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VolunteerSpotlight | SISLT

Cheers to SISLT for using VolunteerSpot in their volunteer opportunities!

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe's main focus is to address women and children’s needs and raise money to help. Since we are an international organization, we have directed funds to other communities worldwide as well. 


In particular, we have provided staffing for four concession tents at the annual celebrity golf tournament and have continued to participate for the last 26 years. The event has been sponsored by a variety of companies over the years and lasts six days. This year we needed to fill about 490 five-hour shifts.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

After setting up the scheduling in VolunteerSpot, we send out invitations via VolunteerSpot to all of our members (about 100) and the SITS members. As the coordinator I love the fact that VolunteerSpot sends out reminders so I never have to worry about people forgetting. 


Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

A former member used VolunteerSpot with another non-profit organization for several years and suggested we give it a try last year. Prior to using VolunteerSpot, I was constantly connected to my sign-up binder. Now it’s all up to them - they can select their spots and change them whenever they need to - even in the middle of the night! Such freedom for me!!

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

Get familiar with VolunteerSpot before you get started - train your volunteers how to sign up beforehand and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

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

Our club is very active and hard working! We get some great celebrities for the celebrity golf tournament - this year the big draw was Justin Timberlake! We also teach an abduction-prevention training in all the 4-6th grade classes every year. We developed this training after Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted to make sure it never happened again. Jaycee’s mom helped us with that project. And we celebrated with a huge parade when Jaycee was found.

We salute SISLT 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 | Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County

Cheers to Collin County for Using VolunteerSpot's Free Volunteer Scheduling Software!

Since its opening in 1969, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County made a point to be a place where children could better themselves and reach their fullest potential. The organization still strongly stands by its original mission to help boys and girls in the area and uses VolunteerSpot to carry out their activities.

Please tell us about your organization's mission and your general volunteer needs.

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Our organization’s volunteer needs have a very wide range! Volunteers support afterschool programs, annul events, special projects and programs and so much more!

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to recruit and coordinate these volunteers.

We use VolunteerSpot to fill ALL of the organization’s volunteer needs! Whenever we are in need of volunteers we create a sign up sheet and then place the sharable link in our volunteer newsletter along with a brief summary of the volunteer opportunities/tasks. The reports available on VolunteerSpot make it easy to coordinate volunteers and track hours for each event!

We also have a VolunteerSpot button on our website, which allows anyone who visits our site to have access to current volunteer opportunities.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

It was the only system that truly thought of everything! We can do everything – from creating sign ups, communicating with volunteers, tracking hours, to even sending a thank you for all of their hard work!

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

One piece of advice I would give volunteers/leaders would be a quote from Gandhi – “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” And utilize tools that will help you do so, tools like VolunteerSpot!

5 What else would you like our readers to know about Boys and Girls Clubs or volunteering?

Volunteers play a vital role in supporting nonprofits, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County and we truly could not achieve our mission if it weren’t for the dedicated individual who we know and love as volunteers!

We salute Collin County 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 | Gallatin Legal Assistance Clinic

Cheers to GLAC for using VolunteerSpot with their volunteer needs!

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

The Gallatin Legal Assistance Clinic (GLAC) was established in October 2013 to help low-income families meet their family law legal needs by matching them with a volunteer attorney. Twelve to 15 attorneys give family members pro bono (at no cost) legal advice, assistance with documents and may help the client prepare for mediation or to appear in court. The attorneys help parents and spouses with divorces, parenting plans, delayed child support, adoptions and other family law matters. The clinic meets once a month and serves approximately 12 clients per clinic, and clients may come in repeatedly.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

We use VolunteerSpot as a registration sheet so our attorney volunteers can insert their names next to their proposed client's time slot. This helps the volunteer better plan their time, and allows them to do a mandatory "conflict check" to make sure there is no conflict of interest. We want to be as respectful as possible of our volunteers' time and VolunteerSpot really helps us do that!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

Our Supreme Court pro bono coordinator Patty Fain in Helena, Montana recommended it. The clinic functions on a shoestring budget, so a free program like VolunteerSpot is exactly what we need. We love that VolunteerSpot does automatic reminders – that saves the time for our volunteer coordinator.

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

Make it as easy as possible for your volunteers to sign up. Be grateful that VolunteerSpot sends reminders to everyone!

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

Our volunteers are grateful to have an easy way to serve others. They are all busy attorneys who work 60+ hours per week, but VolunteerSpot makes it easy for them to help the most vulnerable and highest legal need in our area.

We salute GLAC and all the other volunteers 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 | Williams Syndrome Association

Cheers to the Williams Syndrome Association for using VolunteerSpot to help raise awareness.

