Student Walk Home
The Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT) at McMaster University approached Brian Hogg Consulting after undergoing a transition; whereas in the past volunteers would sign up for a shift that would remain steady for a four-month period, volunteers would now sign up for free shifts on a weekly basis. There was a need for a system that could handle the increased volume of student requests and allow them to sign up for volunteer time quickly and easily. Most importantly, the involvement of coordinators in this process had to be minimized.
This need was filled by creating a proprietary, custom-designed system that volunteers could use to check the availability of time slots based on their volunteering roles (e.g. Dispatcher, Walker). They could then commit to the time-slot that fit their schedule. Coordinators were able to add shifts as they became available, and release them in blocks that volunteers could access. Adding shifts only takes a few minutes, and no further coordinator involvement is required.
This frees up coordinators time for more important tasks; rather than manually coordinating volunteer schedules, they can now focus on building an even better program for students.
Volunteers are similarly satisfied, able to coordinate their schedules from home, at the time that is most convenient for them.