Multnomah County Library

BACKGROUND

Multnomah County Library, the oldest public library on the West Coast, has been a cornerstone of knowledge and community since its establishment in 1864. Today, the library system includes the Central Library and 19 neighborhood branches, collectively offering a vast array of over 2.8 million books and various other resources. As Oregon's largest public library, Multnomah County Library serves a significant portion of the state's population, providing access to information, education, and cultural enrichment.

In a typical month, the library engages a robust volunteer force of 400-500 individuals, both onsite at library locations and virtually. During the summer months, this number increases to approximately 800 volunteers, largely due to enthusiastic youth participating in the Summer Reading program. These dedicated volunteers fulfill a variety of roles, including tutoring both youth and adults, assisting English learners, facilitating public programs, providing tech support, and even delivering library materials to patrons unable to visit in person. From mentoring youth in makerspaces to coaching jobseekers, Multnomah County Library's volunteers play a pivotal role in enriching the community's access to resources and opportunities.

Liza J. Dyer, CVA, brings over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, both through professional work and volunteering. Based in Portland, Oregon, she serves as a Volunteer Engagement Specialist at Multnomah County Library. Her role involves facilitating connections between individuals and information while creating better access to volunteer experiences. Liza is Certified in Volunteer Administration (CVA) and an AmeriCorps alum.

Before making the transition to Better Impact, the organization primarily managed its volunteer program using another volunteer management system, supplemented by exported spreadsheets to access data that was not readily available within the system.

CHALLENGES

Despite having tools to manage volunteers, Liza recalls that neither the staff nor the volunteers could easily navigate the system, leading to nothing but frustration and wasted time. As Liza explains “so much of that work fell to the Volunteer Services team. This included data entry for paper applications and timesheets, logging time on behalf of volunteers who found the volunteer-facing portal to be confusing, creating reports for staff and volunteers, etc.”

The system's rigid structure meant there was only one way to do things, leaving the team no choice but to create clunky workarounds and this struggle robbed them of precious hours that could have been spent on more impactful tasks. For Liza this meant “less time for our team to do more involved work such as strategic planning, thoughtful recruitment, and planning for year-round volunteer recognition.” It became crystal clear: something had to change, and it had to change now.

🗝️ Key Pain Points:

• Too many workarounds for the existing system
• Current system was not user-friendly for either staff or volunteers.
• There was so much time wasted

When Liza used the ROI Calculator to determine how much time was being spent operating in this manner, it revealed that her team was going to save around 1,112 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

By mid-2020, Liza and her team embarked on a journey to explore Volunteer Management Software (VMS) solutions. With most volunteer activities halted due to the pandemic, the team seized the opportunity to enhance their volunteer engagement strategies. The initiative involved a collaborative effort, with input from various stakeholders including the four-person Volunteer Services team and staff from Library and County procurement and IT departments. “Over 50 staff members supporting volunteers responded to a survey about what would be helpful for them, because this was a product that they were going to use” says Liza.

Their journey began with a thorough needs assessment, followed by extensive research into available VMS options in the market. The team engaged in live demonstrations and reviewed pre-recorded videos provided by different companies to gain insights into each system's functionalities. Additionally, they conducted informational interviews with current users of various VMS platforms to gather firsthand experiences and recommendations. Amidst these activities, the team explored several VMS solutions, including Better Impact, Galaxy Digital, TimeCounts, Digital Cheetah, and GivePulse, to evaluate their suitability and compatibility with the organization's requirements.

Throughout the year-long exploration process, the team navigated through a series of steps in parallel, striving to find a solution that would not only address their immediate needs but also cater to their long-term goals.

Implementation

The implementation of Volunteer Impact at Multnomah County Library took two years from initial research to contract finalization. In 2022, Liza and her team began using Volunteer Impact, dedicating time to train staff and volunteers and integrate the new features into their operations. Their careful approach ensured a smooth transition and effective use of Volunteer Impact from the outset.

Why Volunteer and Client Impact

Liza and her team ultimately chose Volunteer Impact as their new VMS for several reasons. Volunteer Impact not only included all the essential features they relied on with their previous system, but also offered many additional functionalities from their wish list. Liza explains that “most of the other VMS options we looked at were either missing a crucial feature or were cost prohibitive”. Another key factor in their decision was the existing network of public libraries using Volunteer Impact. This built-in support network provided an immediate resource for best practices, troubleshooting, and shared experiences, which was invaluable for the team. "Having a community of other public libraries already using Volunteer Impact gave us confidence and support from the start," Liza noted.

The team particularly valued three specific features of Volunteer Impact:

• Reporting capabilities: Allowed them to track and analyze volunteer activities in detail, which was crucial for their strategic planning and impact assessment.
• Custom Fields: Enabled the system to be tailored to their specific needs, ensuring that all relevant data could be effectively captured and utilized.
• Communication Tools: Facilitated seamless interaction with volunteers, enhancing engagement and coordination.

These features collectively made Volunteer Impact the ideal choice for Liza and her team, aligning perfectly with their operational needs and future goals.

Lessons Learned

Throughout their journey to implement Volunteer Impact, Liza’s key takeaway is the importance of maintaining close collaboration with finance, procurement, and IT departments. "Make sure you’re insync with your finance/procurement and IT people!" Liza emphasized. These departments provided essential support in navigating the complex internal procedures and rules, ensuring a smoother and more efficient implementation process.