Animal Welfare Professionals

We started looking for a system that would address the manual processes that have to be performed and have not been successful in finding an application that will address the above. Suggestions on the applications you use would be greatly appreciated.

Our organization, the rescue where I serve as the volunteer coordinator, needs a more efficient and streamlined system for managing daily sign-up shifts and fundraising events. Currently, we rely on a highly manual process that involves paper sign-up sheets being transferred to an online calendar. This process is time-consuming and prone to errors.

One of the major challenges we face is the need for volunteers to call, text, or email to change or cancel their shifts. This often happens within a short time frame, making it difficult to find replacements. Additionally, there is a risk of missed notifications, leading to unfilled shifts. Removing volunteers from the online calendar is also a manual task that requires accessing the program and deleting entries individually.

Furthermore, the sign-in process for each shift is done manually using a paper sheet, where volunteers record their name, time in, time out, and the tasks they completed. This information then needs to be manually entered into a spreadsheet to document total volunteer hours. This manual data entry is time-consuming and leaves room for errors.
In addition to managing shifts, we also struggle with tracking fundraising events. Currently, we rely on email communication to keep track of event details, which then need to be manually entered into a spreadsheet. This process is prone to missing emails and can lead to incomplete or inaccurate event records.

Recognizing the need for a more efficient and automated system, we have been actively searching for an application that can address these challenges. However, we have not yet found a suitable solution that meets our requirements.

#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

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Ginger Higgins
Program Associate
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
GA
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Hey Ginger!

I know exactly what you're dealing with! My organization was similar when I first started a few years back. There are a TON of volunteer management systems out there that will offer what you're looking for and then some. It all depends on budget. Better Impact is a great system that offers exactly what you're looking for and it's one that  has capabilities to give volunteer badges for completing trainings, you can create online learning modules, etc. 

That being said, a great starter option that's a bit more economical is Volgistics. We currently use that and it's awesome because it's so customizable. Volunteers can sign up for shifts based on what roles you assign them. They can also download a free app to use on their phones or sign up/remove themselves from shifts on a computer at your rescue. The great thing about it too, is that you can customize it to alert you or whoever needs to know, when a volunteer signs up or removes themselves so if you need to know immediately, it has that feature. We love it because we don't need dog walkers at 5 in the morning, just like we don't need 10 volunteers to just work a table at a festival. We can control the number of shifts, times, and who can sign up for them. If you want more information on this just let me know. The flip side to Volgistics is that there is no customer service to call. It's all done via help tickets online which can be quite annoying. That said, I've broken the system in all ways now so I'm pretty confident whatever you need, I can help you with it. Lastly, it's the same system we use for our application, we can send email, text, or app notifications straight to our volunteers all under the same platform. 

Good luck on your search! 

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Sarah Sukhram
Vol. & Foster Coordinator
Pasco County Animal Services
Land O' Lakes, FL
https://www.pascocountyfl.net/408/Animal-Services
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Thanks Sarah !!  I am going to check out Volgistics.

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Ginger Higgins
Program Associate
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-30-2023 05:11 AM
From: Sarah Sukhram
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

Hey Ginger!

I know exactly what you're dealing with! My organization was similar when I first started a few years back. There are a TON of volunteer management systems out there that will offer what you're looking for and then some. It all depends on budget. Better Impact is a great system that offers exactly what you're looking for and it's one that  has capabilities to give volunteer badges for completing trainings, you can create online learning modules, etc. 

That being said, a great starter option that's a bit more economical is Volgistics. We currently use that and it's awesome because it's so customizable. Volunteers can sign up for shifts based on what roles you assign them. They can also download a free app to use on their phones or sign up/remove themselves from shifts on a computer at your rescue. The great thing about it too, is that you can customize it to alert you or whoever needs to know, when a volunteer signs up or removes themselves so if you need to know immediately, it has that feature. We love it because we don't need dog walkers at 5 in the morning, just like we don't need 10 volunteers to just work a table at a festival. We can control the number of shifts, times, and who can sign up for them. If you want more information on this just let me know. The flip side to Volgistics is that there is no customer service to call. It's all done via help tickets online which can be quite annoying. That said, I've broken the system in all ways now so I'm pretty confident whatever you need, I can help you with it. Lastly, it's the same system we use for our application, we can send email, text, or app notifications straight to our volunteers all under the same platform. 

Good luck on your search! 

------------------------------
Sarah Sukhram
Vol. & Foster Coordinator
Pasco County Animal Services
Land O' Lakes, FL
https://www.pascocountyfl.net/408/Animal-Services
------------------------------

I'm at a pretty large organization with ~1,000 volunteers so having an organized scheduling process is mandatory. We used Volgistics for years but in 2020 switched over to Better Impact https://www.betterimpact.com/. Having used both extensively, I prefer Better Impact even though both share a lot of the same functions. 

Benefits: 

Volunteers can login and schedule and remove themselves

I can see the day or month at a glance per position to see who I have scheduled or where I'm lacking help that day. 

We can mass communicate with volunteers. 

I can see volunteers currently clocked in so I know who's here. 

Obviously hours and all that good stuff is tracked easily. 

I don't think you can go wrong with Volgistics or Better Impact. 

