VolunteerConnector
- Strategic Planning
- Custom Software Development
- Process Optimization
- Website Development
The VolunteerConnector represents a fundamental transformation in how volunteering works across Canada.
By creating a platform that not only connects volunteers with organizations but also generates critical sector-wide data, this bold initiative has improved access to volunteering opportunities while providing insights that are reshaping the entire volunteering landscape.
Understaffed, Overwhelmed and Totally Critical
Working with The Volunteer Centre of Calgary gave us an insight into the world of non-profit organizations and the challenges that they face on a daily basis — not only in finding volunteers, but in managing, scheduling, and retaining them.
Thousands of tiny organizations provide an invaluable fabric of resources to their communities, despite operating on a shoestring budget and a skeleton staff. Finding, evaluating and communicating with prospective volunteers is time-consuming. Often understaffed, these organizations often rely on a small set of committed individuals — while legions of other prospective volunteers remain untapped. Aspiring volunteers face hurdles as well; every organization has different standards, requirements and application forms. A tool that bridges that gap was desperately needed.
The solution
A Data-Driven Solution for Volunteer Connection
We took on the challenge, starting with extensive consultation with organizations themselves. The result is the VolunteerConnector, a custom built platform that gives organizations the tools they need, and allows the public to find them. Prospective volunteers can easily find opportunities that meet their values, skills, and interests. Behind the scenes, organizations have a rich set of tools to evaluate the applicants, approve them, and even schedule their volunteer time. The platform was designed to be flexible and responsive, evolving constantly to meet the needs of a shifting volunteering landscape — quickly advocating online volunteering opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example.
Our small charity has expanded its reach and impact exponentially—growing from supporting 200–300 organizations annually to now serving over 6,500 and counting. This level of growth simply would not have been possible without Structured Abstraction.
Strategic Pivot: Embracing Technology to Transform the Sector
The Volunteer Centre of Calgary saw an opportunity to disrupt and transform the landscape of volunteering for the better, pivoting away from other services to focus entirely on the platform. This strategic shift enabled them to embrace the principles of continuous delivery, constantly improving and adding new features. Central to this transformation was their commitment to applying anti-racism and equity principles to the platform design, addressing institutional bias and making volunteering more accessible to all communities. The data collected through the platform enabled them to develop a partnership strategy, building an unprecedented network of volunteer centres nationwide.
Changing the Sector, one Opportunity at a Time
Since its humble beginnings, the VolunteerConnector has become the most widely used volunteering platform in Canada, fundamentally changing how the sector operates. The comprehensive data collected through the platform provided fresh insights into volunteering patterns, including a notable demographic shift during the pandemic from Boomers to Gen Z volunteers. Grounded by data and combined with a proactive move to address racism in volunteering, this approach helped to inform system-wide changes across the sector.
The impact has been substantial: organizations now find volunteers in just 2 weeks versus the traditional 6-week timeline, and over 100,000 volunteers are successfully matched with opportunities annually. The platform's success demonstrates how thoughtful technology design, combined with a commitment to equity and continuous improvement, can transform an entire sector and create lasting positive change.
