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Angel Radford, Director of Volunteer Services at MUST Ministries, shares why they switched to VolunteerHub and how it’s helping them maximize volunteer impact.
Can you tell us about MUST Ministries, its mission, values, and goals?
Angel: MUST Ministries exists to serve our neighbors in need by providing emergency and supportive housing programs, addressing food insecurity, clothing needs, and workforce development in our community.
What is your role at MUST Ministries, and what does a typical day look like for you?
Angel: I am the Director of Volunteer Services at MUST. I lead a team of volunteer coordinators who handle day-to-day volunteer management. My role includes training and equipping our team, developing recruitment strategies, managing partnerships with corporate and church groups, and analyzing volunteer data to understand trends.
How many volunteers do you recruit annually?
Angel: Post-COVID, we average about 10,000 volunteers per year. While recurring weekly volunteers have decreased, we’ve seen an increase in short-term and flexible volunteers. Our organization relies on these volunteers to serve 70,000 clients annually, alongside our 100 staff members.
What types of roles do volunteers fill at the mission?
Angel: Volunteers support us in various capacities, including:
- Weekly roles: Serving in the food pantry, clothing closet, housing shelter, or meal programs.
- Seasonal or event-based roles: Assisting with monthly food distributions or events like the MUST Toy Shop, where 600 volunteers help provide gifts to families during December.
Why did MUST Ministries decide to switch from Volunteers for Salesforce to a new volunteer management solution (VolunteerHub)?
Angel: We used Volunteers for Salesforce for about 5 1/2 years. One of our biggest challenges with the volunteer module was that our volunteers could not access their volunteer information, review their schedules, and registrations, or cancel things for themselves. The only access was administrative.
Another pain point with it was we were never able to track group volunteer reservations at the level that we wanted to be able to track every individual who participated in a group. We wanted to improve our group management experience, but also have a way for our volunteers to engage with our volunteer management system itself, so they could self-manage their volunteer account.
So, there wasn’t a volunteer user interface in Volunteers for Salesforce?
Angel: There was not, and that was one of our must-haves in a new system. We needed our volunteers to be able to access their schedules and be able to self-cancel. We needed more of our staff members to be able to also access schedules and rosters. Furthermore, we wanted to improve the automated confirmations and reminders, as well as integrate the background check process that we use for our volunteers. Those were some of the things we needed a new system to help us do better.
What specific features or capabilities led you to select VolunteerHub?
Angel: Several factors influenced our decision, including:
- User Experience: Volunteers can access and manage their schedules easily.
- Background Checks: Automated background checks for 10,000 volunteers annually are essential, and your software provides background check integration.
- Group Management: Improved tracking of individual group members.
- Automation: Automated confirmations, reminders, and updates streamlined processes.
Additionally, I was impressed by VolunteerHub’s interface after observing it in action at peer organizations.
How was the implementation and support process with VolunteerHub?
Angel: The implementation process was excellent. The VolunteerHub team provided thorough training and answered all our questions. The support site is well-documented, and the response time to support inquiries is impressive—usually within hours. Overall, the training, support, and client success teams have been invaluable.
How do you measure ROI with VolunteerHub?
Angel: VolunteerHub expanded our ability to recruit volunteers by capturing data on group members who were previously untracked. For example, a single group contact might represent 30 rotating volunteers. Now, we can directly engage with all 30 individuals, significantly broadening our recruitment pool.
The time-savings and value-add have been huge.
Do you have any feedback or insights that might help organizations consider a volunteer management solution?
Angel: For organizations relying heavily on volunteers, a user-friendly and efficient management tool is critical. VolunteerHub addressed our biggest pain points and offered great value at the right price. I highly recommend it to organizations looking to streamline their volunteer operations.
For those interested in volunteering with MUST Ministries, what’s the process to get involved?
Angel: Visit mustministries.org and navigate to the volunteer page. Through VolunteerHub, volunteers can create a profile, complete a background check, and sign up for events in three easy steps.
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MUST Ministries exemplifies how effective volunteer management software can improve operations and enhance volunteer engagement. VolunteerHub provides the tools your organization needs to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and focus on making a greater impact.
