Good Work Deserves a Better Volunteer System.

Get a grant-friendly volunteer system designed (or rebuilt) with clear roles, simple intake, practical onboarding, and lightweight reporting. Fast, low-lift delivery with clear hand-off, simple documentation, and coordinator training keeps everything manageable in-house.

Reliable, repeatable, and built for real programs.

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Your Volunteers Shouldn’t Depend On One Person’s Inbox

Volunteers are not “free help.” Their time is valuable, and every broken handoff costs real capacity. A volunteer program that relies on ad hoc email threads, vague roles, and manual reminders will always leak people.

A solid volunteer system changes that. It reduces staff load, makes it easier for people to say yes, and creates consistent follow-through so volunteers return.

This package exists to build the operational foundation so your volunteer program can run without constant heroics.

The Plan Behind A Better Volunteer System

This is a complete volunteer systems project for small teams like yours. It covers the groundwork, the build, and the follow-through so nothing rests on one overwhelmed coordinator. The result is a program that fits how you actually operate and a team that feels confident maintaining it.

01

Prep

We start with a focused audit and a short working session to understand what you run today, where it breaks, and what your volunteer program needs to do this year. Then we define the role architecture and operating standards so the build is straightforward.

Your Time Commitment:
~3–4 hours.

02

Build

We implement the core volunteer system: intake and routing, portal content, role definitions, onboarding resources, communication templates, and basic tracking. If a volunteer platform is appropriate, we select a lightweight tool and configure it to match your workflows.

Your Time Commitment:
~2–3 hours across two reviews

03

Support

After launch, we train your team on real tasks and leave simple documentation where they actually work. You also get a short post-launch support window so the system is adopted and maintained, not abandoned.

Your Time Commitment:
~1-2 hours of training

Additional Help & Add-Ons

You will probably want more after launch. You can add ongoing support in simple tiers, or a deeper track where we connect volunteer systems to donor communications, centralized contact data, and automation. The idea is to first stabilize the volunteer program, then connect it to the rest of your communications stack so effort is not wasted.

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Why Some Doing?

Some Doing is Charles Lockwood, a Certified Nonprofit Professional and former agency owner who has spent more than ten years building sites, teams, and campaigns. He works with small, mission-driven organizations that need clear, practical digital support, not another complicated engagement.

“Charles combines serious strategic skill with a real commitment to nonprofit work.  He shows up prepared, treats people with respect, delivers what he promises. That mix of care and competence is exactly what small nonprofits need.”

M. Priestley
Former Executive Director, Space on Main

Grant-Friendly Package Pricing

The volunteer systems build and any ongoing support are separated into clear project and monthly lines so you can drop them straight into a budget or proposal.

Volunteer Systems Package

A full volunteer systems setup for small nonprofit teams that need reliable intake, onboarding, communication, and tracking without a heavy internal lift. Includes program design, implementation, training, documentation, and local distribution support.

package price

$4,250

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Discovery and Program Design

program audit

Current workflow, bottlenecks, drop-off points, and risks.

role architecture

Roles by function, skill level, remote vs in-person, plus clear pathways from new to experienced and leadership volunteers.

Operating standards

What “good” looks like for response time, onboarding speed, attendance, retention, and staff workload.

Intake and Portal

Volunteer intake system

Application or interest form, routing, confirmations, and basic follow-ups.

Volunteer portal

A central place for role listings, how to volunteer, FAQs, and next steps.

appreciation and retention

Recognition templates, a lightweight appreciation cadence, and a short feedback loop template.

Documentation and Training Foundation

Role descriptions and expectations

Clear scope, time requirements, and success criteria for each role.

Onboarding checklist

A repeatable onboarding flow that does not rely on memory.

Training resource library

A simple wiki-style library staff can maintain.

Tools, Automation, and Launch

Volunteer platform setup

Lightweight volunteer management tool when appropriate, plus integrations with email and forms.

Communication system

Email templates for outreach, onboarding, reminders, confirmations, and follow-up.

listings coverage

Set up profiles on relevant regional and state platforms, post roles, and standardize role copy so listings stay consistent.

Impact and Visibility Basics

Tracking framework

Hours, attendance, role fill rate, and retention.

Simple reporting view

A quick snapshot staff can read without you present.

