At Purposely, we're excited about how companies can support nonprofits in unique and powerful ways. There are so many ways companies can help their communities. At Jane.app, one thing they do is give employees access to Purposely, making it super easy to find and apply for volunteer opportunities.

This is the story of how one Jane employee, Che Poppins, helped her local community centre save $3000.

COVID was hard on all community centres and the people they support. Nicki Simpson, VP of the Trout Lake Community Centre Association had this to say,

Public community centres like ours provide space, resources, and programs that support seniors, parents, newcomers, and youth. Urban communities like East Vancouver have more vulnerable people who rely on these supports, and during COVID we know these services were particularly important."

As you can imagine, COVID hit the community centre hard. "We had to cancel or reduce revenue-generating programs and take on additional costs to continue running crucial programs like daycare and youth programs."

Despite these challenges, the Trout Lake Community Centre kept going when the community needed them the most.

In April 2021, the TLCCA found itself in a pinch: the shift in how operations were handled, combined with tight cashflow, meant their employment chart needed a review. They needed HR expertise to assess their current job roles, fair & competitive compensation, and how best to address future needs. A consultant quoted them at $3000 for the project.

This sort of need is common for nonprofits. They don't have the in-house expertise to handle professional projects internally, so they end up paying a premium for consultants when the time comes. This can result in putting the project off, or resorting to a low-cost alternative that may not be of a high enough quality, or difficult trade-offs, like foregoing community programming. It's a tough balancing act.

That's when Trout Lake turned to Purposely. They posted their project on purposely.co, and immediately got noticed by Che Poppins, People Specialist at Jane.app.

“When I saw this project on Purposely I just thought, Oh that's just such a good idea! I've never done volunteering like this before. I never thought about it as a possibility.

I have used this community centre so many times and I used to live like 2 blocks way, so it's a place that's really near and dear to my heart. So to see that they needed something that I could actually help with, that I had some expertise in, was really exciting."

Che hopped on a no-commitment call to discuss the TLCCA's proposed project and learned a bit more about their needs and what she might do to help.

Nicki Simpson from the TLCCA was excited and a little overwhelmed: "I was shocked that within days of posting on Purposely, we had such a great expert step up, who lived nearby and had a personal connection to our community centre."

As Che and the folks from Trout Lake spoke together, it became clear that this was totally within Che's wheelhouse. The project was to do an org chart review and provide recommendations for next steps: whether or not to hire a new role and change existing roles, or to handle the increased demands a different way, and whether salaries were appropriate for roles.

Che did that, and then she presented her report & recommendations to the board, which an HR consultant wouldn't have done. She then agreed to help execute the plan. She sat on the hiring committee, screened & interviewed candidates, and even took care of candidate communications.

"At this point, what Che has given is probably over $10,000 in professional services. We not only saved the money we had earmarked for this, but we were also able to tackle this challenge in a vastly more professional and expert-driven way. We're beyond grateful."

So much extra work! And how does Che feel about that?

"I was expecting to take on a small part of the project and then just submit my report. Instead, I got to see the whole project through from start to finish, including presenting to the board and supporting the execution of the project. That holistic approach is something that's hard to get in a large company, and it was very rewarding."

That Che was grateful for the extra work shouldn't be a surprise. When set up for success, volunteering is as rewarding for the volunteers as it is for the organizations and the communities they support.

Che also got a big confidence boost from the whole thing, and hit some major professional development goals: "Presenting to the Association's board was terrifying at first,” she said with a laugh, “but also such a huge confidence boost. The questions they asked made me realize that I knew a lot more than I thought, and could handle new challenges beyond my role at my company."

Che also mentioned, "The pandemic hasn't been easy for anyone, and to be able to help an important cause, grow my professional skills and self-confidence, and find a deeper sense of community in my neighbourhood... I just couldn't ask for more."

For Jane.app, Che's company, what a great success! Their employee found a sense of connection in their community during the pandemic, and an opportunity to grow and develop their professional skills in ways that Jane.app will benefit from.

For the Trout Lake Community Centre, you couldn't dream of a better scenario. They found a volunteer to take on a project that was so urgent they had earmarked some of their limited money for it. And that volunteer went so far above and beyond that they couldn't have paid for such services. Not only that, but the volunteer enjoyed their experience, loved the people they met, and now wants to get more involved! The Trout Lake Community Centre solved a need, found a friend, and recruited a professional board member.

To recap:

TLCCA Got:

• 20 specialized volunteer hours, worth at least $3000. Plus many more professional hours that the community centre could never have afforded.
• That money was put to use running a Summer Concert Series that supported local artists and created lively, safe, outdoor fun for families in the neighbourhood.
• A comprehensive HR Review of staffing needs, including a set of recommendations for moving forward.
• HR Support for interviewing new staff members and selecting the preferred candidate, and following up with all candidates.
• A new board member!

Jane got:

• Free professional development for a staff person. Che gained experience with a high-level organization review, developing & presenting recommendations to leadership, and public speaking/presentation skills & confidence.
• A more community-engaged employee!

Che got:

• A deeper connection to her community.
• Professional and personal development in the form of broader experience in her field than she could get within her company, public speaking experience, and stronger self-confidence.
• A summer concert series at her local park!