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VolunteerSpotlight | Floating Homes Association

Cheers to FSA for relying on VolunteerSpot to give an extra hand in their volunteer needs.

Please tell us about your organization and your event.

Floating Homes Association (FHA) is an annual event that supports floating homeowners or "houseboats" near Sausalito. This is the 31^st year and will feature a tour of ten homes, along with music and an art show. All proceeds go the Friends of the Marin City Library and to Sausalito Village – a volunteer-based non-profit organization helping older residents stay in their homes and live independently.  

What are your volunteer needs and how do you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate them?

We utilize over 230 volunteers, and there is a great volunteer party after the event! We send out a notice to over 900 former volunteers and those interested in helping through VolunteerSpot to help us put on the show. Last year was our first year using VolunteerSpot and we filled 99% of our positions!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

A committee member found it online last year and everyone seemed to like it a lot! The help I received from VolunteerSpot was quick, effective and I appreciated it very much.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Keep smiling!

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

The FHA tour is a unique, eye-opening experience. If someone has never been on a floating home, the mental image they have is most likely inaccurate. In Sausalito, the floating homes range from funky to luxurious and all are interesting. Volunteer shifts are 3 hours, and volunteers get to take the tour for free, as well as enjoy the post-tour volunteer party.

We salute the Floating Homes Association and all the other volunteers making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Akwaaba

Cheers to Akwaaba for using VolunteerSpot for their volunteering needs.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Akwaaba is a welcoming space held by volunteers for refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants. We stay true to the word’s meaning of “Welcome,” and connect community members in East London. We aim to eliminate isolation and offer emotional support to those in need. Approximately 15 volunteers and over 40 visitors help prepare meals, share experiences and participate in workshops each Sunday.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

Our volunteers sign up for various roles required on the day (kitchen helpers, wash-up volunteers, welcome volunteers, children's supervisors, English teachers, bike mechanics, clothes distribution volunteers) up to 4 weeks in advance.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

Since Akwaaba is a non-hierarchical organisation, we liked how volunteers can use VolunteerSpot to decide when and in what capacity they can offer their time on their own terms. We encourage regular commitment, but VolunteerSpot is flexible so if people need to take time off, they can do so. It is straightforward to set up so we do not need to have a 'volunteer coordinator' and it is easy to adjust the rotation in response to the changing needs of our visitors.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

If you can't find an organisation in your area to volunteer for, set something up! Tools like VolunteerSpot make it really easy to bring people together and in my experience there is a lot of enthusiasm out there!

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

We're looking for a treasurer! If you are based in London, England, and are motivated to help refugees and asylum seekers in your area, contact [email protected]. We also accept donations, which we put towards food/activity costs.

We salute Akwaaba and all the other organizations making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Wesley Medical Research

VolunteerSpotlight | Wesley Medical Research

Please tell us about your organization and volunteer needs.

Wesley Medical Research (WMR) is a non-profit organization that encourages clinicians and health professionals throughout UnitingCare Health hospitals to initiate research that improves clinical care for patients. We heavily rely on volunteers to help maximize donations and funding for medical research projects.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

One of WMR’s biggest events is the gift-wrapping benefit at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in the western suburbs of Brisbane. This fundraiser requires over 400 shifts and 150 volunteers, so we needed a proficient way to organize all of our volunteers.

Why did you use VolunteerSpot?

We reviewed a number of online recruitment sites and found that VolunteerSpot was the easiest to use and maintain, so we decided to give it a try!

One piece of advice for volunteers or their leaders

In addition to VolunteerSpot’s automated reminders, we found that sending SMS messages the day before a shift helped eliminate no shows.

What else would you like to tell readers?

After using VolunteerSpot we could never go back to manual coordination and spreadsheets! Give it a try today!

We salute WMR and all the other organizations making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Tim Horton Children's Foundation

Cheers to the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation for using VolunteerSpot to help organize their camps!

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

The Tim Horton Children’s Foundation was founded in the 70s to honor the hockey player Tim Horton and his love for children. The first camp was formed in Ontario and welcomed 200 campers, which has expanded to six camps across Canada. We host 18,000 young adults from low-income families and rely on nearly 1,000 volunteers to enrich their experience by organizing over 40 events each year.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate volunteers.

Our volunteer website links to VolunteerSpot sign-ups so volunteers can sign up on their own time and receive automatic confirmations and reminders. We want volunteers to be able to register for a time slot that is timely convenient in addition to geographically convenient. We have four different camps in four different time ones and two countries, so VolunteerSpot helps keep all of our lists in one place.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

After comparing the capabilities of the different online sign up systems, VolunteerSpot offered the most flexibility with set up, and is easiest for our volunteers to use. As we rely completely on donations from individuals and businesses, the no ad option was a plus as well.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Volunteers are unpaid not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless!