The Williams Syndrome Association supports those affected by creating a friendly environment to help raise funds and awareness about Williams Syndrome. In May 2015, the organization held a 5K marathon in efforts of bring attention to the cause with a little help from VolunteerSpot.

Please tell us about your big event, your organization and your volunteer needs.

We organized a 5K Trail Run/Walk and Picnic in support of Williams Syndrome Awareness Month in May at Bond Park in Cary, NC. It was a huge success! We had about 120 attendees and utilized VolunteerSpot for all our volunteer and food sign-ups. The website was very easy to use helped keep us updated. VolunteerSpot worked GREAT!!!

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

We set up a sign-up page with not only helper requests but also specific food items needed for the picnic based on the number of projected attendees.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

A previous coordinator suggested we VolunteerSpot for this event.

What’s one piece of advice you have for others organizing large events?

Start early! Also, look for company sponsors and verify attendance numbers ahead of time.

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

Be on the lookout for a Williams Syndrome Awareness activity in your area each May.

We salute the Williams Syndrome 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!

 

VolunteerSpot | Hortencia Castano-Urbanowiez, MBA

Cheers to the University Health System of San Antonio

The University Health System of San Antonio is a top-ranked teaching hospital that uses VolunteerSpot to organize volunteers for different community outreach events and services. Find out how they use VolunteerSpot to make their processes much smoother.

Tell us about your role as a volunteer leader.

The Volunteer Services director role is responsible of finding new ways to facilitate the volunteer on-boarding process. As you can imagine, the volunteer opportunities and process needs to be easy to access from any device.

How do you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate your volunteers?

We use VolunteerSpot to schedule potential volunteers for interviews, health screenings and orientations. The VolunteerSpot link is embedded into our hospital volunteer communication system. Volunteers receive the email and simply click on the VolunteerSpot embedded link to schedule an appointment. We like how it sends our volunteers reminders and has the ability to cancel or reschedule appointments.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

As we research different online tools, VolunteerSpot was easy to learn, accessible to different platforms volunteers use and affordable. We have also introduced VolunteerSpot to our Pediatric Child Life Specialist to schedule events.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your volunteering program?

University Health System is a nationally recognized teaching hospital and network of outpatient healthcare centers, owned by the people of Bexar County and ranked “Best Hospital in San Antonio,” and No. 6 in Texas, by U.S. News & World Report.

University Health System is committed to delivering patient-centered, culturally competent and high-quality healthcare for adults and children, based on a strong foundation of outcome‐based research and innovative teaching. University Hospital is the premier Level I Trauma Center for South Texas and the Health System is the region’s only healthcare organization to earn Magnet designation – the Gold Standard in patient care – from the American Nurses Association. Learn more at UniversityHealthSystem.com. 

We salute Joan 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 | Marshall H.S. Track & Field

Cheers to Krista, Marshall High School Track & Field

Organizing volunteers has never been this easy, according to Marshall High School Track & Field volunteer organizers. Learn how they make their meets run smoothly using VolunteerSpot.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

Marshall High School Track & Field has a spring season filled with meets. The track athletes’ parents manage the concession stand at home meets, where coaches use profits to purchase equipment and make track improvements that are not possible with just the school budget. The boys and girls teams had 66 athletes in 2015; when you account for siblings, there are about 55 families. We ask families to donate baked goods as well as work shifts at the concession stand during meets.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

At the start of the season, I created a VolunteerSpot account and set up an event for each home meet. I requested baked good donations and set up shifts and e-mailed the VolunteerSpot link to volunteers.

In the past, I used a spreadsheet to manage the volunteers, which meant that every time someone had a change in schedule, he or she had to send me an e-mail and I had to update the spreadsheet. It also meant no one else had visibility to how many slots were filled or who was working what shift.

With VolunteerSpot, it is easy for parents to sign up for a shift. If their schedule changes, they simply go online and make the change. They can see how many spots are open for each shift as well as who is working. It is also easy for me to print out a list of the workers for each meet. It was especially convenient that VolunteerSpot automatically sends reminder e-mails. One less thing for me to remember right before a meet!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

Our Music Boosters organization used VolunteerSpot for our Solo & Ensemble Festival. It worked so well; I decided to use it for the track season as well.

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

Try this tool—I think you will find it is really useful!