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Ami Manivong
Feline Population Coordinator
Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
Colorado Springs, CO
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Thanks Amy !!  We are very small organization in comparison to you.

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Ginger Higgins
Program Associate
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-30-2023 01:50 PM
From: Ami Manivong
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

I'm at a pretty large organization with ~1,000 volunteers so having an organized scheduling process is mandatory. We used Volgistics for years but in 2020 switched over to Better Impact https://www.betterimpact.com/. Having used both extensively, I prefer Better Impact even though both share a lot of the same functions. 

Benefits: 

Volunteers can login and schedule and remove themselves

I can see the day or month at a glance per position to see who I have scheduled or where I'm lacking help that day. 

We can mass communicate with volunteers. 

I can see volunteers currently clocked in so I know who's here. 

Obviously hours and all that good stuff is tracked easily. 

I don't think you can go wrong with Volgistics or Better Impact. 

------------------------------
Ami Manivong
Feline Population Coordinator
Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region
Colorado Springs, CO
------------------------------

Hi Ginger.

We are a small organization with just over 50 volunteers (it fluxuates) Pre-pandemic, we were also paper heavy and tracking hours and volunteers was labor intensive as well as inaccurate.

Our volunteer numbers had dropped drastically during the pandemic, so we decided itcwas a good time to uodste policies/procedures and invest in a volunteer management system,  Volgistics. It's easy to set up, create and adjust volunteer shifts  and it's economical per month plus it's month to month. 

Volgistics has added a Volunteer Check List which we love. This allows us to track volunteer trainings and requirements at a glance.  We also upload documents, like applications, release forms and handbook receipts ect... 

Someday, we may transition to BetterImpact, for for now we will stick with Volgistics.

Good luck! 

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ann traynor-plowman
------------------------------

Thanks Ann !!  Definitely going to look into Volgistics.

------------------------------
Ginger Higgins
Program Associate
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2023 02:39 AM
From: ann traynor-plowman
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

Hi Ginger.

We are a small organization with just over 50 volunteers (it fluxuates) Pre-pandemic, we were also paper heavy and tracking hours and volunteers was labor intensive as well as inaccurate.

Our volunteer numbers had dropped drastically during the pandemic, so we decided itcwas a good time to uodste policies/procedures and invest in a volunteer management system,  Volgistics. It's easy to set up, create and adjust volunteer shifts  and it's economical per month plus it's month to month. 

Volgistics has added a Volunteer Check List which we love. This allows us to track volunteer trainings and requirements at a glance.  We also upload documents, like applications, release forms and handbook receipts ect... 

Someday, we may transition to BetterImpact, for for now we will stick with Volgistics.

Good luck! 

------------------------------
ann traynor-plowman
------------------------------

You're welcome! I'm pretty good at the ins/outs of Volgistics, so feel free to touch base if you have questions. 

Good luck!

Ann

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ann traynor-plowman
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-04-2023 12:52 PM
From: Ginger Higgins
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

Thanks Ann !!  Definitely going to look into Volgistics.

------------------------------
Ginger Higgins
Program Associate
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
GA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2023 02:39 AM
From: ann traynor-plowman
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

Hi Ginger.

We are a small organization with just over 50 volunteers (it fluxuates) Pre-pandemic, we were also paper heavy and tracking hours and volunteers was labor intensive as well as inaccurate.

Our volunteer numbers had dropped drastically during the pandemic, so we decided itcwas a good time to uodste policies/procedures and invest in a volunteer management system,  Volgistics. It's easy to set up, create and adjust volunteer shifts  and it's economical per month plus it's month to month. 

Volgistics has added a Volunteer Check List which we love. This allows us to track volunteer trainings and requirements at a glance.  We also upload documents, like applications, release forms and handbook receipts ect... 

Someday, we may transition to BetterImpact, for for now we will stick with Volgistics.

Good luck! 

------------------------------
ann traynor-plowman

Thank you so much Ann !!  

------------------------------
Ginger Higgins
Program Associate
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-04-2023 02:57 PM
From: ann traynor-plowman
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

You're welcome! I'm pretty good at the ins/outs of Volgistics, so feel free to touch base if you have questions. 

Good luck!

Ann

------------------------------
ann traynor-plowman
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 12-04-2023 12:52 PM
From: Ginger Higgins
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

Thanks Ann !!  Definitely going to look into Volgistics.

------------------------------
Ginger Higgins
Program Associate
Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF)
GA


Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2023 02:39 AM
From: ann traynor-plowman
Subject: Does your organization use an application for daily sign-up shifts and/or fundraising events?

Hi Ginger.

We are a small organization with just over 50 volunteers (it fluxuates) Pre-pandemic, we were also paper heavy and tracking hours and volunteers was labor intensive as well as inaccurate.

Our volunteer numbers had dropped drastically during the pandemic, so we decided itcwas a good time to uodste policies/procedures and invest in a volunteer management system,  Volgistics. It's easy to set up, create and adjust volunteer shifts  and it's economical per month plus it's month to month. 

Volgistics has added a Volunteer Check List which we love. This allows us to track volunteer trainings and requirements at a glance.  We also upload documents, like applications, release forms and handbook receipts ect... 

Someday, we may transition to BetterImpact, for for now we will stick with Volgistics.

Good luck! 

------------------------------
ann traynor-plowman