The Process
A Person In Need (PIN) submits a request through the website, and then…
The Short Version
There are 3 roles and 4 parts to the process. The 3 roles are Dispatch, Deliveries, and Admin. Any volunteer can get involved in any of these roles. The four parts are:
1.
Dispatch reviews the request, contacting the Person in Need (PIN) to make sure that they are reachable, and to clarify their request if need be. Then Dispatch tries to find an available Delivery Volunteer in the PIN’s area and connect them both for a successful delivery.
2.
Deliveries reviews the request, finds the items, and delivers them to the PIN, taking a picture of the receipt (make sure it’s the entire receipt!) and letting Dispatch know that the delivery is complete.
3.
Dispatch marks the request as complete, then stores the receipt for reimbursement at the end of the day.
4.
Admin takes feedback from Dispatch and Deliveries about what happened that day, then works to make the next day better by improving the process. Administration also fills other roles like daily reimbursements, fundraising, strategizing, and keeping up with social media.
The Long Version
Here you will find more detail and direction about each role. Rather than a series of steps, this version includes a description of the process from the perspective of each role.
Deliveries
When you are volunteering as a Deliveries Volunteer (DV) …
You are on stand-by (going about your life as usual) until you receive a text or call (over WhatsApp) from Dispatch. Dispatch will ask you (and usually a couple of other DV’s in the area) if you would like to help with an open request. If you decide to help with the request, you can let Dispatch know by responding and accepting the request.
Dispatch will then communicate with you directly to make sure you have all the information you need to make a successful delivery. Most deliveries have 4 parts:
Communicate with Dispatch to understand what is needed for the order. Is it a list of groceries? Medication? A prescription? Clarifying what is needed and where it is needed from is the first task.
Once you know what you need and from where, try to make a timeline. When will you go there? Will you try to drop off right afterwards? It is usually best to contact the PIN (Person in Need) to talk about the request and coordinate a good time to do the drop-off.
Once you know what you need, where you need it from, and when you’re going to get it, go ahead and execute the plan. Head to the store(s), grab the supplies, and purchase them . If you run into trouble finding the correct items, communicate with the PIN to sort out the issue. Once you have the supplies and the receipts, send pictures of the receipts back to Dispatch so you can be repaid quickly.
Drop off the supplies to the PIN and let Dispatch know that the delivery is complete! Nice work.
Some notes and common issues:
Do your best to keep the receipts clear - if you are buying things for yourself as well, or for a separate request, try to keep them on separate receipts.
When shopping for, loading, and handling the supplies, be mindful of hygiene. This is especially important during drop off - keep social distance and do your best to avoid contact at the door. We find placing the supplies at the door and letting the PIN pick them up and give a friendly wave from a safe distance is good policy. They will be sent a digital copy of the receipt! (our health and safety guidelines are posted here),
Sometimes it can be hard to find certain items (like sanitizer or toilet paper), or to find the right brand or price point from the request. Often, PIN’s are very open to making substitutions or dropping certain items from their request. The key here is communication!
When dealing with prescriptions, we find we’re usually able to pick-up without much issue. You may be asked to present an ID. The key is being confident, and knowing the correct name and birthdate of the PIN. Some pharmacies ask for the PIN to call them to confirm a third party pickup, which comes back again to communication with the PIN.
The key to successful deliveries is keeping an open mind and being creative in solving challenges, which can be hard to predict. Your Dispatcher is there to help, and other volunteers can be called on to support if need be. We’re in it together!
Dispatch
When you are volunteering as a Dispatcher…
Requests come in through the website (or sometimes via the phone line, in which case the person taking the call inputs it into the website anyway) and Dispatch (that’s you) gets notified that there is a new request.
At this point it’s important to contact the PIN (Person in Need) to confirm that we’ve received the request and to check that the PIN is actually reachable at the number they provided. Also, it’s a good opportunity to clarify the order (e.g. if the PIN requested “meat” perhaps you could ask “I see you were looking for some meat.. Would a pack of ground beef and a chicken breast be ok?). This helps the Delivery Volunteer (DV) a lot when they are doing the shop.
Next, you will take a look at the map of DV’s and decide on a few who are in the area to broadcast a text to (over WhatsApp). Once one of the DV’s accepts the request, you’ll mark the request as assigned and start communicating directly with that DV. Since you have full access to the request and all the contact information for the PIN, you will help the DV and make sure they have all the information they need to complete the delivery, monitoring their progress and offering support where you can.
Once the DV is done with the delivery, they will notify Dispatch and send over any receipts for the request. Dispatch then saves the receipt to a folder in the Google Drive with the [receipt] tag, name of the PIN, the name of the DV, and the date. For example, if the PIN was Shaun Olafson, the DV who paid for the supplies and delivered them was Leanne Atkinson, and the date was March 25th 2020, then the receipt would be named: “Shaun Olafson (Leanne Atkinson) Mar 25 2020.”
Dispatch then marks the request Delivered and the Dispatch process is complete.
Recap:
Receive an open request
Connect and confirm with the PIN
Assign a DV and support their delivery
Archive the receipt and close the request
Admin
When you are volunteering as an Admin…
You have a varied role. Some of what an Admin does is related directly to the Delivery Cycle just like Dispatch and Deliveries (for example, at the end of the day, an Admin will take a look at the receipts that were archived by the Dispatchers, and send them out to the PIN’s for repayment, while also making sure the DV’s are reimbursed for their up-front purchases).
Other parts of an Admin’s role are unique in that they happen outside of the Delivery Cycle (for example, Admins take feedback from Dispatch and Deliveries to try to make the process better over time).
Admins also fill various other roles such as finding new people and groups to service, inventing new initiatives, fundraising, writing policy, doing legal and accounting work, and helping out with graphic design or social media.
As you can see, Admin’s work can be extremely diverse, but it is essentially a support role for the most important work that ERSV does: getting supplies to people who need them.