We salute Krista 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 | Community College of Baltimore County

Cheers to Jo Ann, CCBC, Baltimore, MD

The Community College Baltimore County (CCBC) of Maryland is a learning institution, which ranks among the top innovative strategy learning centers. Among instilling young minds, CCBC calls for various volunteering opportunity, which it turns to VolunteerSpot as an aid.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

On May 27, CCBC held its 15th annual Professional Development Conference and Fourth Annual Biennial President’s Cup Challenge. The conference provided all CCBC employees an opportunity for growth and development, and the President’s Cup is a series of fun and competitive game challenges — a Popcorn Relay, Water Balloon Toss and an Office Chair Race to name a few! We had more than 800 participants for the conference, and 11 teams with 11-15 people on a team for the games. Needless to say – that was a lot of people, so it was very important to have volunteers help throughout the days!

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

I’m on the Professional Development Committee, and I was the main Volunteer Coordinator for the event. I had two committee members who also helped me greatly, as this is my first year at CCBC and my first conference and President’s Cup. They helped me determine what volunteer roles would be needed, and what areas would require coverage from start to finish. Going over the conference timeline and the roles helped me determine how to arrange the VolunteerSpot times. Since our volunteers were also conference participants, it was important to request blocks of time, like an hour or two, so they can spend the rest of their time enjoying the conference and games.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

I was a volunteer in the past for an event and was given a link to VolunteerSpot. I liked the ease of going online to sign-up, and the reminder notifications. I had remembered using it in the past, so I looked into using it for this event. As we are a non-profit organization, and we had no budget for anything extra, the fact that we were able to use VolunteerSpot at no cost was definitely an added bonus.

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

For this day, we were never really in one place the entire time. We “moved” around on our campus – from the parking lots, to the conference location, to the classrooms, to the lunch location, then back outside for the games…it made it so much easier to delegate who went where and at what time without having to be with the volunteers since we had to be so spread out. I would suggest making sure your day is as well planned as the volunteers and roles needed for the day to make things go smoothly.

Check out CCBC on Facebook and Twitter @ccbcmdce!

We salute Jo Ann 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 | Interfaith Food Ministry

Cheers to Judi Wade, Distributor Scheduling Coordinator, Interfaith Food Ministry!

Interfaith Food Ministry works hard to eliminate hunger in the Western Nevada County with the help of its volunteers. In order to continue to organize effective drives, the nonprofit turns to VolunteerSpot to help organize volunteers and donations.

Tell us about your role as a volunteer leader.

The mission of Interfaith Food Ministry (IFM) is "Partnering Against Hunger" by distributing food to families in need. "Feeding Families, Fueling Hope." In 2014, we served 4,700 registered families. IFM has been serving Nevada County families for 28 years and is supported by 15-member churches, the community and local businesses. 

How do you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate your parent volunteers?

We use VolunteerSpot to schedule our distributors (those wonderful volunteers who distribute food to our families three days per week.) We schedule from 27-35 volunteers for each day that we distribute food. These volunteers have a choice of working three different shifts. As a result, scheduling can be complicated, but VolunteerSpot has simplified a complicated process and made it quite workable!

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

After trying another software scheduling program, we heard about VolunteerSpot and found it to be much more "user friendly." 


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

Volunteer Spot has helped us to administer and schedule our many volunteers. It is of immense help, simplifying a process that used to be extremely time consuming and complicated. Volunteers Spot helps IFM to make a difference and to "do good" in our community!

We salute Judi 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 | Delete Blood Cancer

Cheers to Jackie for using VolunteerSpot with her school's recent Bone Marrow Registry Drive!

Delete Blood Cancer started out by knocking on door to door in search of bone marrow donors and have transformed into a global franchise that helps thousands each year. With such a large expansion, Delete Blood Cancer looks to VolunteerSpot to help out with contacts and sign ups.

Please tell us about the bone marrow registry drive you needed volunteers for.

We were planning a bone marrow registry drive to take place over several days, so we needed lots of volunteers to cover all of the shifts. We anticipated needing 2-3 volunteers on each shift.

Explain how you used VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

 I listed the available shifts on VolunteerSpot and then sent the provided link to all the people who expressed a willingness to help. They could then go to the site and pick what worked for them.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

We decided to use VolunteerSpot because other groups in our school had used it before and recommended it. One of our committee members suggested contacting a parent who had experience with VolunteerSpot, but before doing that I checked it out myself. I found it to be really easy to set up and use through the whole event. And I loved the reminder emails that were automatically sent out to all volunteers!

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

This was my first experience using any kind of online sign-up for volunteers, and I couldn’t have been happier with it. I would recommend it to anyone who is organizing an event and doesn’t want to have to make dozens of phone calls and send out reminders, etc.