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

We heard comments last year such as: “It was the highlight of my year”, “Best day yet”, “I know the day only goes until 5:00 pm, but I’m staying later”, “Next year, can I come more often?”, “Those kids are so amazing! What strength they have”, “My day with the Youth Leadership campers was awesome. These boys have truly great leadership and communication skills.”

We salute THCF and all the other programs making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | SCCDC

Cheers to Dr. Mike Whitman for sharing how VolunteerSpot helps his organization run special events like the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition!

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs:

The Kennesaw State University Center for Information Security Education in the Michael J. Coles College of Business is the regional host for the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, as part of the National CCDC event.  As part of this event, we use between 50 and 60 volunteers that help setup, judge and tear down the computer equipment used in the competition. 

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

We’ve created two sign-ups – one fore general volunteers that help prepare for the event and one for judges that evaluate student teams in the competition.  By setting up VolunteerSpot sign-ups, we simplify the solicitation and tracking of volunteers by specifying how many volunteers we need on what days, and let the volunteers handle the self-selection of dates to volunteer for. Using this site has dramatically improved our ability to recruit and manage the large numbers of volunteers we need and helps keep my email in-box less full!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

We searched the web several years ago, and found VolunteerSpot.  After trying the free version for a year, we made the decision to subscribe during the competition season to take advantage of the extra features of the paid version. Essentially our needs outstripped the free version’s features and we found we greatly benefitted from the additional functions.

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Save yourself a lot of headache by using VolunteerSpot!  It’s easy to use and really easy to collect information out of, neatly organized in a useful format.  After having to manually manage volunteers for several years, we wonder how we did it before we found VolunteerSpot!

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

You have to be very flexible when working with volunteers. You may find yourself frustrated with the demands placed on you by the volunteers needing information, or demanding your attention. Save yourself some hassle by using VolunteerSpot.

We salute Dr. Whiteman and all volunteers making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | CSCS Basketball

Learn how the CSCS basketball program uses VolunteerSpot to help with their record keeping and other volunteer obligations.

Tell us about your basketball program and your role as a parent volunteer.

Colorado Springs Christian Schools basketball coaches work hard at practices and games teaching our kids to play the sport, developing them as athletes as well as men and women of character. We needed a system to list what, where, and when the coaches need help from the parents. In this case, they needed parents to run the clock and keep the book for the JV and C-Team home games.

How do you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate league parents?

I set up the site and then emailed the link to the coaches’ distribution list. It was fairly simple to do it this way. In addition, I monitored the sign-ups and kept the coaches informed on volunteer needs and statuses. The coaches were also able to check VolunteerSpot themselves at any time, so there was no need to wait on an email response.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

The head coach had used VolunteerSpot in the past and asked one of the parents to set it up for him. I checked it out and found that it was easy to organize and a good way for me to help him out – a small way to show my support for the team!

What other activities are you involved in as a volunteer?

At this point, I help with my kids’ basketball and soccer teams. In the past, I have been a room mom and helped with holiday parties and field trips. I didn’t know about VolunteerSpot at that point, but it sure would have made my life easier!

What’s one piece of advice you have for parent volunteers out there?

Keep people informed about the help you need before beginning tasks. Also, distribute duties into manageable pieces. For example, instead of saying I need someone to do the book for the entire season, break it up game-by-game to make it more acceptable to other busy parents.

We salute all the volunteer programs making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Street Children United

Cheers to Lia McLean for using VolunteerSpot to help her make a difference in children’s lives.

Street Child United is a global platform that gives children in unfortunate circumstances a voice, protection, support and the opportunities all children deserve. Through sportsmanship and the arts, their flagship event has been the ‘Street Child World Cup’ in South Africa and Brazil.

1. Explain your volunteer needs.

I coordinated Cambridge Ambassadors for Street Child United during the summer, where seven former street children from three countries – Burundi, Brazil and Pakistan ad the chance come to Cambridge for 10 weeks to study English at a language school and build leadership skills. One volunteer housed seven children and requested help with the provision of meals and snacks, English conversation, cooking and cleaning. We also needed volunteer support for transport to and from events and airports and with fundraising. This was a large project in terms of managing volunteers – over a period of 10 weeks doing a big variety of tasks.

2. How did you come across VolunteerSpot?

I was looking for an online system to manage registration and coordination of all my volunteers and found VolunteerSpot online. It provided a perfect platform for my needs – easy for people to sign up, simple to add explanations, tasks and diaries, and easy to track progress or make changes where needed. The reminders for the volunteers were really handy, and the coordinator was copied in so it was really easy to keep track.

3. Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

It was simple to use, secure and easy to explain to a large number of volunteers. It also worked well for a project with an extended time span of 10 weeks and catered to large and fluctuating numbers of volunteers with a variety of tasks. It was also easy to keep track of what was happening.

4. What piece of advice do you have for other volunteer coordinators?

Plan well in advance, keep it simple, explain the tasks well and make them seem easy. Mostly, make it sound fun! In addition, send thank you emails to follow up, keep an eye on progress at all times and make sure you are easy to get in contact if needed.

5. Is there anything else you would like others to know about your volunteer opportunities?

The project was a big success and the young people had a fantastic time. They all gained confidence and learned a lot of English – by the end of the 10 weeks all of them could hold a conversation in English with the help of our volunteers. It was incredibly rewarding for the volunteers to meet them. Thank you VolunteerSpot for helping to make this project such a success!

We salute Lia and all the other volunteers making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | St. Pius X Bazaar

Cheers to Linda for using VolunteerSpot to make her coordinating duties that much easier!

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Each year our church’s Women’s Club organizes a Bazaar, where I coordinate over 130 volunteers and vendors. The bazaar brings in over $45,000 and lasts three-and-a-half days, where 20% of our sales come from our Women’s Club members’ homemade crafts and 70% from vendor booths. Earned profits support different charities within and outside of our parish. We use our yearly profit to support various charitable causes within our parish and also outside the parish.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

VolunteerSpot helped organize all of our volunteers and plan tutorials so easily. We most ESPECIALLY appreciate the shift reminder emails sent two days in advance of each worker's shift. That saved me hours of reminder calls or emails!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I decided to use VolunteerSpot because a friend recommended I try it rather than resort to paper forms like in the past. VolunteerSpot was so easy to use! When I asked about one part of the tool, they answered immediately. I can’t stress how much we appreciate the shift reminders to our volunteers. 

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or leaders out there?

My advice for volunteer coordinators looking for help is to advertise to your members and tell them how easily it works. My second piece of advice is to be sure to print out the entire shift "Report" to use as your check-in document. That way you will have their phone number at your fingertips if the worker forgets to come or is late.

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

I'd like people to know that volunteering is rewarding and it really gives you a "good feeling inside" to know you are contributing and helping a good cause.

We salute Linda and all the other volunteers making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Branson High School

Cheers to Lynn Melendez for using VolunteerSpot to help the Branson High School’s Men Soccer Booster Club

Please tell us about your organization and volunteer needs.

I am the coordinator for the Branson High School Men's Soccer Booster Club, where we raise money to provide special sporting shirts for the soccer players, meals for game days, and supplies for beginning and ending of the season celebrations. We need volunteers to work concession stands at home and away sporting events.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot?

We rely on all of the parents to volunteer to work in concessions at least two times during the season. I listed each home game with the various time slots and number of volunteers needed for each slot, sent flyers home with the boys and I emailed those parents using VolunteerSpot. All I had to do next was sit back and watch spots get filled. I even receive confirmation emails and automated reminders sent to my volunteers! 

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

VolunteerSpot was a great time saver for me and made the organization process so easy! Without it, trying to get 38 players’ parents to volunteer can be quite a feat! It saved me hours of time making phone calls!

We salute Lynn and all the other teachers and volunteers making a difference in their communities.  Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpot | Maine Children’s Home

Cheers to the Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers for using VolunteerSpot!

Please tell us about the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers and your volunteer needs.

The Maine Children’s Home is a special place, where couples interested in expanding their families come together for an international and domestic adoption experience. Several couples come to seek parent counseling and consulting.

The Holidays are our biggest time for volunteer needs with over 300 volunteers organizing gifts for over 1,700 children in Maine. Volunteers start planning in October to make sure children 12 and under receive care packages with jackets, books, toys and other donations. In the summer, our volunteers also assist in our scholarship program, helping over 150 underprivileged kids in educational programs.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to support your work.

We use VolunteerSpot to help our volunteers self-schedule their time slots for Christmas-box packing, as well as for other projects throughout the year. It takes a great number of volunteers to fill the holiday wishes of over 1,700 children and this is a great way to keep them organized!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I realized how frustrating the string of phone calls was and how many hours I spent on the phone communicating with volunteers. I searched for a solution, came across VolunteerSpot and my prayers were answered!

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Obviously, don’t just walk, but RUN to your computer and register for a VolunteerSpot membership today! It is probably the best thing I ever did for myself as a volunteer leader. And also, reward your volunteers and make them feel appreciated with small tokens of appreciation – snacks, drinks or personalized items. If you make them they feel like guests, they will really want to help.

