Third Sector: Featured Leader Interview with Shannan Gove
Co Founder of Rosterfy, Shannan Gove discusses his top 5 tips for effective volunteer management with the Third Sector.
Co Founder of Rosterfy, Shannan Gove was invited by leaders in the social sector, Third Sector, to share insights into strategies that nonprofits can employ to ensure efficient and sustainable volunteer management.
Top 5 Tips for Efficient Volunteer Management
Few individuals stand out as actual change agents in the ever changing world of non-profit organisations and volunteers. Shannan Gove, co founder of Rosterfy, is an example of a visionary who is changing the way large-scale non-profits engage with their communities through centralised volunteer management.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a stark reminder of the invaluable role that volunteers play in the non-for-profit sector. As Gove aptly puts it, "through COVID and post-COVID to me is almost like you don't know what you've got till it's gone."
"Volunteerism is the heart and soul of what a lot of organisations, in particular non-profits, live and die by", he added.
However managing a vast volunteer workforce efficiently is no small feat. Gove identifies key challenges and opportunities that Rosterfy addresses.
1. Replacing Manual Processes with Automations
Many organisations still rely on manual processes with a heavy headcount to manage recruitment, registration, and onboarding of their volunteers. By utilising volunteer management solutions like Rosterfy, automations can be utilised to better manage and engage volunteers to drive efficiency and engagement.
2. Business Efficiency
With budgets tightening across the board and reduced headcounts commonplace, staff are being asked to do more with less, with many organisations choosing to invest in technology to ensure maximum efficiency and return on investment.
3. Single Identity for Volunteers
Rosterfy integrates with various CRM systems, allowing organisations to have a single source of truth for each volunteers. This not only enhances visibility but also helps organisations recognise the multifaceted talents (maybe they're a volunteer AND a fundraiser) of their volunteers to maximise their full potential.
4. Risk and Compliance
Gove emphasises the importance of ensuring data security and compliance in volunteer management. With increased emphasis being placed on thorough governance and compliance, Rosterfy offers solutions to mitigate risks related to data handling in the form of volunteer background checks.
"Rosterfy can really help organisations with how they can ensure their data is stored correctly and secondly, how their workforce can be compliant with all the standards that you set for your organisation", he said.
"Don't allow yourself to be in a situation where you're short on volunteers and so you grab anyone in the community and send them out, wearing your shirt when maybe they haven't gone through the appropriate background checks and the right inductions to be onsite representing your nonprofit".
5. Personalised Engagement
In an era where personalisation is key, Rosterfy enables nonprofits to tailor their volunteer opportunities and onboarding processes to meet the specific needs and motivations of each volunteer.
"We've been running Rosterfy for six or seven years now, and we're forever wanting our clients to work closely together to say, 'guys stop putting your posters up in the same place, stop all posting your different role offers on the same job sites."
"How do we share our volunteers amongst each other?" Gove said, further highlighting the power of collaboration in volunteer management.
Rosterfy has over 3 million users on our platform globally, with a surprising demographic trend: the average age of volunteers sits in the 24 to 34 age group, challenging the common assumption of older volunteers. Gove notes the success of engaging university students in volunteering, aligning their activities with their academic subjects and personal asperations.
"What we [Rosterfy]want to be is the best in the world in mass volunteer and workforce management and connecting communities around the world. That's what we care about", he added.
Shannan Gove and Rosterfy are not just revolutionising volunteer management; they are providing organisations with the tools and strategies needed to thrive in an era where efficiency , collaboration and personalisation are key to success. Through their innovative solutions, they are paving the way for a brighter future for not-for-profits and their dedicated volunteers.
About Rosterfy
Rosterfy is used by non-profits, charities, sporting federations, and more to better manage their volunteer programs by improving how they can recruit, screen, train and retain their volunteers.
About Third Sector
Third Sector provides high-level content and services for professional development and organisational growth to leaders and senior executives from Australia’s NFP sector and its supporting industries.