Volunteer Management System Project Plan

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Volunteer July 26

Management
System
Project Plan
2009
To identify a system that will efficiently organize the
volunteer intake at Lutheran Social Services of North Project Plan
Florida
Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 2
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction: .................................................................................................................................... 4
Who is the sponsor? .................................................................................................................... 4
Who is the project team? ............................................................................................................. 4
What is the problem?................................................................................................................... 4
The new system requirements are as follows: ............................................................................. 5
Personal Testimonials ............................................................................................................. 5
Vision for the new system ........................................................................................................... 5
Why is it important to solve the problem? .................................................................................. 5
How does the project solve the problem? ................................................................................... 5
Solutions ......................................................................................................................................... 6
Spread Sheet-............................................................................................................................... 6
Sons of Service Volunteer Management Database- .................................................................... 6
Picasso Fish Volunteer Management Software- ........................................................................ 7
When will the solution to the problem be delivered? ............................................................. 7
Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Primary Objective: ...................................................................................................................... 7
Objective 1: ............................................................................................................................. 7
Objective 2: ............................................................................................................................. 7
Objective 3: ............................................................................................................................. 8
Objective 4: ............................................................................................................................. 8
Assumptions.................................................................................................................................... 8
Constraints ...................................................................................................................................... 9
When will the project be delivered? ....................................................................................... 9
Proposed solution .......................................................................................................................... 10
Contact Information: ..................................................................................................................... 10
Work Break down Schedule ......................................................................................................... 11
Gantt chart ................................................................................................................................. 12
Bar graph ................................................................................................................................... 12

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

Executive Summary

Lutheran Social Services of North Florida (LSSNF) is a nonprofit organization that’s mission is
to identify the unmet needs around our community so we can meet and address them. One of the
more significant communal needs is known as the digital divide, which refers to the gap between
people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited
access or no access at all. From the start, LSSNF knew that it wanted to serve the people in the
community, but not as individuals like most other organizations. LSSNF wanted to serve
organizations that serve the people, and that has been a key factor for our success today.
Currently, LSSNF is expanding and the problem is that there is no established volunteer
intake system. The system now is paper based and not very useful. Currently, LSSNF gathers a
volunteer’s information, files it, and then has volunteers sign in and out as they come and go.
Melissa Raulston, a professor in information technology at Florida State University, has
expressed that LSSNF needs to implement a new Volunteer Management system if it wants to
cope with the rising numbers of volunteers. The requirements we need in a new system are the
ability to track volunteers and the number of hours they worked. Also, we need the ability to
create custom fields and efficiently store all volunteer contact information. All of the above are
things we need in a system, but do not exclude any other new features that might be available.
The goal of this project is to isolate a volunteer management system that will be provide an
effective way to organize volunteers’ information in the future. If this problem is not addressed,
it will set LSSNF back from an organizational stand point and prevent them from reaching their
goal of expanding.
I will be the only one working on this project, so I will be responsible for all
objectives. The main objective for this project is to research, compare and contrast volunteer
management systems for future implementation. The first task is to isolate the problems in the
current system and establish what will be needed in the future system. The old system is paper
based and has a lack of structure so technically the new system will be built from scratch. The
second objective is to research volunteer management software that fulfills the needs of the
organization. Research the best practices for dealing with volunteers and organizing their
information. The third objective is to decide whether to buy software or use freelanced software.
This will involve comparing the features of the different software types and establishing what
will be most effective. Lastly, I will determine which software to present to the board for the
implementation process. In the end, these solutions should help solve the problem of a paper
based volunteer intake system.
The project plan below describes this project, its objectives, problems, my assumptions
and the constraints. This plan also describes alternate solutions to the problem, the main
objective, and my proposed solution that I feel best solves the problem.

