VolunteerHub has helped Loudoun Hunger Relief save hundreds of hours managing, communicating with, and engaging volunteers.
Loudoun Hunger Relief is a nonprofit on a mission to provide the healthiest food possible to the food insecure among Loudoun county. Loudoun Hunger Relief provides the community with several programs including emergency food assistance, extended care, food for the homeless, pet pantry services, nutrition and cooking education, pop-up pantries, senior delivery programs, and more. The nonprofit’s goal is to one day be obsolete because hunger has been eliminated. Until that day comes, Loudoun Hunger Relief will be a helping hand for individuals and families in need. Loudoun Hunger Relief makes a substantial difference in the community.
Last year, the organization provided approximately 1.4 million pounds of groceries with the help of 13 employees and 330 volunteers providing 11,000 hours of service. Loudoun Hunger Relief also receives support from financial donors that believe in their cause. They have been fortunate to raise over 1.1 million dollars to support their cause and increase their reach in the community.
Loudoun Hunger Relief utilizes the help of volunteers to fulfill a variety of roles including grocery picking and packing, sorting, working in the market, pick up and delivery driving, administrative support, and serving on the board. The organization currently has 300 people on their waitlist to become volunteers.
“Our volunteer program saves our organization around $230,000 a year. We wouldn’t be able to make the impact we do without the help and support of volunteerism,” said Carla Fortenberry, Volunteer Manager, Loudoun Hunger Relief
The need for a sustainable volunteer management solution
Loudoun Hunger Relief needed a process for volunteer management that supported their mission and goals for expansion in the future. Before deploying VolunteerHub, the organizations process involved manual one-off communications, inputting volunteer data into an Access database, and countless hours generating useful reports. The nonprofit’s Volunteer Manager was spending 70% of her day tackling this manual and tedious process. Loudoun Hunger Relief knew that there had to be a more strategic way to recruit, manage, and engage volunteers and quickly generate metrics based on their initiatives.
“Before we deployed VolunteerHub, I spent around 70% of my day sending emails, recruiting volunteers, and entering data into our Access database. VolunteerHub has eliminated that burden and allowed me to spend my time on engagement and revolutionizing our program,” said Carla Fortenberry, Volunteer Manager, Loudoun Hunger Relief
VolunteerHub’s solution made the most sense for Loudoun Hunger Relief
When Loudoun Hunger Relief was vetting volunteer management solutions, they had a few must haves on the list. First, the organization wanted a solution that would integrate with eTapestry to provide insights between volunteer and donor data. Second, the nonprofit wanted a solution that would match their brand and allow volunteers to self-register quickly. Third, they wanted a solution that would grow with them and be sustainable over time, as they developed new initiatives and need for volunteer support. Lastly, Loudoun Hunger Relief wanted a tool that could help streamline volunteer recognition and allow them to send birthday cards and other communications to their supporters each year. VolunteerHub met all of the needs that Loudoun Hunger Relief had and provided additional functionality such as volunteer communication, group features, and support.
Today, Loudoun Hunger Relief is using VolunteerHub to impact almost every aspect of their volunteer program.
“Our organization loves VolunteerHub and the new version has made the tool even better. I highly recommend and have recommended VolunteerHub to other nonprofits that want to streamline their management process.” said Carla Fortenberry, Volunteer Manager, Loudoun Hunger Relief
The Future Looks Great with VolunteerHub
Loudoun Hunger Relief is optimistic about the future and their ability to help people in Loudoun County through nourishment and education. The organization knows that with the help of VolunteerHub they can continue to optimize and streamline their volunteer program and invest hours saved into creating new programs that make an impact and provide support for the people that need it the most.