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

The organization we were doing the drive for is called Delete Blood Cancer. One of our parents at our school has lymphoma and needs a bone marrow transplant. There is currently not an acceptable match for him, so the best way to help him get one was to get more people signed up for the registry. You can link to the organization at deletebloodcancer.org.

We salute Delete Blood Cancer 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 | The Association of Public Safety Communications

Cheers to Angela Azevedo for using VolunteerSpot to make all of her organizations needs easy!

The Association of Public Safety Communications proves how volunteering is a basic necessity with all organizations and how challenging it can be to monitor all volunteering needs. Find out how the they use VolunteerSpot to lend a helping hand for their Western Regional Conference.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

I use VolunteerSpot to coordinate volunteers for our Western Regional Conference in Sacramento, CA.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

Our parent organization, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, used VolunteerSpot for our national conference in New Orleans last year. I was shadowing the volunteer coordinator and they showed me how the website worked. It was amazing!

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

If you're coordinating volunteers for a conference with breakout sessions, be sure to work very closely with the chair of programs. We had a slight problem of not having enough volunteers for the breakout sessions. While we were able to get standby volunteers on the fly, had we coordinated better, it would have been flawless.

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

The Association of Public Safety Communications is a national and international organization that focuses on all aspects of public safety, from the dispatcher to the officer, firefighter, supervisors and technical support staff. Every state has a chapter and most hold monthly meetings, typically with a vendor sponsor and a feature speaker. The meetings are informative and a way for everyone to network with other professionals. Visit: www.apco911.org or www.napco.org to find out more about us ... and support your local public safety official.

We salute Angela 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 | BC Interior Stars Hockey Team

Free Online Sign-Ups for Hockey Tournament

Cheers to 2006 BC Interior Stars, Kelowna, BC! The regional hockey team of British Columbia has a lot on their plate with rosters and schedules. Luckily, they have VolunteerSpot to help run things a bit smoother. Find out how the 2006 BC Interior Stars use VolunteerSpot as an extra team player.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs:

The 2006 BC Interior Stars AAA HC is a regional spring hockey team comprised mainly of players from the British Columbia interior region.  2015 will be the second season for the 2006 BC Interior Stars AAA HC.  The program’s objective is to assemble a team that represents the top players from their respective minor hockey associations in the region and compete at the AAA level in Western Canada in an enjoyable and competitive environment. 

How did you use VolunteerSpot?

We used VolunteerSpot to schedule volunteers for a four-day hockey tournament. We had 132 positions to fill. It was tricky to schedule since we needed volunteers in two locations at staggered times. 

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

VolunteerSpot looked the best and most professional!

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

Let all of your volunteers know when you will be sending out the email to everyone so they will be ready. Send out the email in the evening when everyone has an opportunity to sign up. If I had any complaints from the volunteers it was they didn’t have a chance to sign-up for the prime spots since they were working when I sent out the email. Let everyone know it is a “live” link and the spots go fast!

We salute the BC Interior Stars and all the other organizations 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 | Urban Roots

Cheers to Jacki Buchan, Program Director, Urban Roots ATX

Urban Roots is a youth development organization that uses food and farming to transform the lives of young people, and to inspire, engage and nourish the community.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs:

We bring together youth from diverse backgrounds on our 3.5 acre-farm and teach them how to farm sustainably! Our goal is to grow 30,000 pounds of produce annually, donating 40 percent of our poundage to local hunger relief organizations!

We have weekly Volunteer Days on our farm almost year round, and we hold two large events in which we need extra volunteer hands - Tour de Farm and Music By The Slice.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

We use VolunteerSpot to coordinate volunteers for Tour de Farm - our annual fundraiser held on our farm and for Music By The Slice - a third-party music festival that benefits Urban Roots.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

We really appreciate the ease of volunteer registration - we LOVE the individual shifts. VolunteerSpot is very user-friendly! It helps use save time on logistics - we always appreciate ways to save time!

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

Never be afraid to ask questions!! I love when our volunteers engage staff in questions about the work we do!

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

Please check out our website if you're interested in coming to our farm!!!

We salute Jacki 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 | The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii

Cheers to Sergio Alcubilla for using VolunteerSpot!

The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii is the state’s oldest and largest non-profit, public interest law firm with offices statewide; Legal Aid helps ensure justice and fairness for all by providing civil legal aid to the most vulnerable in our society.

