5 Ways Food Banks Can Benefit From Volunteer Management Software

Food banks have played a pivotal role in our communities for decades, and they will continue to positively impact the millions of people who struggle with food insecurity each year. According to the USDA, over 10% of households in America worked with food security at some point in 2018. Thanks to food banks, many families could put food on the table when needed. Food banks provide essential services, but many logistical headaches stand in the way of making the actual impact they seek to make. Fortunately, investing in volunteer management software can help your organization run smoothly and help even more people struggling with hunger.

1. Efficient Volunteer Signup & Onboarding

Onboarding new volunteers, especially when there are spikes in food insecurity, can help food banks stay afloat when their workload increases. Unfortunately, the recruitment process is often costly and time-consuming. Many volunteer coordinators spend hours exchanging emails and phone calls with potential volunteers, only to have most of their prospects fall through. Volunteer management software can efficiently handle the onboarding process; no calls are required.

From customizing an online signup form to collecting necessary information and simple volunteer screening to automated volunteer notifications, let the software do the heavy lifting. This will free up your staff’s time to focus on the mission: fighting hunger.

2. Prompt Volunteer Shift Scheduling

Another significant inefficiency many nonprofits face is in creating volunteer schedules. Volunteers commit to a block of time, but many back out last minute or don’t show up. This can throw off your organization’s plans and procedures, and it’s a recurring headache that comes with managing volunteers. Fortunately, volunteer management software allows volunteers to schedule themselves. They can find time slots that align with their schedules and cancel shifts when needed. This not only saves your organization time but also makes your volunteers feel more empowered and responsible.

3. Quick and Easy Two-Way Communication with Volunteers

During shifts, communicating with volunteers is critical to keeping everyone on the same page and reducing confusion, leading to costly mistakes and inefficiencies. Real-time, two-way communication between staff and volunteers ensures that volunteers get prompt answers to questions on the job and that issues resolve quickly. Supporting your volunteer in their work is essential to ensuring they feel equipped to tackle any problem that comes their way, even when they are out in the community delivering food. 

4. Effective Maintenance of Volunteer Engagement

While recruitment is vital in obtaining new volunteers, maintaining volunteers for the long-run should be a priority for every nonprofit. High turnover rates of volunteers lead to constant training, costing your organization valuable time and money. Retaining volunteers doesn’t have to mean offering incentives and prizes. Instead, volunteers stay when they feel engaged and appreciated. Volunteer management software can play a role in this too.

Volunteer management software, like the one offered by Bloomerang Volunteer, allows you to keep track of notes about your volunteers and monitor their performance. From there, you can see who your top supporters are and send them personalized words of encouragement and praise. These small messages can go a long way in the hearts and minds of your volunteers. 

5. Seamless Data Management and Reporting

Along with keeping your volunteers engaged, volunteer management software makes keeping track of data easy. With volunteer management software, you can see how many hours each volunteer has worked and data on collective volunteer impact. You can then share that data on social media or in a yearly report, which could provide momentum and motivation for current volunteers and encourage new people to sign up. Current and potential donors also love data, especially when it displays evidence of your organization’s impact on the community.

The Bloomerang Difference

Bloomerang Volunteer’s Management Solution is an affordable, comprehensive management tool that helps take the headaches out of managing volunteers. With this software, you no longer have to worry about screening prospective volunteers, manually creating and adjusting schedules, finding effective two-way communication, keeping track of volunteer engagement, or collecting and compiling volunteer data.

If you’d like to learn more about what Bloomerang’s products can do for you, contact us today!