If you build it, they will NOT come!

My first attempt to create Web 2.0 converts failed miserably.

A Little Background: I volunteer at a small nonprofit that does great things for the community but isn’t exactly known for its innovative IT endeavors. There is a core set of volunteers who have permanent assignments and who must find a substitute if they cannot be there on a particular day. On one hand, there is a lot of demand to be a substitute so the list of subs is quite extensive. On the other hand, once you know a sub or a couple of subs pretty well, it’s easy just to call them and the rest of the large list never gets tapped to fill in.

My Brilliant Plan: I created a communal editable online calendar with a generic log-in and password. I then wrote very detailed instructions to all the permanent volunteers about how to post on the calendar when they needed a substitute, and instructed all the substitutes to check the calendar for available volunteering time, and sign up there to get the volunteering hours they wanted.

How and Why it Failed: While the site did generate some early interest, many volunteers still thought a phone call was necessary just to make sure that the substitute who had signed up to fill in meant to and was still available. In this case, we really needed almost 100% participation for the concept to work, and many volunteers still relied on their old sub stand-bys, rather than embracing the new format. Also, as one of the youngest volunteers, I am probably more adept to adopting new online technologies quickly and without hesitation.

To be perfectly honest, even though this happened about a year ago, it still bothers me that my fantastic solution has not succeeded as I dreamed. My inner monologue goes something like, ‘Don’t you all see the time you’re wasting on your stupid phones trying to find a sub? You log into your email every day – one little website that is one little click away (and very user-friendly I might add!) would solve all of your problems…right now!’

I plan on reintroducing the idea this year at the annual strategy meeting – I am absolutely convinced that this application will eventually catch on and my efforts will singlehandedly revolutionize the organization. Or, if it doesn’t, at least I’ll bring a few fellow volunteers into the 2.0 world – whatever it takes!