The George Washington University Hospital

Interview with Gini Douglas, Patient Experience: Volunteer Supervisor

The GW Hospital’s mission is to provide the highest quality healthcare, advanced technology, and world-class service to our patients in an academic medical center dedicated to education and research. Just minutes from Washington DC’s tourist sites and government headquarters, The George Washington University Hospital serves a diverse group of patients, from area residents to visiting dignitaries and heads of state.

Volunteer Program

The GW Hospital’s volunteers provide support throughout the hospital. Concierge desk volunteers greet our guests and staff, provide support by triaging calls, deliver floral arrangements, packages, and escort patients and visitors to their destinations. Inpatient unit volunteers stock supplies, assist with special projects and have hands-on experience with patient care

Challenge

The GW Hospital was using another volunteer management system to manage their volunteer program. Before Bloomerang Volunteer, “GW Hospital used an alternate volunteer logistics management system that unfortunately fell short. Our processes, applications, communication, volunteer onboarding, and scheduling were all manual, and extremely time-consuming” Commented Gini Douglas.

The GW Hospital needed a new solution to efficiently recruit and manage a growing team of volunteers that support and facilitate the many program initiatives throughout the hospital. Gini Douglas explained, “We needed a solution for our growing community of varying branches of volunteer services. I was looking for a system that could provide the services and flexibility required to cultivate organizational efficiency for programs and initiatives throughout the hospital.”

Solution

The GW Hospital chose Bloomerang Volunteer as their volunteer management solution to reduce administrative time, streamline volunteer on-boarding, and increase communication.

KEY BENEFITS:

• Automated candidate applications
• Mass communication features
• Secure peer-to-peer communication
• Self-scheduling

Key Functionalities

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

“Volunteers are acclimated with the software the minute they become interested in joining our organization and apply. Bloomerang Volunteer is user friendly for our staff administrators, candidates, and volunteers. We have also been able to implement this system to help manage our volunteers, interns, and contractors for application screening, scheduling, shift clock-in/out, and communication” commented Gini.

VOLUNTEER COMMUNICATIONS

“I encourage volunteers to download the Bloomerang Volunteer app on their phones. It is a great way for them to reach me in real-time and connect with their volunteer peers. So, it’s been great in that regard” explained Gini.

KIOSK CHECK-IN

“We appreciate the kiosk because it promotes a seamless workflow for members of our team using the feature. The Bloomerang Volunteer kiosk is located in our volunteer office, which is a central location accessed to begin and end a shift. The kiosk clock-in feature is the perfect tool to promote record keeping, attendance accountability, and helps our team identify volunteers on-site at any given assignment area. The mobile check-in is convenient and practical for our volunteers who provide support at offsite locations and participate in community events” Gini explained.

APPLICATION SCREENING

“Our application process consists of a customizable online application and supporting documentation (resume, letter of recommendation, and credentials). With Bloomerang Volunteer, I do not see a candidate until the application is complete, and all required documents are uploaded. The Bloomerang Volunteer application format is easy to use and makes my life a lot easier” Gini explained.

MOBILE DOCUMENT ACCESS

“Volunteers have access to resources at the tips of their fingers with the Bloomerang Volunteer app. Volunteers can pull up program fundamentals, task checklist, training guides, assignment expectations, safety reminders, and chain of escalation for direction or to review during downtime” explained Gini.

MESSAGE BROADCASTING

Gini explains, “The app helps me efficiently filter communications to small and large groups. Real-time communications varying from general blasts (time changes, holiday recognition, and organization updates), reminders (dress code, behavior, and invitations for snacks/treats), alerts (system downtimes), and recruitment for unscheduled events.”

“Bloomerang Volunteer has made my life 100 times better compared to our previous volunteer management system” commented Gini Douglas.