Case Study: How F12 (Formerly MBU) Saved the Show

A not-for-profit organization spent $50,000 a year to register volunteers for its annual show. MBU’s Business Transformation service saved the client $43,620 for a remarkable 8x return on investment. Here’s how.

The Client

A not-for-profit organization that hosts a large, popular annual event. Its success relied on the participation of 2,000 volunteers. But that also created problems for the organization.

The Problem

The organization used a manual volunteer recruiting system. A paid staff member had to type each new volunteer’s information into an old-fashioned database. Each entry took 30 minutes, with the entire process totalling 1,000 hours of paid staff time. The cost associated with this task was prohibitive for a not-for-profit that relied entirely on donations to keep the annual tradition going.

MBU’s Solution

We created an electronic, form-based onboarding system for the organization, which allowed volunteers to enter their own information. These submissions flowed directly into the event database. The change transferred the burden of information collection from paid staff to volunteers who were happy to do it.

Return on Investment

The original, manual system required 1,000 hours of staff time at an hourly cost of $50 ($25 in wages and $25 in benefits and infrastructure costs).Total cost: $50,000.

The organization paid MBU $6,380 to build the form-based system, licensing for use of the software and onboarding costs.

Total cost savings: $43,620, for a remarkable 8x return on investment.

*Subsequent years would see the client saving even more money as the initial year includes onboarding fees.

Additional Benefits

MBU’s new method allows information collected from past years to represent a starting point for future years. Staff can now organize volunteer files, ensure there’s no duplication of contact forms, and reach out to volunteers, which has led to increased volunteer retention and engagement throughout the year. The organization has also seen a strengthened volunteer community identity and improved processes at subsequent events. The improved system also offered cybersecurity, keeping information safe from data breaches.

MBU’s Business Transformation services can help you identify ways to use technology to save time and increase profits. Contact sales@mbu.ca to learn more.