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

Our organization could not survive without the kindness and generosity of our volunteers, so everything we can do to make it easy and enjoyable for volunteers helps us fulfill our mission.

We salute the Maine Children’s Home and all the other organizations making a difference in their communities.  Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Pathways Kenya

Cheers to Pathways Kenya for using VolunteerSpot in their annual fight for wildlife.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Colorado State University's Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources coordinates Pathways Kenya in support of fisheries and wildlife management, where we have volunteers from Africa and the U.S. assist in running the four-day conference for over 200 participants. We also had a training workshop for mid-career African conservationists and wildlife managers, where we have volunteers help organize as well.

Image courtesy of Pathways Kenya

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

I used VolunteerSpot for our conference and training workshop set up. It was a great way to give participants a fair chance of selecting their tasks and time slots since we have volunteers in different countries. VolunteerSpot made it easy to track hours and jobs for multiples sessions occurring at the same time.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I was looking for an on-line sign-up system that was simple to manage and use for an international audience. I was not expecting the amazing functionality offered by VolunteerSpot! VolunteerSpot allows customization and is reliable to keep things organized; it was the perfect platform for my global audience. I plan to continue using VolunteerSpot for all our future conferences.

What advice do you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

If you are planning an event that requires volunteers from multiple countries or states, VolunteerSpot is great! The site gives plenty of room for flexibility to use beyond traditional volunteer events. Any event where you have multiple people signing up for just about anything, you can use VolunteerSpot –potlucks, community fairs, farmer’s markets; the sky is the limit!

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

Our department will be hosting the Tourism…Naturally Conference in Alghero, Italy October 2-5. Tourism…Naturally is a conference designed to address the myriad of issues that arise as tourism businesses, infrastructure, travelers and hosts interact in overlapping economic, cultural, social and environmental spheres. Our mission is to increase professionalism and effectiveness in the travel and tourism field. We are currently accepting abstracts through April 2016.

We salute Pathways to Success and all volunteers making a difference in their communities. Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Park Square Theatre, Saint Paul, MN

VolunteerSpotlight | Park Square Theatre, Saint Paul, MN

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Park Square Theatre in downtown Saint Paul, MN is one of Minnesota’s largest non-profit producing theatres. We inspire one of the nation’s largest teenage theatre audiences (nearly 40,000 strong from all over Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota). Now with two stages and more than 400 performances, our volunteer ushering needs grew from about 600 slots per season to over 1,500!

 

Photo by: Amy Anderson

 

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

VolunteerSpot has been a lifesaver! Our old system required staff to manually enter all the shifts in the system and manually confirm and make changes. It was more than we could keep up with!! We just load the entire performance schedule in VolunteerSpot and the automatic reminders send out – it’s great!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I used VolunteerSpot as a volunteer at my church, which gave me the idea to use it to organize my Rotary Club meeting volunteers. When I learned about Park Square’s clunky system, I switched us immediately!

What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?

Volunteers want the best for you, but you need to stay on top of communication. Getting the basics taken care of with VolunteerSpot allows you more energy for things like volunteer awards, spontaneous prize drawings and other perks that will keep them coming back. You should also keep an eye out for the stars in your volunteer pool who might have leadership skills to take more initiative.

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

Park Square Theatre built its new two-stage facility in order to increase diversity on all levels – a wider range of stories and artists to give different experiences. We are one of the top theatre employers in Minnesota and we put more women and artists of color on stage more than any other Minnesota theatre.

We salute C. Michael-jon and all the other volunteers making a difference in their communities.  Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Histio Heroes

Cheers to Pamela Kurtz, Race Director for using VolunteerSpot to support her volunteering needs!

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

I am the Race Director for the Histio Heroes 5K – a 5K race raising money and awareness for the Histiocytosis Association. We use a lot (over 100) of race-day volunteers to put on our event. These volunteers help in several different positions – race-day registration, t-shirts, gear check, course marshals, finish line, etc., which all have different responsibilities and time frames.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers. 

I used VolunteerSpot to sign up my volunteers this year. I shared the link with different volunteer groups and our volunteers from previous years. Since VolunteerSpot was updated automatically, it was easy for volunteers to see what positions were still open and to send volunteers instructions through VolunteerSpot’s website. The process was very simple, and this step took me so much less time than it had in the past! 

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I wanted to simplify the way I kept track of my volunteers and liked the idea of volunteers signing up online. This allowed me to send out my request to different groups, and not worry about overlap or how to split up the list of positions. I checked out VolunteerSpot, and it seemed to be just what I needed!