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs:

In working towards the vision of building a just society; we want to first help make the legal system a little less intimidating by providing easy to understand legal forms and brochures, including online forms that people can use when they go to court. Second, we help people help themselves by providing legal assistance so people can better know their rights and know how to solve their legal problems. Finally, we try to level the playing field by providing legal representation to those that need it the most. Volunteer attorneys and many of the major law firms have adopted a month to volunteer at the self-help center and in 2014, nearly 300 volunteer attorneys have provided their services pro bono.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

After an attorney completes training, they are sent a link to the VolunteerSpot on-line sign up form. Once there, they can choose an available shift during the month they volunteer. VolunteerSpot works perfectly to send a reminder email to the attorney about their upcoming shift. Finally, the monthly roster can be printed or saved for reporting purposes. We also use VolunteerSpot to send thank you notes to our volunteers after their shifts.

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

Volunteer time is precious and the service hours that volunteers put in shouldn’t be taken for granted. Show appreciation to your volunteers and how much you value their time as much as possible.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

It was a recommendation from a staff member who used it before. With limited funding to help the public, we needed to find ways to be resourceful in our approach. We’ve used VolunteerSpot for over 3 years now to help manage the number of volunteers that we have. It’s been such a great resource for a non-profit, public interest law firm like ours!

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

According to a recent national survey on Access to Justice, Hawaii ranks # 1 in providing help to self-represented litigants and is ranked in the top 5 overall on improving Access to Justice because of the work of volunteer attorneys and our court self-help centers. VolunteerSpot has played an integral role in this program’s success and in helping expand access to justice for those in need.

We salute Sergio 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 | The Belfest, Maine Window Dressers

Cheers to Corliss Davis for using VolunteerSpot for her organization!

Corliss Davis shares how she utilizes VolunteerSpot for a number of things in preparing for The Belfast, Maine Window Dressers Project. She encourages others to do their part too!

 

Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.

The Belfast, Maine Window Dressers project builds interior storm windows under the direction of the Window Dressers headquarters in Rockland, Maine. 2015 will be our fourth year making these polyolefin-wrapped pine frames to keep both paying and charity customers warmer, saving them money on heating bills, and reducing their carbon emissions. In 2014 we had about 100 volunteers - steering committee, customer volunteers, and others. We built frames using drills and glue and we wrapped and sealed finished frames using two kinds of tape, plastic sheets, hair dryers, and weather-stripping foam.

Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.

We ask all customers to volunteer. We gave out the link to the VolunteerSpot site and our volunteers signed up to work four-hour shifts or to bring lunch for the volunteers.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

Our UU Church here in Belfast uses VolunteerSpot as does the Window Dressers headquarters.

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

Go for it! Volunteering is what makes life worthwhile!

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your organization or volunteering?

This is an all-around positive project. It does good for members of our community; it creates a cleaner and greener world; and it is a wonderful opportunity for people to work together!

We salute Corliss 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 | Serving Other Souls

Cheers to Christopher M. Cooley, Executive Director of Serving Other Souls and 7th Grade Mathematics Teacher

Tell us about your role as a parent volunteer leader/teacher.

I am the executive director and creator of Serving Other Souls (SOS) and a 7th grade Mathematics teacher at Franklin Regional Middle School. Serving Other Souls is a 501c3 non-profit that consists of 168 middle school students (20 percent of students at Franklin Regional Middle School belong to SOS). In the span of 3.5 years, SOS has provided funds and materials worth more than $130,000 for the needy in the Pittsburgh community.

How do you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate your parent volunteers?

SOS creates events that serve needs in our community. The majority of our volunteer jobs are intended for our middle school student-members. When we need adult volunteers, we post the specific details of the adult volunteer job, and then we use an app called cel.ly that sends text messages to all members and families that sign up for the texting app. In the cel.ly text blast, we include the URL for the volunteer job sign up for both students or parents.

Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?

It is the best volunteer website sign up app on the web! Keep up the great work!

What other activities are you involved in as a volunteer or volunteer leader?

As director of SOS, we create events for Thanksgiving food drives with shifts that run for a month both in the mornings before school or during lunch; homeless clothing drives with shifts set up in the same method. We use the volunteer app to keep track of bus sign ups as we take more than 200 students and their families to homeless shelters. These signups allow us to take role on the buses the morning of the event with printouts from your amazing website!

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

Get involved and do not think that your help does not make a difference, because I am here to tell you that everyone who helps makes a difference.

Anything else you’d like our readers to know about your school, event, or volunteering?

Serving others is a wrapped gift that too few people open because they are too busy or do not think they can or would make a difference. It will make a difference not only in those you are serving; it will make a difference in yourself. You will grow in virtues of empathy, fortitude, patience, and mercy. These are gifts that our world is in severe need of, so get others there and help us Serve Other Souls!!

We salute Christopher 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!