The Auckland Project

BACKGROUND

The Auckland Project is a unique collection of heritage attractions, galleries, gardens and parkland. Set up as a regeneration charity, it uses art, heritage and culture to fuel long-term change in the town of Bishop Auckland, situated in County Durham, UK. Once a thriving market town that faced the hardships of economic decline, following the downfall of the mining industry, it now aims to establish itself as a flourishing heritage visitor destination. The project's mission is centred around providing engaging experiences that enrich the minds, bodies, and spirits of both visitors and the local community, ensuring that the captivating story of Bishop Auckland comes to life.

With a vision that places people at the core, The Auckland Project collaborates closely with the community, striving to create a prosperous future where hope and opportunities abound. Through its historic attractions, galleries, natural spaces, culinary offerings, vibrant events, and comfortable accommodations, The Auckland Project showcases the surprising and rich history of Bishop Auckland to tourists. The organisation's commitment to community engagement and preservation of historic sites, alongside the profits generated, paves the way for a brighter future for the town, ensuring its revival and sustained vitality.

Michele Armstrong has been actively involved in the voluntary sector since 1993, and her passion for it is undeniable. Since 2016, she has held the position of Head of Volunteering at The Auckland Project. A notable highlight of her tenure at The Auckland Project was her two-year secondment as Head of Volunteer Casting for Kynren, a night show featuring a cast of 1,000. Despite not being originally from the Northeast, Michele has developed a strong attachment to this region and now considers County Durham her home.

Prior to adopting a volunteer management software (VMS) solution, The Auckland Project predominately used spreadsheets along with email and paper-based application forms to manage its volunteers. Michele introduced Volunteer Impact to her organisation in 2020 and she acknowledges that it has changed her life.

CHALLENGES

Before changing to Volunteer Impact, key challenges arose, including human error and a reliance on hearsay, due to the use of paper-based rotas, which resulted in the emergence of a cottage industry centred around managing volunteer schedules. Michele explains, "we relied on the good ol’ spreadsheet and volunteer information that was stored and tagged in an HR System, making it challenging to retrieve data. Moreover, the extraction process involved a bespoke spreadsheet with pivot tables, known only to one individual in the organisation.” This mismatched setup created a highly dependent and inefficient scenario.

The defining moment that prompted the organisation to make a change in operations came when staff members began attributing the unreliability of volunteers to human error; previously being unaware that it was the existing processes themselves that were unreliable. This realisation coincided with the Covid lockdown period, which presented an opportunity to explore alternative approaches to work. “The pandemic reinforced the need to manage volunteers in a different way, and online training became necessary,” recalls Michele.

🔑 Key Pain Points:

• The management of volunteers just became such hard work
• The practices and systems in place created severe inefficiencies
• Data was often subject to error
• Recording of volunteer hours lacked governance

When Michele used the ROI Calculator to determine how much time was being spent operating in this manner, it revealed that she, alone, was going to save around 1,180 hours per year on tasks that could be automated via a volunteer management software solution.

Here’s a breakdown on how much time was spent in various tasks before using Better Impact:

ROI Calculator Data

JOURNEY

The process of selecting a VMS solution involved key individuals, including Michele as Head of Volunteers, her director, and the Head of IT. They collectively played a role in the decision-making process, and they recall considering and evaluating around two to three different options.

To determine the most suitable VMS, the team followed a series of steps:

1. Relied on peer referrals and insights.
2. Discussed options through networks such as Heritage Volunteer Group and spoke to local users of the software.
3. Read software reviews.
4. Utilised the various resources on Better Impact’s website to learn more about the product (demo videos, tutorials, etc.).
5. Enrolled in a 30-day software trial offered by Better Impact, which was extended to ensure The Auckland Project could conduct its thorough evaluation.

Following these initial steps, the team made the decision to select Volunteer Impact; specifically, the Standard Edition which best suited its needs. Over time, The Auckland Project progressed to the Enterprise Edition, as needs changed over time, which allowed the team to leverage additional capabilities to operate their program.

Lessons Learned

When reflecting on her own process of choosing a VMS solution, Michele would recommend to organisations embarking on their own VMS journey that they meet with real users of the systems being considered by their organisation, instead of solely relying on sales materials or demos from the software vendors. Organisations may obtain a greater understanding of how the system is used, in practice, by conversing with and learning from other users. This personal knowledge can offer beneficial insights about the system's efficacy and suitability for their specific requirements.

Michele's advice highlights the significance of actively seeking out real-world experiences and opinions to guide the decision-making process.

The Auckland Project feels their data is more secure with Volunteer Impact. The software provides robust security measures and protocols to safeguard sensitive volunteer and organisational information. They have confidence in the system's ability to protect their data, allowing them to focus on their core objectives without concerns about potential security breaches.

Final Sentiments

To peers who may have apprehensions about embarking on the journey of finding a VMS solution, Michele offers these words of encouragement: advanced IT skills are not required.

Instead, she highlights the importance of utilising critical thinking skills and building from there.

Approaching leadership for support early into the process and discussing the benefits of a dedicated VMS solution over using spreadsheets or HR/donor systems can help overcome resistance to change.

The positive impact on the organisation and volunteers will instill a sense of pride in the progress achieved through adopting a dedicated VMS.