The Volunteer Kinetic Software is a system that we in Glasgow Life (Sports Development) have been using for over 10 months now. The system has helped to change for the better the way that we engage with volunteers, allowing us to put in place a self service experience for our volunteers empowering them to make choices for themselves around the volunteering they wish to get involved with. The Glasgow Sport Volunteer Bureau (GSVB) is a key mechanism of Glasgow Sports vision for volunteering and allows us to work extensively with new and existing volunteers and organisations, within a variety of settings. Having this system in place allows Glasgow Sport to support the recruitment, training, development and deployment of volunteers, whilst recognising the contribution volunteers make to sport and rewarding their success. The system allows us to accurately track volunteer activity for active volunteers on the system, giving us real understanding of the volunteering that is taking place. The GSVB has allowed us to attract a new audience of volunteers and providers out with the usual sports network. In addition, it has made the recruitment and deployment process faster and enabled us to produce more comprehensive reports. From a Volunteers perspective ' The GSVB has allowed volunteers to access an online system with easy access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for them to view and join any sport volunteering opportunity they wish to do so. Volunteers can also log their volunteering hours and provide feedback on their experiences, helping to enhance and improve similar opportunities for future volunteers. From a VIO's perspective ' VIO's has been able to engage with volunteers more effectively and efficiently to assist them with recruiting volunteers for their programmes/events. Developing these new partnerships allows Glasgow Sport to work with the organisations to improve opportunities available to volunteers across the city. In terms of customer service from the team at Smarter in Design is second to none they are always there to assist with any issues or queries that we have and have been fantastic when we need quick answers. Overall I would reccommend this system to any volunteer managers who want to keep everthing in one place, allowing you to have a log of voluntary hours and help you as a manager to become more efficient and effective in your role.

It has revolutionized our volunteer management system and dragged us forward into the 21st century! It enables us to drive consistency and expectations that all volunteering activity will be managed through it thereby providing greater transparency and accountability.

We like that volunteers, providers and admin all use the same software, the look and feel is recognisable and easy to use with great features around social media, feedback and recognition to improve the volunteer experience, particularly for young people. There are huge benefits in all our providers using the same system to manage volunteers and in the visibility of this by admin users is invaluable. The ability to specify when and where opportunities are available has helped our providers to be clearer in planning their opportunities which should make recruitment much easier. The follow up support from TK has been prompt and effective and this has helped us overcome our lack of knowledge when setting up the system initially.

At present the referencing functions are a bit limited for our needs but Team Kinetic have taken this on board and are developing some new functionality to address this. We are still learning how to operate it from an admin perspective and sometimes the visibility of what stage volunteers are at in their application is limited, likewise it's harder to see what progress providers have made with applications than we would like. We will be asking for some custom reports to help with this as in our organization the admin users need to be able to monitor progress and compliance centrally. The setting up of sessions is complex, understandably so, and we are still working out the best way to use this for our opportunities.

The best bit about this software is the function to log hours and be able to track how many hours have been logged. It is also really useful to be able to put training courses and vouchers onto the system also. Uploading opportunities is also really simple.

The reporting is very complex and not very relevant to what we are looking for. The email system is not beneficial as you are unable to track past emails, which is often necessary. From an admin perspective, when opportunities have finished and closed, they still remain on the system and this very much clogs up the system. It can be difficult for admins to judge what is on the system, how long it has been on there and in general look through all the opportunities.

We have used the software to replace paper log books that our volunteers previously used to log and record their hours. The online system is a real improvement to this as it provides an efficient way for volunteers to record their hours. There is an option for them to write feedback - which is a really useful way of them being able to document their experiences. They can also upload their qualifications and create an online profile, which they will use for their personal and professional development. Providers can also leave feedback for the volunteers, which is really encouraging for our students. The system is very user friendly and our students have found it quick and easy to register. We feel that it looks professional and the team at volunteer kinetic have designed it well to fit in with our branding. We have the continued support of the volunteer kinetic team who answer queries quickly and happily call to talk you through any queries you have. The training day provided was very informative and practical and we felt like we had a good understanding of the system after this. As you log on as an admin member, it is very clear to see how many registered members you have, how many hours have been logged, and how many hours need approving. there is also on option to pull reports, which we will use to track the progress of our volunteer programme. These can easily be exported in to excel spreadsheets, which saves on admin time. Overall we have found that the students find the online system a very interactive and effective way of applying to volunteer. It helps make the volunteer opportunities more appealing and it enables them a hassle free way of volunteering.

