6 Common Volunteer Management Problems - and How Lineup Can Help You Solve Them
While managing mass amounts of information using spreadsheets across multiple platforms is doable – it can also be draining on your organization’s time and resources.
It is something that Desmond Stewart, Lineup’s Account Development Director, has seen many times before.
“That way of doing things isn’t wrong, but when you look at the time, money, and resources going into the process, it’s important to ask yourself, ‘is there a better way to do this?’” Stewart said.
Since 2021, Stewart has worked with many organizations including Adobe, National Restaurant Association, and the Project Management Institute on finding a better way of doing things.
The thousands of conversations with clients over the years have made it clear to him that many organizations face similar challenges recruiting, vetting, assigning, and evaluating volunteers and subject matter experts (SMEs). Stewart outlined the top problems that he knows you’re experiencing and how Lineup can make volunteer management easier, faster, and more cost-efficient.
Problem #1: You Need to Cast a Wider Net for Volunteers
You need to recruit a diverse volunteer base which means you will need new strategies and tactics to reach a broader audience to recruit.
"Reaching as many people as possible from diverse backgrounds and skill sets is a critical advantage for any organization,” explained Stewart. “In many cases, the faster you can reach people, the better.”
To solve this problem, you will need a user-friendly, all-encompassing recruiting system.
The Lineup Solution
With Lineup, users can easily analyze their volunteer pool and intentionally expand their reach to diversify with:
Robust reporting on the diverse metrics that are important to the organization
Shareable forms that have unique hyperlinks that potential volunteers can easily access to submit information
Ability to embed forms into multiple platforms for easy useHow Lineup can help
Problem #2: Your Recruitment Process Lacks Transparency
When it comes to recruiting, an open approach helps your organization focus on skill alignment and avoid claims of favoritism when it comes to role assignment. To do this well, the “curtain” needs to be pulled back on the recruiting process to make it more transparent.
“More people need to be privy to the recruitment process so that organizations can be clear and firm that they are making decisions about the next assignment based on skills and qualifications – nothing else,” said Stewart.
The Lineup Solution
The Lineup platform:
Makes data-driven decisions more visible to stakeholders
Ensures a fairer, competency-based recruitment
Builds trust and strengthen ties that benefits both the organization and its volunteers
Problem #3: You Need a Better Way to Collect the Data You Need
Your organization is managing a ton of information from potential candidates and volunteers, so it’s critical to focus on the data that matters most to you.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) was sifting through mass amounts of volunteer information, making it difficult to see the unique backgrounds, skills, and experiences each person brought to the table. As a result, AILA kept asking the same people to do the same things every year and was missing out on valuable opportunities to engage new volunteers.
Too much data, especially data that isn’t relevant, makes it difficult to effectively manage a volunteer pool of any size.
The Lineup Solution
Stewart likes to think of Lineup as a “blank canvas” because the platform:
Defines the data attributes you want (certifications, years of experience, etc.) with a customizable database
Creates a more targeted recruitment process that aligns with the organization's needs
Matches the right volunteer with the right qualifications more efficiently
Problem #4: You Need to Sort Through Data – Fast
Even with the ability to control data, it can still be challenging to get a clear picture of your options and identify the best candidates for specific roles in a timely manner.
Take the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). The organization had amassed information for more than 1,000 SMEs who performed item writing and other tasks for its professional certification exams. With volunteers continually signing up and stepping into and out of projects, it was especially challenging to find and update volunteer data, let alone determine who was qualified for which projects.
The Lineup Solution
The Lineup platform:
Simplifies the sorting process with a robust filtering and reporting system
Gives you the ability to create saved-views on the data filters most commonly utilized
Enhances and streamlines the recruitment process
Problem #5: You Need to Improve Your Ability to Match Roles with Skills & Expertise
Whether it’s item writing for certification exams or populating committees, it’s important to align volunteer capabilities with your organization’s needs. According to Stewart, that’s one of the core values of Lineup.
“We want to help you find the right people for the right job to support you and your community in the most effective way possible,” he said.
The Lineup Solution
The Lineup platform:
Gives an in-depth view toa volunteer’s skills, abilities, and history in your organization, including performance, output, and evaluations
Emphasizes competency-driven decision making to pair volunteers into roles where they can thrive and make the most impact.
Maximizes volunteer productivity and satisfaction
Sarah Chuon, SHRM's specialist in exam development, found the access to more relevant data in Lineup made her job easier: “I can see the history of the SMEs and what they've participated in, and I can get the right people into the right projects. As I continue to collect more data, I can rate each person's strengths in the system and use that data to recruit more effectively."
Problem #6: You Need a Way to Improve Performance
To maintain a strong volunteer pool, you need to be able to adjust and make pivots based on needs, talent, and opportunities.
“Evaluating performance directly connects back to recruiting,” explained Stewart. “If you have a valuable, data-driven record of participation and performance, you’re able to make smarter decisions about what to do next.”
Many organizations need evaluation tools that go beyond the surface with customized surveys and team forms that can be easily analyzed.
The Lineup Solution
The Lineup platform:
Aggregates data from surveys and evaluations to gain insights into volunteer engagement, satisfaction, and performance.
Helps you to make better-informed decisions on recurring roles
Identifies potential areas of growth
For many years, the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) struggled to evaluate volunteer performance to determine which assignments were appropriate for each applicant. Lineup’s tool has made evaluations an integral part of how they manage volunteers.
"It's really helpful to see what's going on in the background of our volunteer activities," Shandee Trevino, BPS’s senior project manager for quality improvement says. "Lineup's evaluations are a huge help because now we know that a volunteer has done item writing before, but we can also see from their performance evaluation how well they did with their assignments."
Contact us to find out more about how Lineup can improve the way you manage your volunteers and SMEs.
