How Habitat for Humanity Keeps 6,000 Volunteers Moving

The Challenge

Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is one of the most active Habitat affiliates in the country — ranked first nationally for number of renovations and among the top ten for families served. Keeping that pace requires nearly 6,000 volunteers per year, spread across multiple active construction sites, each with its own schedule and staffing needs.

Volunteer Coordinator, Lauren Brandt, needed a system that would:

• Let volunteers see available roles and sign up on their own time
• Make it easy to specify how many people were needed at each site — and in which roles
• Allow real-time updates when schedules or needs changed
• Enable fast communication with large groups of registered volunteers
• Capture clean data for reporting and record-keeping

Before SignUpGenius, the team was managing this process through emails and phone calls - a time-consuming approach that didn't scale to the demands of 18+ simultaneous renovation projects.

The Solution

Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley uses SignUpGenius to run its entire volunteer scheduling operation — from individual build days to multi-week renovation projects.

Coordinators create sign ups that spell out exactly what's needed at each home site: how many construction helpers, how many lunch volunteers, whether a team lead is required and for which shift. Volunteers browse available opportunities and sign up for roles that fit their skills and availability. When circumstances change — a project runs long, a slot fills faster than expected — coordinators update the sign up in real time and reach registered volunteers directly through the platform's messaging tools.

"It's been great using SignUpGenius to host group-specific events, easily change pictures and other volunteer day details."

The reporting capability has become just as important as the scheduling itself. Exported sign up data gives coordinators a clear picture of staffing levels per site, volunteer participation over time, and contact information for follow-up — turning what once lived in scattered inboxes and spreadsheets into one reliable, centralized record.

I've also used the report function and messaging functions. It's wonderful to be able to send messages from the site, and the reports are great for our data collection needs."

The Impact

SignUpGenius now supports the full scope of Habitat Huron Valley's volunteer operation year-round, across all active renovation sites. Coordinators can manage role-specific staffing, communicate with large groups instantly, and export clean data — all from one platform.

"Having the ability to add volunteers and spots to the sign ups has really come in handy."

The long-term result is an organization that can keep building at scale — because the logistics of getting the right people to the right place at the right time are no longer a bottleneck.

Getting Organized with SignUpGenius

Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley didn't set out to overhaul how they managed volunteers — they needed a better way to handle a coordination challenge that was only getting bigger as the organization grew. What they found was a system that put scheduling control in volunteers' hands, gave coordinators real-time visibility, and produced the kind of clean data that a serious operation requires.

Whether you're managing build site volunteers, organizing community events, or coordinating teams across multiple locations, SignUpGenius works the same way — one centralized sign up, self-serve for participants, and reporting that saves you time.