Volunteers to Deliver Meals to Seniors During COVID with a Self-Serve App
Customer Case Study: Jersey Cares
Home Screen -> Shopping Opportunities List
Senior Submits Grocery List -> Volunteer Snaps Photo of Delivery
Who is Jersey Cares?
Jersey Cares is a nonprofit organization that engages their volunteers with meaningful projects that positively impact local communities. One of their current volunteer initiatives involves grocery shopping and delivery for senior citizens in New Jersey.
The Challenge An App Could Solve
Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Jersey Cares was eager to communicate and mobilize with their volunteers to reach seniors who were unable to safely leave their homes to get groceries. Prior to working with MilkCrate, Jersey Cares did not have any experience with app development and were eager for a partner who could both provide the technology and the human service to set it up and guide them to use it.
MilkCrate was able to set-up their app in record time, working alongside the Jersey Cares team to create their app during a time of crisis. In the months since, over 600 grocery deliveries have been made to seniors in need during this challenging time.
Jersey Cares Program Requirements for MilkCrate App
There were numerous levels of communication needed to successfully engage with Jersey Cares volunteers to shop for a senior community member in need:
First, Jersey Cares inputs information that they receive from the NJ Department of Aging
The volunteer can view local shopping and deliveries tasks that are available in their specific geographic area on a map
The volunteer can claim and complete those tasks
The volunteer confirms that the tasks have been completed via photo verification
Jersey Cares Client Testimonial
“Everything has been working great - the customer service, the way you guys respond, that goes a long way. We were really under pressure to get it done- I appreciate you guys stepping up and helping us out!”
How This App Helps Volunteers
Geolocation: Jersey Cares volunteers can now customize profiles by selecting the New Jersey counties in which they are able to serve, allowing these shopping and delivery requests to appear on a map. By merely viewing the map, they are now able to view events and claim grocery shopping opportunities.
Participation Tracking: This allows the volunteer to keep track of hours and experience while also collecting points for each delivery that they complete. These points are then displayed on a leader board which serves as a motivating factor in fostering a sense of competition between volunteers for the greater good of serving our target communities.
Events: Grocery shopping and delivery requests will appear on the volunteer user map alongside any information needed to complete the request. The volunteer can now easily sign-up, check-in, and upload required proof of deliveries for each request all in one place on the app.
Volunteer Leaderboard -> Volunteer Profile -> List of Volunteer’s Recent Activities
Admin user display for Jersey Cares
How This App Helps Jersey Cares Staff
Reach Users with Push Notifications: Jersey Cares can now alert users regarding new grocery shopping order requests. This removes the time spent crafting emails or newsletters that were not guaranteed to be read, freeing valuable time for staff members.
Track User Data: Jersey Cares can now monitor user activity. By collecting data to aid in the accuracy of reimbursement calculations, staff members can easily verify dollars provided back to the volunteer to ensure that they are accurate.
Challenge Carousel: Staff members previously onboarded each volunteer with training and delivery procedures. This feature eliminates the need for manual instruction delivery and automatically serves as a self-serve training module for the volunteers.
The Results
MilkCrate was able to launch the app using easy and clear steps, with no technical experience needed from the Jersey Cares team. MilkCrate also provided the Jersey Cares team with a simple interface for both Apple and Google, as well as general guidance along the way.
Jersey Cares looks forward to retaining and recruiting even more volunteers in the future. Volunteers can now enjoy seamless involvement and participation while fulfilling the critical grocery shopping needs for seniors in New Jersey.
This app created a long-term solution for Jersey Cares in facilitating a rewarding volunteer experience. They are now considering expanding the scope of their services with this app to aid other demographics within their communities, including people with disabilities.
Questions? Fill out this form or call us 215-720-1625
The Jersey Cares App is available in the app stores for iOs and Android phones, along with other MilkCrate apps that help organizations better reach their program participants. If you are involved in a program or an organization that would like to engage and support your community - let us know! We would be thrilled to arrange a free demo of how our platform works and see how we can be of help building your organization’s app.