Online Volunteer Check-In System

For many smaller organizations like Gorman Heritage Farm, where volunteers are pervasive everyday and in every aspect of the operations, quantifying the impact of volunteers can be a complex task. In the past, all documentation of volunteer hours was written, and needed to be compiled annually by staff.  In order to allow our staff more up-to-date volunteer hours, and to give them metrics on where and how volunteers were spending their time, I built an online volunteer check-in system which replaced the written logbook.  This new system, which is available at the Farm’s front desk iPad and accessible on any connected device at any time by volunteers, allows volunteers to check-in, check-out, and add hours that they worked.  In addition, it records data on what the volunteer was doing, and collects timestamps for their work. Information collected by the system can also be used to collect feedback from volunteers in evaluating their experience. Having this information allows an organization like the Farm the opportunity to be responsive and adaptive to volunteer availability and interests.