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

Introduction:
Who is the sponsor?
The project sponsor is Jim Freeman the Executive Director at Lutheran Social Services. The
mission at LSSNF has been to identify the unmet needs around our community, so we can
inevitably address them. The Digital Divide is one of the unmet needs that meet our mission.
From the beginning, LSSNF knew that they wanted to serve the people in the community, but
not as individuals like most other organizations. LSS is unique in the sense that we serve the
agencies that serve the people like neighborhood churches, boys and girls club, and the YMCA.
At LSSNF the students and volunteers gain valuable hands on experience while providing great
refurbished computers for our community. The students and volunteers at LSS have used this as
a platform for our computer refurbish lab ever since.
At LSSNF we are a Microsoft Authorized refurbish and technical assistance center. We provide
technical assistance and computers for non-profit human services agencies, and their clients in
the Tallahassee. LSSNF began as a social ministry effort of Epiphany church in 1988. Today
LSSNF has expanded and is led by a strong volunteer board of directors. A priority for us at
LSSNF is to help families get back on their feet, so that they can begin working again. One of
the ways we help is by providing access to child care as well as transitional housing.
The mission of this project is to identify a volunteer management solution to organize volunteers
contact information, time sheets, schedules, and miscellaneous information all in a easy an
efficient way.

Who is the project team?

I will be the only one working on this project. I will seek advice from Jim Freeman our
Executive Director, Melissa Raulston my professor, and the other supervisors working at
LSS. We will meet every Tuesday as a team to discuss new tasks, progression on old projects,
and any other problems that need to be addressed. The meetings generally go about an hour and
a half, or as long as it takes to get everyone on the same page, and ready to tackle new
objectives. This is my second term on the project, and I will retain my position working as the
"Director of Communications". As the Director of Communications I will research the best
practices for taking in a high number of volunteers, and a way of implementing an efficient
volunteering intake system.

What is the problem?

At Lutheran Social Services we have a goal of expanding our project of refurbishing computers,
but we have no structure when it comes to organizing our volunteers. We want to do triple the
amount of computers we put out every semester, and to do that it means we need more
volunteers as well as an effective way of organizing our volunteers’ information. Currently, the
way we recruit our volunteers is through networking at local high schools, colleges, as well as
the passing of information from person to person around our community. Our system for
organizing and tracking our volunteer intake is ineffective because of the lack of structure.

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

The current system we use is as simple as a signup sheet. New volunteers come in, take a tour
around our facility, and take part of our orientation process. Then we establish what type of skills
they already have, and give them a job that they are capable of completing. Volunteers sign in
when then get here and sign out when they leave. Projects completed are not recorded along with
any other information on our volunteers.

The new system requirements are as follows:
Personal Testimonials
Jim freeman- “The only thing I am looking for in a new system is one that is capable of
producing time sheets to keep track of the in-kind value of hours worked along with the ability to
track volunteers’ contact information.”
Melissa Raulston- “We need to develop a system to manage our volunteers more effectively.
To start we need a system that could produce custom reports for future grants as well as the
ability to schedule supervisors and volunteers.”
Supervisors- “A system that can organize volunteer contact information and ability to record
projects completed and volunteer history would suffice.”

Vision for the new system

The vision for the new system is to track all contact information about volunteers including
postal address, phone number, and email. Also, it will track where a volunteer is in the
participation process. For example completed projects, first project assigned, inactiveness
because of illness, or even permanently withdrawn are all things I see in the new system.
Volunteer hours and contributions will be recorded by week, month, quarter, year, and by
projects. The volunteer’s skills and specializations along with impact of a volunteer beyond just
the number of hours worked will also be needed. Scheduling, availability, and the volunteer’s
interests are other things we are looking for in this system. Lastly, the new system will have the
ability to run a report of any combination of the categories above.

Why is it important to solve the problem?

If the problem is not addressed we will not grow and expand as an organization like we have
planned. A new system will provide more efficient organization of volunteer information, so we
can work and refurbishing computers effectively. All organizations should have a system of
organizing and tracking their volunteers.

How does the project solve the problem?

The project will solve the problem by ultimately organizing our volunteer’s information. This
system will be an easy and efficient way of recording the whole process from when volunteers
initially come in to when volunteers officially leave, and then record all information in between.
The system will build volunteer profiles which will include contact information, schedules and

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

availability, skill levels, and more. This way we will know exactly how much progress our
volunteers have made.

