About Keech Hospice 

Keech Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end-of-life hospice care for people of all ages. Caring and supporting adults across Bedfordshire and children and their families across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes with life-limiting conditions.

Volunteers are at the heart of Keech’s work, and with over 1000 retail volunteers across their 38 shop sites, it’s clear that they keep operations running smoothly. Yet the day-to-day support and coordination of retail volunteers can prove challenging for organisations like Keech, as shops can be stuck on paper-based systems or outdated processes that are cumbersome for managers and lack flexibility for volunteers. 

Keech has begun to introduce Volunteero across their retail locations to:

• Streamline the volunteer experience 

• Empower volunteers to become autonomous with their activities 

• Improve their recruitment and onboarding processes

• Encourage volunteers to log their own time and feedback in a centralised space. 

Our team spoke with Briony, the shop manager at Keech’s Castle Road retail location, to understand how introducing Volunteero has transformed the staff and volunteer experience. 

Before Volunteero

Volunteer management was primarily paper-based, requiring significant manual effort for daily tasks, meaning that much of Briony's time was spent on: 

• Managing each stage of the volunteer application process - this was previously managed by the central volunteering team. Managers did interviews, risk assessments (when needed) and inductions. If applications were completed manually, the managers had to send them to the central volunteering team.

• Gathering references for new volunteers 

• Organising and regularly updating rotas 

• Assigning volunteers to shifts 

• Manually adding up volunteer hours and impact

The process was time-consuming, with the manager needing to handle almost every aspect of volunteer onboarding and management themselves. There was a reliance on traditional methods, which led to inefficiencies and difficulties in tracking volunteer hours and activities. Briony shared: 

“Initially, it used to all be paper-based. So you'd have everything done on paper, and we'd also have to do every single part of the process in-store ourselves. It was chasing references, it was chasing every single part of the volunteer onboarding, on top of trying to get everything done inside the shop. It was a lot” 

After Volunteero:

The introduction of Volunteero came at a pivotal moment, as store contents and staffing changes caused a shift in volunteer engagement, leaving the Castle Road store with new management, a need for a volunteer recruitment drive, and an opportunity to take on the Volunteero software. 

Briony and her team have quickly found that introducing Volunteero has enabled them to streamline the Volunteer recruitment, onboarding and engagement experience. 

“I'm welcoming this new change very much. Volunteero has automated a lot and made things so much easier for us”

Beginning with recruitment, Castle Road has been able to advertise their vacancies far and wide (this is all managed by the central volunteering team, the shops don't advertise their roles individually, it is centralised), embedding straight into Keech’s website and also on Volunteero’s global search board. Since launching six months ago, the Castle Road store has 28 active volunteers at their location, with nearly half of them being new volunteers recruited via Volunteero. 

Transitioning benefits

Overall, the transition to Volunteero has felt like a positive shift towards a more modern and effective volunteer management system. With staff and volunteers feeding back, Volunteero offers a more efficient and organised approach to their roles. 

With a clear reduction in unnecessary administrative tasks, Briony now has the time available to focus on supporting and engaging volunteers, which has been especially important during the transitional phase, enabling all volunteers to adapt to the change in a supportive environment. 

Speaking of her experience with implementing Volunteero, Briony spoke of the process being really quick and easy. She and two other stores were trained by Keech staff, and within a day, she had all of her shifts set up and ready to be claimed by volunteers. 

Overcoming apprehensions

Understandably, introducing a new way of doing things to volunteers who have been used to the same processes for years was something that the Keech team had to take into consideration. They were aware that some volunteers may be hesitant to make the switch to Volunteero. Bryony has been able to encourage existing volunteers to embrace the new system by highlighting its benefits, such as reduced administrative burdens and a more organised approach to volunteering.

The platform facilitates better communication between volunteers and management, fostering a sense of community and collaboration. Overall, it was identified that the reluctance felt was a combination of change, and for some needing additional support with improving their technology skills. Therefore, Briony and the Keech team have acknowledged the need for more tailored support for volunteers, particularly in navigating the app, to alleviate resistance to new systems. They have fostered open conversations, drop-in sessions and FAQ’s for any volunteers who need the extra support, which has enabled them to try out the Volunteero app on either their smartphones or via the web browser version. Many of whom found that once they had signed in successfully were able to easily join and leave any shifts independently. 

Bryony remains committed to supporting all volunteers in their transition to Volunteero. She offers personalised assistance and training sessions to help those who are hesitant to adapt to the new technology.

Recruitment successes 

The onboarding time used to take anywhere from 4-6 weeks, but with Volunteero, Briony is finding that this time has been reduced by more than half. Volunteers can now complete their applications and background checks online, allowing them to start their roles and contribute to Keech’s mission in less than two weeks. 

Briony told us that she felt the switch to Volunteero and an easier to access system allowed word of mouth to play a bigger part in volunteer recruitment, she shared: 

 “Volunteero is speeding up the whole process. Only two weeks ago, I had one of my current volunteers say they knew someone who wanted to sign up. I shared the link, and the application form came through in no time. By the time it reached me, the references had already been returned.” 

Onboarding experience improved

Tasks such as reference checks and induction processes became automated, allowing for a smoother and quicker transition for new volunteers. The app provided features like a calendar view to identify gaps in volunteer coverage, enabling better shift management and planning.

New volunteers adapted quickly to the platform, while some existing volunteers showed reluctance due to their familiarity with previous methods. The manager is actively working to encourage these volunteers to embrace the new system.

“ All applications are centralised, references are automatically sent for, so it's not even something I have to really think about now, and all the other bits and pieces like the processes, it's just, yeah, more streamlined. It's wonderful.”

Enhanced Volunteer Engagement:

New volunteers quickly adapted to the platform, enjoying a seamless onboarding experience that includes immediate access to shift scheduling and reporting tools. The app's features, such as the shift view, enable better visibility of availability, allowing volunteers to see where help is needed and sign up accordingly.

Briony is able to lean into the skills of the volunteers more now, and easily match tasks based on the volunteers' activity. 

“ I can actually go back and check Volunteero to see if someone’s been doing the same thing week after week after week. I think that's quite a nice thing to be able to look at because I don't want people getting bored with doing the same things. I like to challenge people to feel challenged”

There’s a weekly list of tasks to work through that keeps the shop running smoothly, so there’s never a dull day for volunteers joining a shift, keeping things interesting and engaging for new and returning volunteers. With fewer onerous administrative tasks for the onboarding of volunteers, Briony and other store managers have more time to manage the day-to-day tasks in their shop.

Supporting other retail stores

Briony shared that she was keen to offer any support to other Keech retail locations who may be apprehensive about introducing Volunteero, to reassure them that the process was straightforward and the rewards were worth it. 

“I will always try and offer my support. So if they want me to help talk them through it, or if they want me to, literally, I could sit this end while they're sat with theirs, and I will talk them through step by step, whatever it is they need to do. I'm more than happy to do that.” 

Overall, the adoption of Volunteero has transformed volunteer management at Keech's Castle Road store, leading to increased efficiency, improved volunteer experiences, and enhanced operational effectiveness. By embracing modern technology, Keech Hospice has not only streamlined its processes but also reinforced its commitment to providing exceptional care and support to the community. 

Briony’s experience serves as a testament to the power of innovation in the nonprofit sector, showcasing how digital solutions can drive meaningful change and enhance the impact of their mission across the wider organisation.