In 2023, Bow Foodbank began using Volunteero to streamline their volunteer management processes during a period of significant transition, including a move to a permanent new site. We sat down with Bella Shannon, Volunteer Coordinator at Bow Foodbank, to understand how the platform has supported their operations, improved engagement with volunteers, and made day-to-day coordination more efficient.

Through our conversation, it became clear that Volunteero has played a key role in simplifying volunteer onboarding, shift scheduling, and data tracking, saving valuable time for staff and creating a more flexible, empowering experience for volunteers. This case study explores how Bow Foodbank is using Volunteero in practice, the benefits they've seen, and where they’re headed next.

Before Volunteero 

Before adopting Volunteero, Bow Foodbank used a combination of manual processes and another volunteer management software. While this setup supported basic coordination, it was time-consuming and inefficient for both staff and volunteers.

Volunteer scheduling was often handled manually, with staff like Bella and her colleague Leticia spending considerable time updating attendance records, removing no-shows and adding in last-minute attendees. Reporting also posed a challenge: exporting data required multiple steps, and integrating it into tools like Power BI was not straightforward.

Onboarding new volunteers lacked a streamlined approach, and visibility into shift sign-ups was limited. Some longstanding volunteers were auto-booked into shifts, reducing the need for them to engage directly with the system, which further complicated shift management.

The team at Bow Foodbank was eager to find a solution that would simplify operations, improve reporting, and give volunteers more autonomy. That’s where Volunteero came in.

Transition to Volunteero and its impact 

Switching to Volunteero was a smooth and impactful change for Bow Foodbank. The platform’s intuitive design made onboarding easy, especially for new volunteers, and significantly reduced admin time for staff.

Volunteero enables the team to effortlessly track volunteer sign-ups, identify coverage gaps, and manage shifts more effectively. Volunteers appreciate the flexibility to register, swap, or cancel shifts on their own, leading to increased engagement and dependability. Creating specific roles with automated approvals has empowered experienced volunteers to take more ownership.

Over just the first six months of 2025, volunteers collectively logged an impressive 8 months and 17 days of total time on Volunteero. On average, their top volunteers are regularly dedicating over 50 hours a month.

The platform also offers better visibility into volunteer data, helping with reporting and planning. Overall, Volunteero has modernised volunteer coordination, making it faster, clearer, and more empowering for both staff and volunteers.

Recruitment and Onboarding of New Volunteers

Recruiting and onboarding new volunteers has become a more streamlined process with Volunteero. Although the foodbank has a limited capacity due to space constraints, there is strong interest, with many people applying to join. Volunteero helps manage this demand by allowing the team to easily add new volunteers and keep the database up to date by removing those who no longer engage. Since launching Volunteero, Bow Foodbank has welcomed over 300 new volunteer registrations, significantly expanding its support network

New volunteers have found the system straightforward to use, quickly signing up for shifts without difficulty. As Bella explains, “All of our new volunteers have very quickly been able to use Volunteero. They haven’t had difficulty with getting set up, which has been really useful.” The flexibility to book shifts on short notice suits a range of volunteers, from retired individuals to younger people balancing other commitments. This ease of access has helped maintain a steady flow of committed volunteers who contribute consistently.

Increasing Flexibility and Volunteer Autonomy

One of the most significant benefits Bella has observed with Volunteero is how it empowers volunteers by giving them greater control over their schedules. The platform allows some volunteers to sign up for shifts independently, without needing to submit requests for approval.

As Bella explains, “We’ve allowed some volunteers to sign up without needing to request shifts. It gives them a bit more autonomy and helps them feel like they’re in control of when they turn up.” 

This flexibility caters to a diverse volunteer base, from retirees to younger individuals, making it easier for volunteers to fit their commitments around their lives. By fostering this sense of ownership, Volunteero has helped boost volunteer engagement and satisfaction.

Saving Valuable Time

Before Volunteero, managing volunteer shifts was a labour-intensive task. Bella recalls how she and her colleague Leticia used to manually adjust the shift lists by deleting volunteers who didn’t show up and adding those who did, which was time-consuming and prone to errors. “On our old CRM, we’d have to manually remove or add people that showed up after every shift ,” Bella explains. “With Volunteero, there’s not much of that anymore. Generally, the people who sign up attend, so that double-checking process doesn’t really exist anymore.”

This shift to a more reliable system has saved the team valuable time and reduced administrative headaches. Bella now spends less time verifying attendance and more time focusing on other aspects of volunteer coordination. The clear, visual scheduling interface also helps her quickly see which shifts need volunteers, further streamlining weekly planning.

​​Data and Insights

Volunteero’s data and insights have become an invaluable tool for the foodbank team. Bella highlights the usefulness of tracking volunteer hours and diversity metrics, which help the team understand their volunteer base better and support reporting needs. “I’ve created a graph for us showing volunteer diversity and time volunteered, so we can see the breakdown of who’s spending time with us and then the time they spent as well, which is great” she shares.

The team has built several custom insights dashboards to monitor activity across the board, from total hours logged and number of people reached, to the powerful contribution of their group volunteers. It’s helping them turn everyday efforts into measurable impact.

Badges: A Fun Way to Say Thanks

Bow Foodbank is looking to introduce Volunteero’s badge feature as part of a new volunteer reward scheme. “We were going to use points, but realised badges with automation make it so much easier” said Bella Shannon.

They’re planning badges for number of shifts, hours volunteered, and specialist roles like driving. Some will be surprise rewards; others will be visible so volunteers can see what they’re working toward. “It’s a fun way to say thank you. I’m probably going to go overboard,” Bella joked.

With unlimited badges, custom designs, and built-in automation, the team sees it as a simple and meaningful way to boost engagement without extra admin.

Next Steps and Final Reflections

Looking ahead, Bella and the team are eager to continue evolving how they use Volunteero to support their growing volunteer base. With the platform now fully embedded in day-to-day operations, they’re exploring new ways to structure missions and streamline roles especially for drivers and other specialist volunteers, making it even easier to assign tasks effectively and ensure everyone knows where they’re needed.

The transition to Volunteero has not only simplified shift coordination and reduced the time spent on manual admin, it’s laid the groundwork for a more proactive and responsive volunteer management process. Volunteers feel more in control of their own schedules, and the team is better equipped to support them. Bella notes how the platform’s reliability has helped build trust: “Volunteero is stable, reliable, and quick. That alone is a big improvement over what we were using before.”

The team is now in a stronger position to plan ahead, spot trends, and adapt quickly to changing needs. As Bella shared, the foodbank can now manage things with far less stress: “It’s just made life a lot easier… it's such a relief not to have to keep checking and correcting things all the time.”

By reducing administrative burden, increasing volunteer autonomy, and giving the team clearer oversight, Volunteero has become a vital part of a more resilient and sustainable volunteer program at Bow Foodbank.

Photographs by Freya Najade, @freyanajade (IG)

www.freyanajade.com