What’s one piece of advice you have for folks organizing races and walks? 

You will need a lot of volunteers! The best way to get the numbers you need is to get some groups involved. VolunteerSpot made it so easy for us to have a few different groups involved and not end up duplicating spots or leaving any spots open. If for some reason you can no longer volunteer for the position you signed up for, please cancel out of it instead of just not showing up.

What else would you like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering? 

The Histio Heroes 5K is a run/walk along the Fox River Trail in Batavia, IL. in support of Histiocytosisis, a rare blood disease that can be deadly or can cause life-long disabilities. Patients are often treated with chemotherapy, radiation and bone marrow transplant. While this disease affects all races and ages, the majority of cases involve children under 10 years old. Because histiocytosis is so rare, it receives virtually no government funding for research. The Association receives most of its money from events such as this one, started by family and friends of those affected by the disease. If you live in the Chicago area, please come out to participate or volunteer!

We salute Pamela and all the other teachers and volunteers making a difference in their communities.  Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

 

VolunteerSpotlight | Simonton Elementary

Free, Online Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling

Susan, Special Education Teacher spends most of her time helping her students the best way she can at Simonton Elementary, Lawrenceville, GA. Find out how she is using VolunteerSpot to save time scheduling parent-teacher conferences.

Please tell us about your organization and coordination needs.

I work for Gwinnett County Public Schools at Simonton Elementary –a Title I school, where we are required to do parent conferences twice year. I use VolunteerSpot to set up my conference times so parents have the option to choose the time slot that they want. 

Please explain how you use VolunteerSpot.

I set up several different conference times over a period of four days. I send the link to all of my parents in an e-mail asking them to sign up and we also have a computerized 'daily report' for each child, which includes a link to sign up. 

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

Many teachers in my school send home a paper sheet asking parents to choose from several different times, the teachers then have to go through all of the returned papers and assign times, while at the same time trying to give the parents their first choice. I don’t have to worry about that with VolunteerSpot – it makes my life so much easier by saving me time, energy and paper!

What’s one piece of advice do you have for organizing parents?

My advice would be to use this 'free' resource! It makes life simple and easy, and you may end up getting more participants than you had originally anticipated. 

What else would you like people to know about your work in schools?

Public schools need your help; there are never enough volunteers or supplies. When a teacher asks for time, please give it to her. If a teacher asks for supplies, please consider donating as much as you can. If you, the volunteers and parents, don't supply these items, then everything comes out of the teacher's pocket. 

We salute Susan and all the other teachers and volunteers making a difference in their communities.  Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!

VolunteerSpotlight | Boy Scouts Troop 22

Cheers to Margie Flowers, Boy Scouts Volunteer, Des Moines, Iowa, 

Troop 22 is a branch of the Boy Scouts club and participates in a number of service and volunteer opportunities. All of these events require tons of support from volunteers, which is where Troop 22 seeks help from VolunteerSpot!

Tell us about your role as a parent volunteer leader with Troop 22.

I have been involved as a volunteer with Troop 22 since our middle son joined the troop. Our youngest recently went off to college and aged out, but my husband and I continue to stay involved because we believe in the mission of the Boy Scouts.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I found VolunteerSpot in a Google search and was pleasantly surprised by all of its capabilities that were also free! I felt like the programmers must have spent some time with non-computer savvy people to get a feel for how to make the experience friendly and comfortable for those of us who are not as familiar with all the bells and whistles and just want to keep things simple!

What kinds of Scout activities do you coordinate with VolunteerSpot?

We used VolunteerSpot for the very first time when we fundraised at the State Iowa Fair. I’m also using it to sign up volunteers for an activity we do every week – assist our charter organization with their weekly BINGO night.

What other activities are you involved in as a volunteer? How do you handle the parent 'juggle'?

I’m now in “Grandparent Mode,” which is a wonderful place to be! I only do the things that I want to, and when it is convenient for me! We raised five kids and as I look back I sometimes wonder how we managed to do it all but I guess when you’re raising kids you don’t have the luxury of wondering, you just do it!

What’s one piece of advice you have for parents considering volunteering out there?

If I were to offer advice to parents about volunteering, I would urge them to consider the impact their service has on the ability to offer some of the activities their children want to participate in. Many of them are not even possible without active volunteers. The biggest benefit I got from being involved with my kids’ activities is that I knew the other families. I knew which kids had values similar to ours and which kids needed a little more understanding because their families didn’t give them the same kind of love and support that my kids got.

We salute Margie and all the other volunteers making a difference in their communities.  Check out how VolunteerSpot’s Volunteer Software can save you time and stress and boost parent involvement in your school. Take a tour today!