As head of community and volunteering at Make‑A‑Wish UK, Liz Turner shares why consolidating tools and redesigning journeys has boosted engagement and strengthened support for families.
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In volunteer-driven charities, goodwill is not the main problem. The real challenge is operational complexity.

When systems are fragmented and processes are unclear, even the most passionate volunteers can find it hard to do their best work. Over time, that friction doesn’t just slow delivery, it risks disengagement at a point where the sector can least afford it.

At Make-A-Wish UK, volunteers are central to everything we do. They help us discover wishes, support families and play a vital role in delivering moments of joy to children living with critical illness. But a few years ago, it became clear that our digital infrastructure was working against that mission. Our experience is far from unique. Across the charity sector, volunteer-led organisations are grappling with increasing complexity behind the scenes.

Volunteers were being asked to navigate up to 11 different platforms to complete everyday tasks. Essential information was scattered across emails, spreadsheets and standalone tools, creating duplication and delays. Recruitment took longer than it needed to, our teams were weighed down by manual administration, and volunteers didn’t always have a clear view of the impact of their time. Despite incredible commitment, the system simply wasn’t set up to support people effectively.

We knew that digitising existing processes wasn’t enough. What we needed was a complete redesign of the volunteer journey, built around simplicity, clarity and connection. That meant stepping back and asking a fundamental question: what does a great volunteer experience actually look like?

By consolidating our systems through Access Assemble, we were able to replace a fragmented set of tools with a connected volunteer ecosystem designed around how people actually give their time. That shift brought our vision to life. Today, a bespoke integration with Salesforce sends wish discovery tasks directly to volunteers’ mobile apps, allowing them to respond quickly and confidently. Volunteer hours, activity and impact data sync automatically, removing the need for manual reporting and giving us real-time visibility of our network.

Just as importantly, everything our volunteers need now lives in one place. Recruitment at scale is managed through a single platform, while training resources, events and communications sit within a central volunteer hub. This has transformed onboarding, reduced uncertainty and freed both volunteers and staff to focus on what matters most: supporting children and families at critical moments.

The impact has gone far beyond efficiency. With friction removed, engagement has grown. Volunteers feel better supported, more informed and more connected to the difference they are making. For our teams, less time spent on admin means more time spent delivering wishes and building meaningful relationships in communities across the UK.

Our experience reflects a wider truth across the charity sector. As demand rises and resources remain under pressure, volunteer impact increasingly depends on the quality of the digital experience behind the scenes. When journeys are simple, joined up and intuitive, charities don’t just save time - they unlock capacity and scale what’s possible.

For organisations reliant on volunteers, investing in a truly volunteer-centred digital ecosystem is no longer optional. It is fundamental to delivering impact, sustaining engagement and ensuring that goodwill can translate into action, now and in the future.

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