It sits on your website, can be accessed anywhere, perfect for a digital generation to sign up and manage their own volunteering experience, hours and achievements. It is easy to post opportunities and view sign up's to events etc.

It does not come with a user guide for volunteers in communicating what they can do on their profile and how I would like them to interact with the software.

We have been using VK for a number of years as they host our Event Opportunities and Recruitment. Cannot fault the quality of product and customer support along with their willingness to take on board our ideas and needs and adapting the site accordingly. In particular the report functionality has become more detail enabling us to capture data and offer a quality service to this client group.

look and feel and data capture

Setting up opportunities can become repetitive but they have improved this area.

Ease of use! Straight forward navigation. Technical support and associated materials are very good. Registration and log in process - like that users can create profile and use regularly. Administrator functions are very good and thorough. Ability to link and advertise with other users/events/networks Ability to text volunteers.

Because it is a ready built software, some elements are fixed and cannot be edited/removed. Volunteer users don't have the ability to choose multiple volunteering opportunities at once. Administrator doesn't have the ability to edit their own homepage content. When downloading all volunteer data, opportunities they have joined need to be manually added?

being able to send emails to volunteers, keeping them updated of opportunities, retention of volunteers

Having volunteers for the service all stored on one database, being able to share opportunites and log hours

uploaded documents removed after 6 months, need to extend this time period as info needs to stored for more than a 6 month period

Volunteer Kinetic has enabled us to make it easier than ever before to get involved in volunteering accross a wide variety of sporting opportunities. It has helped us harness the "legacy" effect linked to large scale sporting events in the city and has established itself as "the place to go to" if you want to get involved in voluntary sporting opportunities in Cardiff. Pro's - Enables volunteers to "join" opportunities at the click of a few buttons. - Allows multiple organisations to promote opportunites in one place - Allows for monitoring of the amount of volunteering taking place. - Facility to compile feed back from both volunteer and provider perspectives. - Easy communication via email, text, and social media links. Con's - Annual licence fee will need to be budgeted for - Due to the potential increased amount of volunteering and the work required to market and manage the site effectively this could result in an increased workload, although this has to be weighed against the benefits of potential significant increases in volunteer activity.

We were looking for a streamlined process that not only attracted volunteers, but keeps them interested. We also needed a system that was easy to administrate with the little capacity we have. I'm pleased to say, that 3 months into using Volunteer Kinetics, it does all the things we asked for, and more. It is really easy to navigate and upload opportunities, super easy to communicate with volunteers and keep them up to date as well as rota them into shifts. All the volunteer information is downloadable so easy to take with you on the day too. The feedback we have had from our volunteers has been very positive. They like the sign up process, mentioning how easy it was to register. As a small arts organisation that delivers very large events it has been a game changer for logging volunteer hours and keeping the communication regular. If you're looking for a simple and effective way to gain and keep volunteers I would recommend this software. It will make your life so much easier!

We have used the website for the past 4 years. We have experienced several upgrades during this time which has improved functionality and the user experience. The support we have received from Smarter In Design who run the site has been continually very good.

Volunteer Kinetic have been extremely supportive and quick to respond to any enquiries or queries that we have had. I think the software has some really positive elements including uploading of volunteer opportunities and provider details with ease. Areas that could be improved are listing news items, and training opportunities on. Also the layout on the home page is clear on how to register as a provider and as a volunteer, however I think it would be good if the volunteering opportunities could be moved closer to the top to attract people to sign up to the site.

Ease of inputting provider details and volunteering opportunities on.

The fact you can't change the layout of the homepage; news and training details aren't visible on the homepage.

Fast to learn and easy to use for all our different user groups.

The team have been so helpful, they spent time talking through our needs and the software has been brilliant. Its so easy to use.

