Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas simplifies its volunteer application process with PandaDoc

Big Brothers, Big Sisters Arkansas is a one-on-one mentoring program that intends to ignite the power and promise of youth. They are committed to breaking down barriers to resources and opportunities that help the youth of Arkansas thrive. The biggest challenge for this youth servicing organization is finding and recruiting trustworthy people to work with the youth.

“PandaDoc makes the process of recruiting and retaining volunteers easier than it has been in the past,” Laura Basch, Community Engagement Manager.

The problem

Previously, applicants would have to visit the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Arkansas office to complete a volunteer or partner application. There were no options for applicants to fill out the forms online. COVID-19 was the push the team needed to change how they operated across the organization.

Social security numbers, DOB, and any other personal information are all necessary for the application process, so security was top of mind. PandaDoc provided the level of security needed to meet and exceed the necessary compliance standards.

“Personal data security is a necessity,” Laura Basch, Community Engagement Manager.

The solution

PandaDoc is only accessed by their end users when the link is sent to them. Big Brothers, Big Sisters has seen a significant improvement in community involvement thanks to an easier application process.

Since using PandaDoc, their volunteer inquiry to matched rate has shown an increase. Overall, they have also been able to improve processes across the organization.

At this point, all of their documents are in one place, where everyone has access, ensuring consistency and eliminating confusion.

The results

While managing 300 to 400 volunteers per year and 300 to 400 youth per year, Big Sisters, Big Brothers externally stores all applications in Salesforce.

PandaDoc provided easy integration with Salesforce, which served as a plus. Both volunteers and youth need to complete the initial application, background check, reference documents, security compliance document, and internal timesheets.

It’s a ton of information and a roadblock for many to get involved with the program. Now, there is no longer the need to provide all the necessary information at once and on paper. PandaDoc provides continual access to their applications online.