be searchable here https://www.givepulse.com/search/virtual
  • Trust & Encouragement
    As with all volunteer activities, much of the management requires ensuring you have volunteers who meet your criteria, requirements and passion. When it comes to managing remote and virtual volunteers, you'll still need to perform this vetting, but the most critical aspect is building trust and setting guidelines on what is acceptable and not. For example, communicate any guidelines such as emails or chat messages must be responded to within 24 hours, use text for urgent matters, and no calls between certain hours.
  • Use Technology and Online Tools
    In today's fast-paced environment, there are many technology tools to help simplify communication (via email, phone or chat), project management tools (like Google Docs, Todoist, Asana etc.,) and web conferencing systems to enable face to face from afar (like Hangouts, Zoom or Webex). These technology tools can help bring people together from a distance, facilitate closer bonds, clarify progress, and enable a clear line of communication.
  • Communication Strategy
    Some projects require regular communication via email, phone or chat. It's best to have the technology tools described above to facilitate the ongoing conversation. Communication timelines will be dependent also on the volunteer and their time availability to have a scheduled cadence of calls or checkups. It's always important to have an agreement or guideline for setting communicating progress.
  • Create Community and a Support Network
    Remote or virtual volunteer may feel distant and removed. Empathize and appreciate their life by discussing family, commonalities and shared beliefs. Check in frequently using shared docs, spreadsheets, phone calls, chat, and video to invest in the relationship. Show you are supportive of their success by using inquiry to help them achieve their goals rather than check on their progress and numbers.
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