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Partners for World Health (PWH) is a Maine-based nonprofit with a powerful dual mission: reduce medical waste and improve access to healthcare around the world. Founded in 2009, the organization collects surplus medical supplies and equipment and redistributes them to underserved communities locally and globally.
We recently had the opportunity to speak with Samantha Lassey, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at PWH, about the organization’s impact, the essential role volunteers play, and how VolunteerHub helps streamline volunteer management.
Can you tell me a little bit about Partners for World Health and your role within the organization?
Samantha: I’m the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator and have been with Partners for World Health for about five months. My role involves making sure all volunteers are properly signed up on VolunteerHub, answering questions, coordinating volunteer groups, and leading orientation sessions.
In addition to volunteer coordination, I support operations—helping take in donations, running the autoclave, and more. It’s a mix of responsibilities, but they all work together toward the same goal.
What is the mission of Partners for World Health?
Samantha: Our mission is helping others lead healthy lives on a healthy planet. It’s a two-fold focus. On one hand, we’re working to reduce medical waste by keeping supplies out of landfills. On the other, we’re providing access to healthcare for people who otherwise wouldn’t have it—whether due to geographic, political, or economic barriers.
A lot of people don’t realize how much medical waste is generated in the U.S. Everything that enters a patient room often has to be discarded, even if it’s unused. We step in to collect and repurpose those supplies so they don’t go to waste.
What are the five core pillars of your organization?
Samantha: Our five core pillars at Partners for World Health are:
- Global Health – We ship 40-foot containers of medical supplies to health facilities worldwide. These shipments are requested by organizations, packed entirely by volunteers, and customized to each recipient's needs.
- Local Health – We run a medical equipment purchase program, offering items like wheelchairs and crutches to residents at 80–90% off retail.
- Environmental – We work with over 150 healthcare facilities in New England to collect surplus supplies and reduce landfill waste.
- Humanitarian – Through medical service trips, we provide education and hands-on care. One initiative, Project 10,000, supports pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa with birthing kits and prenatal education.
- Education – We raise awareness about medical waste and provide training to healthcare providers and the public.
What kind of measurable impact have you seen recently?
Samantha: In 2024 alone, we’ve shipped 29 containers of medical supplies—our highest ever. That’s over $7.36 million in donated equipment just this year. Since 2010, we’ve sent 150 shipments, diverting more than 3 million pounds of supplies from landfills.
We’ve also sold affordable equipment to over 800 Mainers this year and continue to grow those numbers.
How many volunteers are involved at Partners for World Health?
Samantha: We have around 150 “regular” volunteers—people who come in weekly, some even 4–5 times per week. We also have about 1,500 volunteers registered in our VolunteerHub system.
In 2024, our volunteers contributed over 41,000 hours, which we estimate is the equivalent of 20 full-time staff members. That’s huge for a nonprofit. Volunteers are the backbone of our organization.
What roles do volunteers fill daily?
Samantha: It varies widely! We have volunteers who sort, label, and repackage supplies. We also have “category owners” who oversee specific medical inventory categories, and “macro sorters” who sort incoming donations.
Others help by driving vans to collect supplies or by sewing hospital sheets from donated linens. We try to find the right fit for each volunteer and match them to roles based on their interests or skills.
What challenges were you facing before using VolunteerHub?
Samantha: Before VolunteerHub, all of our volunteer hours were tracked on paper sign-in sheets, which made accurate tracking difficult and often led to underreported hours.
There was also no clear system for scheduling. Volunteers would just show up, and we’d figure things out in real-time. It made it hard to prepare tasks and organize staff time effectively.
How has VolunteerHub helped solve those challenges?
Samantha: VolunteerHub has completely streamlined our volunteer program operations. We can now plan for each day by checking who’s signed up and preparing tasks accordingly.
It’s also made it so much easier to track hours accurately, which is critical for grant reporting. And we’re better able to match volunteers to specific projects by viewing their profiles and background information.
How was your experience learning and implementing the software?
Samantha: It’s been great. The software is very user-friendly, and when I ran into a setup issue with event groups vs. user groups, the VolunteerHub support team was incredibly helpful. After an optimization session with Matt, everything was much clearer and more efficient.
What’s the ROI of using VolunteerHub?
Samantha: 100% worth the investment. VolunteerHub allows us to track hours for grant applications, prepare tasks in advance, and better engage our volunteers. It supports nearly every aspect of our operation.
What are your future goals for using VolunteerHub?
Samantha: We’d love to get more group volunteers using our VolunteerHub landing pages. Right now, corporate groups often use internal systems, so we miss out on capturing their contact info for future engagement.
We’re also looking into using kiosk check-in, which would further streamline tracking, and we eventually want to merge our medical service trip logistics into VolunteerHub too.
How has VolunteerHub improved the experience for your volunteers?
Samantha: It’s all self-service, which makes things easier for both the volunteers and our team.
A recent article in the local paper brought a ton of interest, and thanks to VolunteerHub, people were able to sign up right away—without phone calls or emails. It’s made the onboarding process so much smoother and increased participation.
Ready to transform your volunteer program?
Partners for World Health 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.
