Transforming Volunteer Management for a Life-Changing Mission
How Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust achieved record-breaking fundraising success while freeing their team to focus on training dogs
About Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust
Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust (ADNZT) is an ADI-accredited charitable trust that enriches the lives of young New Zealanders living with disabilities by providing purpose-trained assistance dogs.
With 72% of their clients being children and young adults under 20 years old, and 50% living with autism, ADNZT provides life-changing support to families who have nowhere else to turn.
As a small organisation with a fundraising team of just two people, their annual Street Appeal is their biggest fundraising event of the year – and every hour counts.
The Challenge
Manual Rostering: A “Tetris Nightmare”
For years, ADNZT's Street Appeal required all hands on deck – including their entire operations team of dog trainers, puppy development specialists, and client instructors. The manual rostering process was consistently described as “a logistical nightmare” and “playing Tetris.”
“Before 2025, our Area Coordinators spent countless hours each week trying to match volunteer preferences with available sites and shifts. It was like a never-ending game of Tetris! Not only did this take time away from their day-to-day roles, but it also meant we couldn't always meet volunteer preferences.”— Kendra van der Linden, Fundraising, Marketing & Communications Manager
Key Pain Points:
- Manual roster creation: Staff and Area Coordinators manually filled out volunteer rosters for each site and date after collecting availability via Google Forms
- Time-intensive administration: Operations staff – dog trainers, puppy development specialists – spent countless hours on roster management instead of their core mission
- No self-service for volunteers: If volunteers needed to move their shifts, staff had to manually make changes and send individual communications
- Volunteer preference matching: Couldn't always meet volunteer preferences for sites and times, which may have affected retention
- Back-and-forth communications: Previous years required extensive individual emails with volunteers, which felt like poor use of time
The Solution
In May 2025, ADNZT partnered with PurposeTech to implement a end-to-end volunteer management solution for their September Street Appeal. With just 10 weeks from agreement to launch, the team worked collaboratively to deploy a fully customised platform.
Steven Clouston, PurposeTech CTO, worked directly with Bella Michalska, ADNZT's Fundraising Assistant, through weekly check-ins to ensure smooth implementation and training for the entire team.
From Concept to Launch in 10 Weeks
Discovery & Planning
Initial meetings to understand ADNZT's unique needs and campaign structure
Platform Configuration
Weekly check-ins to configure platform, train staff, and prepare all campaign materials
Soft Launch
Internal testing and final preparations before public recruitment
Public Launch
Volunteer recruitment opens at volunteer.assistancedogstrust.org.nz
Street Collection
Three-day nationwide street appeal with 200+ volunteers across 30+ sites
Record-Breaking Results
The operations team – dog trainers, puppy development specialists, and client instructors – were freed from the “Tetris nightmare” of manual rostering.
109%
Of fundraising target achieved
First Ever
Six-figure campaign in organisation history
200+
Volunteers coordinated nationwide
Time Savings
Operations staff no longer spend hours on manual rostering – that time is now spent preparing dogs to help families
Real-Time Visibility
Staff could see volunteer coverage across the entire country during the event, enabling quick problem-solving
“This year marked a major milestone: for the first time since our founding in 2008, volunteers could choose their exact site and shift time online, with no middle person required. It saved an incredible amount of time for everyone involved – a real win for both our team and our volunteers.”
Kendra van der Linden
Fundraising, Marketing & Communications Manager
Volunteer Experience
Volunteers found the platform intuitive and easy to navigate, with self-service shift management reducing friction
Team Efficiency
Automated communications and streamlined processes freed the small fundraising team to focus on strategy and marketing
“During the event, having visibility across the whole country was invaluable. When volunteers from Auckland called with questions, I could immediately see which site they were at and track their timing.”
— Bella Michalska, Fundraising Assistant
“If someone emailed me asking to move their shift, I could search their name and see all their contact information and easily move them – which would then trigger an automatic email updating them.”
— Bella Michalska, Fundraising Assistant
Each hour saved on rostering is an hour spent preparing dogs to help children with autism, physical disabilities, and other challenges gain independence and access to their communities. The platform didn't just improve efficiency – it amplified ADNZT's ability to deliver on their mission.
“Thank you again for the support of PurposeTech. It was a massive game changer for us, and we've had some really positive feedback about the platform and the system.”— Kendra van der Linden, ADNZT
Learn more about Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust's life-changing work at assistancedogstrust.org.nz
Ready to Transform Your Volunteer Management?
Whether you're managing a nationwide street appeal, coordinating regional events, or scaling your volunteer programme, PurposeTech can help.