Introducing Volunteer-Board Operations software
A new category of software built specifically for Volunteer-Run organizations
Volunteer-run organizations are the backbone of our communities.
Volunteers run our local youth sports leagues, fundraise for our schools, support religious institutions, and organize programs that leave a lasting impact on the community.
And yet despite their outsized impact, volunteer boards have been underserved by technology. A volunteer board today runs much the same way it did decades ago, with each member carrying an oversized operational burden of never-ending to-dos.
Behind the scenes, the volunteers doing this work are juggling their first job (their career), their second job (family & home life), and their third job, as a volunteer-board member.
With the rise of AI-driven software, we finally have the opportunity to reduce that operational burden.
Today we are introducing Volunteer-Board Operations software.
Volunteer-Run Boards have unique challenges
Over the last few months, we spoke to dozens of Volunteer-board members and consistently heard the same themes:
Volunteer boards are in a constant state of catch-up mode, trying to remember and recreate what they did last year instead of innovating for growth.
The cyclical nature of the Calendar dictates the majority of the work; the same Milestones, Activities, & To-dos every year.
Board members rotate in and out every year, taking hard-earned knowledge with them. New members are forced to start from scratch.
Board are full of well-meaning individuals, but many lack the operational experience or technical expertise to succeed.
The result is an organization that members feel is not reaching its potential because they lack the time and tools to operate effectively.
The Current technology landscape
Volunteer-boards do already have tools that help them manage the “front of house” of the organization - the public facing website, participant registration portals, payment processing.
→But Volunteer-boards have nothing that helps them manage the “back of house” of the organization - the operation of the board members themselves.
Corporate-boards already have board management software that is catered to the needs of corporate professionals and helps them operate more efficiently.
→But Volunteer-boards don’t have the same structure or objectives and require software that is built specifically for their challenges & needs.
Volunteer-Board Operations software must run the board on autopilot so that volunteers can worry less about keeping track of tasks, and more about making an impact in their community.
What is Volunteer-Board Operations software?
This new category requires the latest & greatest AI-driven capabilities that automate the recurring nature of a Volunteer-run organization.
Volunteer-Board Operations software aims to:
Simplify the role of the Board President
Automate To-Dos for Board Members
Preserve board continuity year over year
Reduce volunteer burnout, while increasing community impact
The software must be easy to use, automate as much as possible, and reduce the operational grind of being a volunteer. We envision its core capabilities to be the following:
AI Board Meeting Companion:
Planning: AI-generated Board Meeting Agendas based on past minutes and upcoming activities
Running: Relevant context for every discussion
Recording: Meeting recordings with AI-generated summaries so nothing gets missed
Next Steps: AI-Recommended action items with owners and due dates
AI Task Assistant
Organize: Activities, Events, and Milestones in one place with clear ownership
Remind: Automated reminders and alerts
Complete: AI-driven task completion based on historical insights
Board Continuity
Playbooks: Step-by-Step guide for recurring tasks, events, & milestones
Storage: Repository for bylaws and important board documents
Rollover: Automation of each term or season’s plan with last year’s learnings
This isn’t just a vision.
We have been hard at work building Volunteer-Board Operations software and are excited to announce early access NOW at Third Job AI.
Please join us on our mission of making a volunteer board feel less like a third job, and more an opportunity to leave a legacy in your community.