Great events are successful because of the hard work of dedicated volunteers. Julie Farrell, a former tech professional turned full-time mom and committed volunteer, experienced first hand the challenges of organizing volunteers. Using her frustration as inspiration, she founded PlanHero, a group organizer software app that is user-friendly and designed to utilize volunteers to their greatest potential.  

The recently released PlanHero 2.0 highlights its features for event management. The group page offers a single URL for volunteers to access all events, allowing for organized sign-ups and auto reminders. The software facilitates advanced volunteer organization, including scheduling shifts and preventing over-allocation or under-allocation. Recognizing the significance of volunteer retention, the role of PlanHero is not only to ensure volunteers return but also convert them into potential donors. The app helps assign volunteers to roles that align with their skills and strengths, utilizing questionnaires to gather information and conducting post-event reflection meetings for continuous improvement. Preparing ahead of time allows organizations to take care of their volunteers by showing appreciation throughout the event. Using software like PlanHero ensures events run smoothly and increases the likelihood that volunteers will offer their time again the following year.

Main Topics

• Building software for Plan Hero (01:42)
• PlanHero 2.0 upgrades (04:35)
• Organization leads to volunteer retention (07:45)
• Matching volunteers with their skills and strengths (11:00)
• Software provides helpful visuals (16:30)
• Including resource materials (20:00)
• Communicating purpose behind volunteering (22:30)
• Showing appreciation for volunteers (25:15)
• Value of a volunteer coordinator (30:00)

Episode Links

• https://planhero.com

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