Volunteer recruitment for event organizers
Company
Whova
Role
Lead designer
Duration
6 months
Background
Most Whova organizers aren’t professional planners—they’re nonprofit leaders, office staff, or university teams juggling events on top of regular work. Volunteers help run sessions, check people in, and answer questions, easing the organizer’s load. But recruiting and managing volunteers is time-consuming, stressful, and often discourages organizers from using them.
The Problem
Too much work: Setting up forms and reviewing volunteer applications takes time organizers don’t have.
Decision overload: Choosing who to pick and what to ask adds mental load.
Inefficient tools: Spreadsheets and forms make the process tedious and error-prone.
The Approach
Quick setup: Enable fast, painless form creation and applicant review.
Smart guidance: Reduce mental effort with an intuitive, decision-friendly interface.
Focus on what matters: Streamline volunteer management so organizers spend time on planning, not paperwork.
The Solution
01. Set up an application form in just a few clicks
Creating a volunteer form is usually the hardest part. Organizers have to decide on questions, deadlines, and instructions.
I added smart defaults like a pre-set deadline, ready-made instructions, and common questions from real forms, so organizers can simply edit instead of starting from scratch.
02. Easily share the form to boost volunteer applicants
By leveraging existing attendee data already in the platform, organizers can quickly invite past or current participants—no need to gather contact lists or send bulk emails. Sharing the form becomes fast and effortless.
03. Review and Accept Volunteers Without the Hassle
I displayed the most important applicant details up front, enabling quick one-click approvals when the decision is straightforward. At the same time, I built in a path for deeper review, ensuring organizers can still evaluate thoroughly when needed. This approach reduces friction in the common flow while preserving flexibility for edge cases.
The Impact
Early traction
Enabled by 5% of events within 3 months.
On par with top features
Adoption matches performance of other popular tools.
Growth potential
Plenty of room to boost usage in future updates.
These early results show strong initial traction and highlight clear opportunities to grow adoption even further in future iterations.
Organizers also responded with enthusiasm. Here’s what they’re saying:
