The Importance of Volunteer Management Software for Habitat for Humanity Affiliates

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Habitat for Humanity affiliates work with thousands of volunteers each year to help build homes and make a difference in their communities.

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Affiliates across the country work with dedicated volunteers who are passionate about changing lives but it can prove challenging for them to organize cohorts of volunteers, schedule volunteers for builds, ReStore shifts, and other events, and keep track of volunteer hours.

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That’s where volunteer management software can help. With the right software solution, Habitat for Humanity affiliates can manage their volunteers without feeling overwhelmed or worrying about how they are going to cover the shifts they need for their projects. With the right tools you  can view sweat equity group hours, pull reports for board meetings easily, collect waivers digitally, and reduce volunteer check-in time more than half. 

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The Most Impactful Tools: 

At the risk of sounding biased but we truly believe our volunteer management software is the best solution on the market for Habitat for Humanity affiliates. 

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That being said, this article will focus not on different softwares, but on the features and tools that are most impactful for a habitat for humanity volunteer program. 

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Here are six tools that will have the most impact on the efficacy of your volunteer program as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer manager: 

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• Mobile check-in: Civic Champs provides mobile check-in so that volunteers can check-in and out of shifts easily. When you’re on a crowded build site with volunteers and construction coordinators arriving and coming and going things can get lost in the shuffle. Enabling volunteers to check themselves in and out using their phones helps make your build more efficient. Mobile check-in automates the check-in and the check-out process using geofence technology so you can focus on a great build. Volunteers can check-in and start tracking their hours without needing to juggle a sign-in form with their hard hat, safety glasses, and protective masks. This feature is beneficial because it helps you track who has arrived for their shift, and it allows you to maintain accurate volunteer hour tracking.

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• Nimble Scheduling + Calendars: Your calendar is your foundation for a strong volunteer program. It’s where a great build and strong ReStore event start. Ideally your volunteer management system allows you to create various recurring schedules alongside one another so volunteers can view which shifts for builds and ReStore events have been filled and you can track exactly how many more volunteers you might need. Your scheduling and calendar tools should allow volunteers to sign themselves up or for admins to schedule volunteers as they plan the logistics of events. Learn more about how to schedule volunteers effectively. 

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• Mobile Admin Tools: Habitat for Humanity volunteer coordinators are juggling lots of moving pieces and logistics at once oftentimes between locations and on the go. A volunteer management system that supports admins through a mobile app will give you the best chance at coordinating successfully between home, the office, the build site, and your ReStore. Send messages, check volunteers in and out, and view calendars and shift information all from your phone. Mobile volunteer management has never been this simple.

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• Kiosk mode: Not only does kiosk mode help volunteers to check-in and check-out seamlessly without a sign in sheet and pen, it also allows volunteer coordinators to control the check-in process and automatically log volunteer activity and hours for future reports. Kiosk mode helps volunteer coordinators stay organized on site while saving them time in the office. A kiosk is ideal when you are running a community service or ReStore event where computers or ipads can be present at a check in table. 

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• Digital waivers: Before working on a build, your volunteers need to sign specific safety liability waivers. If your volunteers are minors, they also need to submit a completed waiver form signed by a parent or guardian. Digital waivers make it a lot easier to see who has completed required training, and they also allow you to store waiver forms for your volunteers who are under the age of 18. Digital waiver tools allow on-site volunteer coordinators to achieve peace of mind surrounding liability. Digital waivers enable you to shift your focus from worrying about liability to coordinating the best build possible. 

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Based on our research these features have proven to be some of the most transformative tools for Habitat Affiliates across the country from California to Kentucky. That being said, every affiliate has different needs and challenges based on size, resources, geography, and other factors. Check out our holistic list of volunteer management software solutions rated on cost, usability, and customer support. Feeling overwhelmed by features? Read our article on the three must have features in a volunteer management software. Want to understand what the cycle of  a successful volunteer management program looks like? Read that article here. 

Want to see how Civic Champs’ tools can transform your volunteer program? Book a demo now. For more on the Features our Habitat affiliates love, check out our Habitat for Humanity page.

As CEO of Civic Champs, I lead our team of passionate change leaders to create technology solutions to create a seamless and rewarding volunteering experience for both volunteers and service organizations.