After a Decade, a Paradigm Shift and Huge Growth for Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley

For 11 years, Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been operating a ReStore location, selling used building supplies. Last year, Kyle Thornhill, the ReStore Manager had some ideas about how to grow the operation. After a switch to using non-profit donation pick-up software and a few key staffing changes, they’ve doubled in size and efficiency in a very short time.

How They Did It

“We’ve added some excellent staff members and have made a huge effort in pumping up our donation pickups, making them a big priority for our success,” says Thornhill. “In the past, we’d run one truck, five days a week and would have a two week wait time for pickups. Now we’re running two trucks five days a week and our wait times for pickups are currently less than 48 hours.”

Donors appreciate the mission of Habitat for Humanity; to build homes for needy families all over the world. Thornhill says their local affiliate is especially popular with the locals.

“Our customer service and timeliness are huge,” says Thornhill. “We’re extremely kind and supportive of our customers, donors, and volunteers and we always answer our phones when they ring. We respond on social media right away, and never leave anyone hanging when they reach out to us. This has been paramount in setting us apart from several other organizations.”

Online Booking and Pick-Up Scheduling: The Key Change

What was the catalyst for the sudden growth and newfound efficiency? Habitat of Huron Valley uses Vonigo to book and schedule donation pickups. Donors can book pickups online themselves and receive a receipt.

Making it easier for donors has also made it easier for the team. “We’re more organized, and we are able to take less time to schedule a pick-up,” says Thornhill. “In the past, when someone would call to add an item to their pickup or to switch their date, we’d have to shuffle through papers and then rewrite their donation receipts. This took lots of time and also created a window for human error, which occurred often.”

Now, things are a lot smoother, and donations have increased as well. “ I’m able to manage where our trucks go, on what specific dates,” says Thornhill. “I’m also able to see the entire week at once, knowing where we’ll be and how much time we have available for adding pickups. Overall, just about every aspect of our scheduling has improved.”

A 60% Boost in Donations and Record Sales with Online Booking

It’s not just organization and efficiency that have seen a boost thanks to online booking. Donations and sales are up too. “We were doing approximately 40 pickups a week and since using Vonigo we’ve been doing approximately 64 pickups a week,” says Thornhill. “We are currently having our best year to date and have beaten our sales records for each month since this past July. Vonigo has helped dramatically with this, making scheduling easier, more efficient and more organized.”

Outgrowing Their Space, and Expanding

“We’ll be moving in the fall, which will be a big deal for us,” says Thornhill. “After the move we hope to continue our growth by adding more corporate donors and residential donors, to secure a more consistent donor base.”

Are you in the Huron Valley area, and have some building supplies to donate to Habitat for Humanity? Get in touch with the team at the ReStore in Ann Arbor.

Want to learn about how non-profit donation pickup software can help your ReStore location grow and get more organized? Book a free, private demo of Vonigo.