Good Neighbour
Rachel Lander and Sammy Waru
Volunteering is not just for the benefit of the organisation but also the volunteer.
Good Neighbour Trust have been using infoodle as their CRM for 10 years. They have a holistic approach to caring for their volunteers, in fact looking after the volunteers is part of their mission and purpose. We spoke with Rachel Lander (Community Coordinator) and Sammy Waru (Administrator) at Good Neighbour about why people volunteer and how they as an organisation show their appreciation to those willing to serve others.
The most common reason people volunteer with Good Neighbour is for connection. Volunteers enjoy the companionship and camaraderie of working together or just sitting down for a coffee and natter. Many of their volunteers are retired or have lots of free time so volunteering gives them something to do, a sense of purpose, and, for some, a reason to get up in the morning.
Volunteers want to be part of and give back to the community that has often first helped them. Good Neighbour will take anyone who wants to volunteer, regardless of your skill or ability. Being a fairly large organisation with a number of different projects on the go there is always plenty to do and they will find somewhere for you to fit in.
For one volunteer joining Good Neighbour was life changing. Teresa, a former drug addict found community was a huge part of her recovery. “It wasn’t about helping other people, it was about helping me. Only later it became about helping other people.”
Good Neighbour takes the time to get to know and care for their volunteers.
They show appreciation to their volunteers by giving handwritten Birthday cards and having a volunteer Christmas/end of year party. They are also able to provide lunch for their volunteers due to their food rescue program and kitchen. They have a relaxed approach and spend time over lunch to value the individual. “It’s not all about business and work”.
All Good Neighbours Volunteers are managed through infoodle. Infoodle is a powerful CRM software solution focused on your people and communities. Easily store and track your contact information, manage your communications, and keep accurate, up-to-date records all in one place. Find out more here.
