With 8,000 active volunteers across two campuses, Nashville Rescue Mission uses VolunteerHub to simplify coordination for its one-person volunteer services department.
Since 1954, Nashville Rescue Mission has served individuals and families throughout the Nashville community. Volunteers are central to that work, supporting meal service, donation sorting, educational programs, faith-based activities, and special projects across the organization’s men’s campus and women’s and children’s campus.
Leading that work is Britney Gunn, Director of Volunteer Services. She oversees volunteer coordination across both campuses, supporting thousands of volunteers while managing scheduling, communication, check-in, reporting, recurring groups, and program requirements. Her role requires her to balance the administrative demands of a large volunteer program with the relationship-building that keeps volunteers engaged and connected to the Mission’s work.
“Volunteers are essential to every part of our mission. They help make our work possible across both campuses, every day," said Britney
Managing Thousands of Volunteers Across Two Campuses
Nashville Rescue Mission works with approximately 8,000 active volunteers each year. Some serve regularly, while others participate during holidays, school breaks, or special community initiatives.
Volunteers prepare and serve meals, sort donations and clothing, tutor program participants, support computer and résumé-building skills, lead faith-based activities, and contribute to special projects and events.
With two campuses, recurring groups, and activities taking place throughout the week, Nashville Rescue Mission must manage a wide range of volunteer requirements. Some opportunities require waivers, while others require background checks. VolunteerHub gives the Mission one system for organizing those details without pulling attention away from volunteers.
Creating a More Organized Volunteer Experience
When volunteers arrive, Britney greets them, helps them check in through the VolunteerHub kiosk, provides an introduction to the Mission, and connects them with the appropriate staff member.
VolunteerHub records registrations, attendance, and hours, giving the Mission more accurate participation data across its programs.
“Once volunteers check in at the kiosk, we have tangible numbers that give us a more accurate picture of participation.”
That visibility is especially valuable because she is a department of one and cannot be present for every evening activity or opportunity across both campuses. Having registrations, attendance, and volunteer hours recorded in VolunteerHub gives her a clearer picture of participation, even when she is not there in person.
Using VolunteerHub to Report Actionable Data
The organization needs volunteer participation numbers for monthly internal reporting, program planning, and volunteer recognition. Previously, accessing some of that information required assistance from the IT department, along with Excel formulas, pivot tables, and additional manual work.
The process could quickly become overwhelming.
“Trying to find the right Excel equations and build pivot tables felt like learning another language.”
VolunteerHub’s reporting and filtering tools make it easier for her to narrow results by date range, activity, volunteer hours, and other criteria. She can find the information she needs without relying on complicated spreadsheets or technical support.
That is particularly useful when identifying highly engaged volunteers for appreciation initiatives or reviewing participation across specific programs.
“Everything in VolunteerHub is so accessible for me. I can easily filter the information and find the specific numbers I need.”
Reports also remain current as volunteer activity is recorded throughout the day.
“I really love that the reports stay up to date as volunteer activity is recorded. I can see the current information without having to manually clean up the data.”
For a department of one, easier access to accurate reporting means less time working through formulas and more time supporting volunteers.
Simplifying Recurring Events and Group Registrations with VolunteerHub
Nashville Rescue Mission opens its volunteer calendar in six-month increments. Britney creates recurring meal shifts, chapel opportunities, and other ongoing activities for both campuses.
She also coordinates groups that may serve on the first Tuesday of every month, every other Saturday, or another recurring schedule. Some groups reserve an entire opportunity, while others use only part of the available capacity.
VolunteerHub allows her to create recurring events, reserve the appropriate number of spaces, and leave remaining positions open to other volunteers. She estimates that she can build six months of recurring meal opportunities for both campuses in approximately 20 minutes.
Multi-event management also makes it easier to update volunteer registrations or remove someone from multiple recurring events at once.
“I am impressed by how simple it is to manage registrations across recurring events in VolunteerHub. This feature alone saves our organization a significant amount of time.”
That flexibility prevents double-booking, protects space for returning groups, and keeps public opportunities accurate.
Leveraging VolunteerHub’s Sterling Volunteers Integration for Background Checks
Volunteers serving at the women’s and children’s campus may be required to complete a background check.
Through VolunteerHub’s integration with Sterling Volunteers, Nashville Rescue Mission can track eligibility as part of the volunteer registration process. Once a background check is approved, the volunteer’s status is reflected in VolunteerHub and used to control access to eligible opportunities. Because the screening results live alongside each volunteer's record, staff can confirm at a glance who is cleared to serve without cross-referencing separate spreadsheets or systems.
The integration helps the Mission protect the people it serves while keeping the process connected to the volunteer record.
Making Automated Communication More Personal
Clear communication is essential when volunteers need to follow specific safety and dress requirements.
For example, Nashville Rescue Mission requires volunteers to wear pants and closed-toe shoes while serving. Britney uses automated reminders to reinforce those expectations, particularly during warmer months.
VolunteerHub workflows allow those messages to be personalized with the volunteer’s first name.
“When volunteers see their name in the message, they are more likely to read it and recognize that it applies to them.”
That small change helps automated communication feel more direct while reducing the need to send individual reminders manually.
Helping Reduce Administrative Workload
After a year and a half of daily use, Britney describes VolunteerHub as intuitive, reliable, and easy to navigate.
She has not experienced recurring performance or technical issues and says the system has become the standard by which she understands volunteer management technology.
“It has been a well-oiled machine. Everything is easy to follow, and the information is right there at my fingertips.”
For her, the greatest value is the amount of administrative work VolunteerHub handles behind the scenes.
The platform helps Nashville Rescue Mission manage scheduling, attendance, volunteer hours, recurring groups, reporting, communication, waivers, and background-check eligibility in one connected system.
“VolunteerHub is efficient and accurate. It allows the system to do more of the heavy lifting so I can spend less time worrying about processes and more time working directly with volunteers.”
By reducing manual work and improving access to volunteer information, VolunteerHub helps Nashville Rescue Mission keep a large and active volunteer program moving while allowing its Director of Volunteer Services to remain focused on people.