GreaterSport has been working with VolunteerKinetic for a year and have seen the numbers of volunteers dramatically increase to over 7000 registered volunteers. The system is very easy to use and if we have any issues we know the team are only a phone call away for support. As well as support they have also been on hand if we ever need any changes to the system. We hold the licence for 10 local authority volunteer systems and they were not connected in anyway. VolunteerKinetic updated the systems so they all 'talk' to each other to give the user (volunteer) the best possible experience. The system has grown from strength to strength with over 150 volunteer opportunities regularly available and it will only be a matter of time before we hit 10,000 volunteers!

The general look and feel of the site for administrators is straight forward and on the whole it does what we were expecting. In terms of ease of use there are some processes which are a bit long winded (which Smarter in Design are looking to streamline). There have been a few bugs along the way when using this system with certain functions not working quite as expected. Most of which have been fixed by Steve and his team in a short period of time. On the whole customer service has been extremely polite and helpful. I am always called back straight away if I have any issues. Our volunteers are not very keen on using the database which is partially due to their lack of interest in / knowledge about computers as some of them do not use technology very much.

I have just started working with TeamKinetic and the fantastic database has already helped to achieve efficiencies in the workflow practice. It is an effective way to share and manage volunteer information as well as marketing volunteer roles and events. Its an easy to use management tool and very user friendly for the volunteers. The great part of TK is the people who offer the best services and support and always willing to help when necessary.

Easy to use, quick and efficient

nothing

This system has definitely made a positive impact for volunteering in Bolton. It has allowed clubs, volunteers and coaches to access information like never be more. Be able to access a wealth of information on the go from a club management perspective as well as seeing new exciting opportunities available that volunteers may not have not had access to be before. The pros for me are; It has allowed the Public to use an very user friendly efficient service themselves which has enabled us a service more time to promote and share all other opportunities.

This system has definitely made a positive impact for volunteering in Bolton. It has allowed clubs, volunteers and coaches to access information like never be more. Be able to access a wealth of information on the go from a club management perspective as well as seeing new exciting opportunities available that volunteers may not have not had access to be before. The pros for me are; It has allowed the Public to use an very user friendly efficient service themselves which has enabled us a service more time to promote and share all other opportunities.

Volunteer Kinetic has provided my organisation with a a convenient platform to recruit volunteers for sporting events across the country. It also provides a great medium for monitoring our volunteers and rewarding them for their efforts. We can post information about training courses too, meaning that our volunteers can also use it as a portal to find up-skilling opportunities. Steve has been incredibly helpful in getting us going, and the support on offer is brilliant. Highly recommend!

the support from the team at volunteer kinetic has been excellent with instant response to our enquiries and requirements. Training delivered to the team was easy and fun with a great trainer!

the ease of use

The team at VolunteerKinetic have been very supportive in helping us set up the volunteer management system, we are still in the early stages of implementing this system but their customer service and speed in which they reply to us when we have had any questions on the system has been a massive help, they are always on the end of the phone. We would be happy to recommend this team to other companies and agencies looking for a volunteer management system.

Although we are currently in the launching stage of volunteer kinetic - we have so far found them really supportive. We are excited to see how the software revolutionises our experience of capturing data, and also how students interact with the software. The training was very well delivered and was both interactive and engaging. The software appears to be very simple and easy to use. I look forward to working with Volunteer Kinetic over the next year.

Ease of use. Hours trade feature Data capturing

Buttons/Picture banners at the top of pages could be linked through to events/pages.

- The software is very user friendly both from an admin & user point of view. - Very simple registration process - Adding new information to the site is very simple process and not time consuming as with previous software I have used. - The software allows me to produce a range of reports based on the information contained within the site.

We have been really pleased with how Volunteer Kinetic listen to our needs and make changes/developments to support us. They are accessible of there is a problem (which isn't that often) and also take the time to understand our specific needs. We have recommended them to many other universities.

The system was easy to set up and use for staff. Additionally the volunterrs who have used it also mainly found it easy to use.

It is relatively easy to set up and use.

Sometimes its a big confusing as to what happens after registering.