Who's next in the rollout of Assemble?

It’s now nearly time to give access to Assemble (our new volunteer management system) to our next set of volunteers – groups we’ve prioritised that actively provide services and/or are recruiting new volunteers, along with Trustees and Council Chairs.

So, if you’re a Group Coordinator in one of these priority groups, or a Trustee or Council Chair, you’ll receive an email from us on Tuesday 17 February. This email gives you the heads-up that you’ll be receiving your login details for Assemble on Thursday 19 February. The email also includes useful resources to get you started and details of what support is available to you.

If you don’t receive an email from us, please check your Spam and Junk inboxes. Please contact [email protected] if you still can’t find an email from us.

The rest of the volunteers from these priority groups will then be invited to log into Assemble approximately two weeks later. This is so Group Coordinators have a chance to get logged in and can support their volunteers to do the same. These volunteers will also be sent a heads-up email ahead of receiving their Assemble log in details.

Next steps for remaining groups, and non-group volunteers

All other volunteers, including those from any remaining groups, and non-group volunteers, such as Project Volunteers and Council Members, will be given access to Assemble between April and June. We’ll keep you updated in your monthly newsletter.

Don’t want to wait?

If you’d like to start accessing Assemble sooner than the timelines given above, please contact [email protected]. If you’re a group volunteer, your Group Coordinator will need to be given access first.

What do our Early Adopters think of Assemble?

In our January newsletter, we told you that our ‘Early Adopters’ had just gained access to Assemble.

Since then, these 84 volunteers have been logging in to see how it all looks and works. They’ve been discovering how the new functionality can assist their volunteering, and getting to grips with using it to complete tasks or find information.

Three such volunteers are Joanne, Julie and Doug, who have kindly shared their early impressions with us:

Joanne Newall – Group Coordinator, Ayrshire and Arran Group

“I decided to become an early adopter because I was curious to see what the new platform, Assemble, was all about. I found that the old platforms we used were disorganised and hard to use. Assemble has everything all in one place. This means it’s easy to find the news and information you need to volunteer effectively.

As a Group Coordinator, I need to be organised and know what's going on in my area, so Assemble means I can do this with ease. I feel that once Assemble is fully up and running, it will make volunteering much more straightforward and manageable.”

Julie Harrison – Lead Support Volunteer, Leeds & District Group

“I can honestly say that the thought of having to get to grips with a new system, while living with MS, was a little daunting. But opting to be an early adopter was definitely the best thing for me. 

I like the system. It’s clean, and easy to navigate, and the menu on the left side gives all the information you need. I’ve fed back on a few issues. But they’re not negatives, and can all be overcome easily. I’ve notified all my team about how they must take time out to get to know the system when rolled out further.”

Doug Shayler – Group Coordinator of our Leamington Spa, Warwick and Kenilworth Group

“Up until now, I have used various applications - Reach recruitment, Online Accounting, Enthuse, Give a Little and the Volunteer Website. I have been an Assemble user for about a week.

My initial impression of Assemble is generally favourable. On initial login I was presented with the Home page, which provides access to the latest MS Society news, calendar details, vacancy information and training info, and provides a one-page overview of potentially important information. On the left-hand side of the page is a navigation menu, which gives access to the other features of Assemble. This bar provides a really simple way to access the various features.

As a Group Coordinator, Assemble provides me with a system which replaces my own ad hoc methods of managing my group. There was a bit of ‘set up’ work for me to do — checking and validating the data for my group. My next steps are to consider which volunteers need access to Assemble, and which features to implement.”

All the feedback we’ve received (good and less good) from our Early Adopters has been really valuable. And we’re keen to find out what the rest of our volunteers think, too!

Learn more

You can find out more about Assemble and access resources, such as ‘how-to’ videos, here.

You can also read about what to expect from Assemble in our Q&A with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Trustee, Douglas, who kindly shared his experiences with using the system, answering questions from Assemble Volunteer User Panel Member, Yolanda.

We look forward to welcoming you onto the new system!

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact [email protected].