Solutions
The focus on this project is to identify a system that will efficiently organize the volunteer intake
at LSSNF. Currently, our system is paper based and when managing several documents it is
hard to stay organized. The process is very simple, volunteers sign in when they arrive and sign
out when they leave. The three solutions discussed below will solve the problem of a non-
existent volunteer management system. These suggestions should make the volunteer process
much easier, and at the same time give great organization to an undeveloped process. The results
should help the volunteer intake process run much smoother in the future.
My plan with these solutions is to make it an easy process for volunteers to come in and work on
projects, and have a way of tracking their contact information, time sheets, and availability.. The
solutions I will discuss below take the volunteer intake, scheduling and orientation process and
put it in a system that will be efficient. This system will be built from scratch, since there is no
system to improve.

Spread Sheet- The spread sheet is a table arranged in rows and columns and for organizations
on a budget this is a viable solution. The spreadsheet will provide the much needed organization
to a non-existent volunteer management system. A spread sheet can organize information in cells
which allows you to sort and filter any piece of data in the spreadsheet. One problem with spread
sheets is when you start creating several sheets it is hard to keep track of all your data. You
struggle to ensure data is consistent in a single 'master' list, but inevitably it is not. Multiple
copies of your contact list are updated by several people at the same time making it nearly
impossible to which volunteer records are fully up-to-date. Eventually your list becomes very
large and messy, and impossible for anyone to decipher. This solution would be a viable avenue
to consider, but we might want to look into other volunteer management options.

Sons of Service Volunteer Management Database- (SOS) is a multiuser volunteer
management database for non-profit organizations. SOS would keep track of our volunteers,
their contact information, availability, work history, comments, reminders, and relationships. It
would help us quickly find the right volunteer for the job and e-mail him/her, and it would make
reports about how we are using volunteers.

Key Features:

 Creates volunteer reports
 Ability to make custom fields
 Volunteer time log
This is a great system to use for managing our volunteer intake at LSS. This system meets all
requirements needed for the new system, and it has extra features. Also, Sons of Service
provides this software free of charge for nonprofit organizations. This system stands out

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

from others because of its versatility to operate on either a Mac or a PC, and will run in
just about any web browser we use.

Picasso Fish Volunteer Management Software- Picasso Fish has designed this volunteer
management system with the help of volunteer agencies, so that it would meet the needs of a
non- profit organization. This is excellent software for organizations on a limited budget that
needs to track and manage volunteers effortlessly with an efficient and accurate system. Picasso
Fish software is web based which means staff and volunteer can access it from anywhere. All
information is kept on the web using their database software. The Picasso Fish software does
everything necessary that is needed in a volunteer management system, including custom reports.
The only issue with this solution is that they charge an initial fee along with a monthly fee.

Key Features:

 Creates custom reports
 Search volunteer qualifications and availability
 System support hours
 Free updates
When will the solution to the problem be delivered?

I will have all objectives and research completed by July 28th, 2009. All information will be
turned over to the project sponsor with a presentation of my plan.

Objectives

Primary Objective: The main goal of this project is to develop a system that manages
volunteer’s recruited through high school tech magnet programs, TCC, FAM, FSU and the
community at large. The objective is to provide Lutheran Social Services with an efficient, easy
to use volunteer management system that implements technologies of the 21st century;
technologies that include volunteer tracking of contact information, projects completed time
clock, scheduling, volunteer production, and reports. This objective is complete when I can
propose a plan for organizing all the data of the volunteers at Lutheran Social Services.

Objective 1: Isolate the problems with our system, and distinguish what is needed in the new
system. The old system is not effective, so we need to create a more efficient system to stay
organized. I will record what is needed in the new system and compare it to the old system. This
objective should be completed as soon as possible because it is needed to complete other
objectives.

Objective 2: Research volunteer management software that fulfills the needs of the
organization. This system must track and organize volunteer hours, schedules, projects
completed, skill levels, contact information and at the same time be able to produce a clear cut
report of all the information by one volunteer or all volunteers. This objective is complete when I
have isolated two systems to present to the board. This objective will progress through the entire
project and will be completed by July 29th, 2009.

