Each of your volunteer programs has to be well planned to ensure its success. But without having a clear idea of your goals it’s not possible. Moreover, every successful event is also dependent on proper volunteer scheduling. After all, it’s another crucial part of the whole process that has to be handled in the right way. However, if you are working with a larger group of volunteers, this task may become challenging.
A volunteer management platform is a great support for nonprofits. This type of software helps you streamline the whole process with minimum effort. Moreover, the task of volunteer scheduling will also become easy if you are using a strong and proper volunteer platform. That’s why choosing the right volunteer platform is necessary. Also, you will have to understand its features so that you can utilize them to assign tasks to all your volunteers.
If you have already chosen a volunteer platform, then it’s time for you to know how you can utilize it for volunteer scheduling. Continue reading and find a few useful tips that will guide you more about volunteer scheduling with technology.
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7 Useful Tips to Utilize a Volunteer Platform for Effective Volunteer Scheduling
- Easy Centralized Scheduling:
Nonprofits used to rely on spreadsheets, emails, or even simple phone calls for volunteer scheduling. But time has changed with the advent of volunteer software. With such software, you can easily avoid confusion and miscommunication. Moreover, this type of software provides you with a centralized location. You can utilize this space for perfect volunteer scheduling. Use this space to create, update, and share schedules. Above all, your volunteers can use this platform to view their assignments and can easily sign up for shifts.
- Customizing the Shifts is Possible:
Types of volunteer scheduling also depends on the requirement of nonprofits. After all, one size does not fit all. However, an advanced volunteer platform allows organizers to create customizable shifts. Moreover, the scheduling is based on the specific needs of each event or project. With this flexibility, you can also stay relaxed that you have assigned the right tasks to the right volunteers. This way you will also complete all your programs before the scheduled time.
- Sending Reminders:
You may have already witnessed that sometimes volunteers forget their assigned tasks. But that’s not ideal for your programs as you need to complete them within time. But with a volunteer platform, you can easily send them reminders about their assigned tasks. Advanced software has push notification features that you can use for sending reminders. Thus your volunteers will get notifications whenever needed. Moreover, keep in mind that the platform can automate reminder notifications. With this feature, you can keep your volunteers organized.
- Skill Matching:
Assigning tasks to the wrong candidate can ruin all your hard work. For this reason, skill matching is necessary. So, take the help of volunteer software and assign tasks based on their skills and interests. Moreover, this type of software will also allow you to know more about the volunteers. Also, take the help of the volunteer platform and its database to learn more about the skills. Based on the data you can assign tasks to the right candidates and also generate letters of recommendation for volunteers accordingly. Thus you are improving your productivity while your volunteers move one step ahead toward their goal.
- Analyzing and Reporting:
Making data-driven decisions is important if you want to succeed. With this volunteer platform, you can improve volunteer scheduling using its reports and analytics. This way you will also track the performance of each one of them. Based on their performance it will become easy for you to identify the most skilled and hardworking volunteers. This way you will be able to improve volunteer scheduling in the best possible way. Having a better understanding of these metrics is necessary to optimize future scheduling.
- Training your Team:
Assigning tasks using a volunteer platform is not the only way to handle your volunteers’ scheduling. You will also need to train them on how to use this software. So, once the volunteer joins the platform you must invite them to a training program. During this training, you will teach them how to use the volunteer software and handle their profiles. Thus they can easily check their assigned tasks.
- Make it Mobile Friendly:
To check their tasks the volunteer must not only rely on their desktops or laptops. If you are using a volunteer platform then your volunteers will be able to use it via their smartphones. That’s why, pick a volunteer platform that can be accessed through mobile apps or responsive websites. So, your volunteers can check their scheduled tasks using their smart devices.
Endnote:
A volunteer platform is a great tool that can simplify difficult tasks like volunteer scheduling. However, you will need to choose software that has features ideal for your organization. After all, advanced software will let you handle volunteer scheduling in the most advanced way. So keep in mind the points that we have shared here and plan accordingly. This way you will be able to manage volunteer programs in the right way. Above all, try to find the right software that can fulfill all the requirements of your nonprofit. Thus, volunteer scheduling will be simple and more fun.