This scope is structured to map cleanly into grant lines for program access, community engagement, operational efficiency, and capacity building. Each inclusion can be documented and evaluated post-launch so results can be measured over time.

Program Access & Mission Delivery

By clarifying roles and standardizing onboarding and intake, the program becomes easier to join and easier to staff. The portal and templates reduce confusion and help volunteers take the right next step.

includes

  • Volunteer role architecture and standardized role descriptions.
  • Volunteer portal with clear role listings and onboarding steps.
  • Intake, routing, and follow-up templates.

Constituent Engagement and Community Reach

Distribution across New England volunteer channels expands reach beyond your current network. Clear role copy and a consistent cadence improves response rates and return participation.

includes

  • Listings profiles and role postings.
  • Standardized role copy across channels.
  • Volunteer communications templates and cadence.

Organizational Efficiency and Sustainability

Documentation, templates, and a maintainable resource library reduce dependence on one coordinator. Basic reporting reduces time spent assembling updates for boards, funders, and internal leadership.

includes

  • Onboarding checklist and training library.
  • Simple reporting view and tracking framework.
  • Staff training and hand-off documentation.

Risk Management and Reliability

A consistent intake process and clear expectations reduce no-shows, miscommunication, and volunteer churn. Written role scope also reduces the risk of informal, inconsistent “asks” that burn out staff and volunteers.

includes

  • Operating standards for response time, onboarding, and workload.
  • Role expectations and boundaries.
  • Repeatable workflow that does not depend on memory.

Ongoing Website Retainers

Three options, depending on how hands-on you want to be. Start with maintenance and unlimited Q and A. Then step up to monthly hours for execution. The top tier adds deeper reporting and a regular cadence for planning and prioritization.

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TIER 1

System Care

$125 / month
$1,200 / year

(20% off. Save $300)

Maintenance only. Unlimited guidance.

  • Monthly systems health check (forms, routing, portal, automations).
  • Platform admin light upkeep (templates, tags, role copy consistency).
  • Portal updates guidance.
  • Monthly reports.
  • Unlimited “how do I” questions via email or client chat.

Not included: Managing the volunteer inbox. Scheduling and rescheduling.
Ongoing listings refresh. Surveys or deeper reporting.

TIER 2

Volunteer Ops Desk

$650 / month
$6,240 / year

(20% off. Save $1,560)

Everything in System Care, plus 5 hours you can use for:

  • Volunteer inbox triage during business hours
  • Respond to common questions and route edge cases.
  • Manage third-party listings
  • On-demand reporting and role matching guidance
  • Creating new training or documentation
  • Defining and listing new roles
  • Volunteer surveys

Complex or sensitive issues escalate to staff within 1 business day (or faster if urgent)

TIER 3

Program Operator

$1,250 / month
$12,000 / year

(20% off. Save $3,000)

Everything in System Care, plus 10 hours you can use for:

  • Volunteer inbox triage during business hours
  • Respond to common questions and route edge cases.
  • Manage third-party listings
  • On-demand reporting and role matching guidance
  • Creating new training or documentation
  • Defining and listing new roles
  • Volunteer surveys

Weekend coverage quote as needed.

Why Some Doing cares so much about volunteer systems

Because volunteer programs are real operations. They touch scheduling, communications, risk, service delivery, and community trust. When the system is unclear, staff ends up repeating the same explanations, volunteers drop off after one shift, and every event becomes a scramble.

I also care about this as a volunteer. I have been volunteering with nonprofits for as long as I can remember. When the system works well, it feels great. You get clear instructions, you show up, you contribute, and you leave feeling useful. When the system does not work, the mental load shifts onto the volunteer. You end up nudging the organization for basic details like where to go, who to find, and what you are supposed to do. You might show up ready to help, then stand around waiting. Or you get routed from one person to another because nobody owns the handoff.

A simple analogy. Imagine running a kitchen with no prep list, no labels, and no standard recipes. Every shift would be slower, mistakes would pile up, and the best people would stop showing up. That is what a volunteer program feels like when intake, onboarding, and communication are improvised.

The good news is that this is fixable. There are straightforward systems and tools that can carry the coordination burden. Most nonprofits just do not have the time to set them up properly. That is what I do. I build a volunteer system that creates clarity, reduces staff load, and respects the volunteer’s time so the program can sustain itself year after year.