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

Objective 3: Compare and contrast the benefits of free software to purchasing software. All
parties agree that we need a system to track volunteers, but we are unsure if we can afford to pay
for new software. This objective should be completed promptly after objective two. Since the
objective is relatively realistic it should be completed no later than July 1, 2009

Objective 4: Determine which volunteer management software will be implemented. The goal
here is to isolate the best system for our needs while at the same time meeting our budget
requirements. This objective will be completed when I have an effective way of organizing our
volunteer intake at Lutheran Social Services of North Florida. This objective could be completed
at any part of the project, but it will likely be completed towards the end of the semester. This
objective should be completed no later than July 29th, 2009.

Assumptions

When working on a project of this magnitude, generally a few assumptions can
be made. In my experiences, assumptions usually fail unless you have given yourself or your
team a cushion or extra time for setbacks. In my project, I will be working alone, but in the past
I have had problems with allotting enough time to complete objectives. Below are some
assumptions I am making for my project.

I assume my project sponsor Jim Freeman will be there throughout the entire
project. This assumption was important to discuss first because he is leaving at the end of the
semester. Next semester in the Fall LSSNF will have a new chairman, and we will be in a
transition phase as an organization. The new director will have a new set of expectations and
different needs. If my assumptions were indeed to be false then I would ask the new director
exactly what he needs and carry out the project from there.

I believe and assume that my professor, coordinator and director of operations
Melissa Raulston will continue to meet with us every week at Lutheran Social
Services. I rely heavily on her input and experience in the organization. She runs the meeting,
remains very well organized, and has a long history as the co-founder of this project. If
something were to happen we would be able to continue, but we all understand that a person with
her expertise and knowledge is impossible to replace. Her knowledge of the growth and
evolution of the project and the problems it faces are helpful in deciding the best course of action
in developing a volunteer intake system. If she were to leave this would not end my project, but
it would affect the project greatly.

I will assume that the supervisors at LSSNF will be available to provide the input
I need to build the Volunteer Management System. This project is to implement a
volunteer intake system, and to do this I need to know exactly what is needed in the new system.
This system will be designed around the needs of those using it, so it is important that I have
their input when looking for this software. I will also assume that Jim Freeman will also be
available because he is the one who ultimately needs this volunteer information organized.

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

I will assume that the Sons of Service software will function and be available. I
have never installed this volunteer management software before. I used a demo briefly, and I am
assuming that it will operate the same way. If the software were to become unavailable or
incompatible we would have to go to solution number two. I don’t see this as a huge concern, but
it important to expect the unexpected.

Constraints

Projects that involve change or the implementation of new software commonly encounter
multiple constraints. Common constraints include money, time, usability of the system, and the
lack of experience of non-technical users. The staff at LSSNF has a great deal of technical
expertise so the latter constraint will not be an issue. The following is a list of constraints that
might arise if the new volunteer management system were to be implemented at LSSNF:
1. LSSNF is a nonprofit organization, so the main constraint is money. Unfortunately, the
implementation of a volunteer management system could be costly. This constraint can
be alleviated by using free software. In the past our team has done extensive research to
save money and we will make every effort to ensure that the available money is spent
wisely. This constraint makes us more inclined to choose a free volunteer software
management system because it offers a possible solution to this problem.

2. Time is another constraint that will affect this project. I have several projects that I am
working on throughout the semester, and I have to prepare for unexpected events. For
example, I could get sick or someone in my family could, which would force me to take
some unexpected time away from my project. I have worked on projects like this in the
past, and I experienced a huge setback because I was not prepared. For this project, I will
think ahead and allot extra time for making corrections and to allow for unexpected
events.

3. This project may also be constrained by the need to find a system with good usability.
Currently, there is an overabundance of software, and I will have to do extensive research
to find an efficient and user friendly volunteer management system. During my time in
the College of Information, I have been fortunate enough to study the usability of
systems. I will use this knowledge to ensure that the system I implement will be user-
friendly. Money, the first constraint we discussed above, might prevent me from using
the system with the best usability.
When will the project be delivered?

I will deliver the completed project by August 1, 2009. This will give me an estimated 10 weeks
to finish the project. I believe this will be plenty of time, considering I have experience doing the
project from last semester.

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

Proposed solution
Solution two

All the solutions above are effective ways of managing a large number of volunteers. Solution
one would be viable with a small number of volunteers. However, the number of spreadsheets
needed to manage a large number of volunteers (as LSSNF envisions) can easily become
overwhelming, difficult to organize, and ultimately inefficient. Solution two might not be as
polished as Picasso's software, but it does everything LSSNF needs in a volunteer management
system and it is free. Solution three has a few more features than solution two, but it is not the
solution I recommend because of the initial fee and monthly charges. I propose solution two be
used on the basis that it is free and would greatly improve on the process currently used by
LSSNF. The organization could even implement solution two for a while and see whether it is
efficient enough to be viable in the long term. Then if they need to invest in nice system, they
will know exactly what to look for. In the end, I believe the Sons of Service software is the best
option available.

Contact Information:
Project Sponsor
Name: Jim Freeman
Email: jfreeman@lssnf.org
Phone: (850) 575-4309
Address: 606 W 4th Avenue, Suite 11,
Tallahassee, FL 32303

IT Professor
Name: Melissa Raulston
Email: Mraulston@fsu.edu
Phone: (850) 644-8120
Address: 606 W 4th Avenue, Suite 11,
Tallahassee, FL 32303

Director of Communications
Name: Jared Finnegan
Email: Jsf07@fsu.edu
Phone: (954) 347-4022
Address: 1994 Rob way
Tallahassee Fl, 32303

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

Work Break down Schedule
1 Analyze volunteer data collection process
1.1 Research
1.1 Find out what Jim Freeman needs in the new system
1.2 Research websites
1.3 Review the material that Jim needs in data collection process
2 Interview supervisors and staff
2.1 Go to LSS to interview Ms. Henderson
2.2 Interview old and new supervisors
2.3 Find out exactly what Melissa Raulston needs in the new system.
3 Create list of potential features
3.1 Document what Jim Freeman needs
3.1.1 Document what Melissa Raulston needs
3.1.2 Document what supervisors needs
3.2 Create word document of all features
4 Research Volunteer management software with potential features
4.1 Use Google to search volunteer management systems
4.2 Evaluate and read about the systems available
4.3 Evaluate whether to use a software package or spreadsheet
4.4 Evaluate if systems are compatible with PC or Mac
4.4.1 Research comments and reviews on volunteer management systems
4.4.2 Research usability of systems
4.4.3 Reach out to peers for suggestions on a system
4.5 Collect all data to be evaluated
5 Compare and contrast volunteer management systems
5.1 Evaluate each system side by side
5.2 Isolate top three systems
6 Begin extensive research of top three systems
6.1 Use Google to search for more in-depth information on systems
6.2 Determine what is feasible in the new system, and what is not
6.3 Determine cost benefit ratio
6.3.1 Find out what other features would be beneficial
6.3.2 Find out if support is available
7 Create Gantt chart to compare top three solutions
7.1 Create chart in Microsoft word
7.2 Label chart Volunteer management systems
7.3 Add a list of features on left side of chart
7.4 Add check marks to features available in each system
7.5 Create bar graph to evaluate results
8 Download Demo

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

8.1 Evaluate performance
8.2 Evaluate usability
8.3 Evaluate features
9 Compare and contrast benefits of free software opposed to purchasing software
9.1 Compare one software to the other
9.2 Determine the benefits of purchasing a software
10 Identify which system to implement at Lutheran Social Services

Gantt chart

Spreadsheet Sons of Service Picasso Fish
Key Features in Volunteer managements
systems.

Tracks Volunteers X X X
Tracks contact information X X X
Tracks availability X X
Tracks scheduling X X
Tracks time sheets X
Records work history X X
Records Comments X
Sets reminders X
Stores relationships X
Ability to email volunteers X X
Ability to creates reports on how we X X
are using our volunteers
Great usability X X
Good software support X
Search options X X
Completely Free X X

Bar graph

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Volunteer Management System Project Plan 2009

Volunteer management Solutions
Usability Rating
16

8 Volunteer management
Solutions
6

0
Spread Sheet Sons of Service Picasso Fish

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