Real World APP lication

Signature project team turns heads with Notice Volunteer mobile app for non-profits

BY LUKE MEYERS

While innovation alone is laudable, when applied in pursuit of the greater good something truly special happens as a result. Manu B. ’23 had this concept in mind as she returned to Emma Willard in her sophomore year after the remote learning and relative isolation of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Manu pondered how technology might help connect and bring together disconnected members of her community with local nonprofit organizations reeling from an unprecedented labor shortage. The solution? Notice Volunteer.

“We realized that it has always been difficult for people looking to engage in service volunteer opportunities with those non-profit companies that really don’t have the platform or the resources to reach out to the volunteers looking for their kind of work,” explains Manu, now cofounder and CEO of Notice Volunteer. “And this problem has grown more severe on account of the pandemic, and Notice Volunteer is helping to give non-profit companies that platform.”

Work began on the app as part of Emma Willard’s Signature Program, a year-long course where juniors and seniors can pursue independent interests as part of an integrative learning experience. The way the app works is to provide would-be volunteers with a list of service opportunities from different organizations, organized by date and location. When discovering a listing that seems aligned with their interests, a volunteer is then able to establish contact directly with the organization to begin working together.

“Manu has been a star in our Signature Program,” said Jon Calos, Homer L. Dodge Instructor in Science at Emma Willard, Director of Experiential Learning, and the school’s current director of the Signature Program. “Her inspiration, dedication, and talented team have allowed her to create a remarkable app that is creating real change in the nonprofit community of the Capital District.”

Although it was her inspiration that led to the creation of the app, Manu was not alone in the work of launching Emma Willard School’s first start-up business. Manu’s past coding experience made the infrastructure of the app possible to build, but it was in partnership with fellow students and seniors Karissa G. ’23 and Angel W. ’23 that the product really came to life in terms of design and func- tion. Notice Volunteer has now expanded to eight team members (all Emma Willard classmates) who serve in software development, graphic design, partner outreach, and program management roles.

“I have used my background in fine arts, principles like shape language and color theory, to influence the design of the application,” explains Karissa, co-founder and president of Notice Volunteer. “For example, I chose red as our primary color since it’s exciting and engaging— through several iterations I developed our entire brand, including the name and logo.”

With over 1200 nonprofit organizations in the Albany/ Schenectady/Troy metropolitan statistical area, there was already a built-in-market for Notice Volunteer to tap into.

Following a launch party for the app hosted at Mount Ida on November 17th, the app was initially piloted by thirteen regional service organizations of various sizes, ranging from RISSE (Refugee & Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus), the Red Bookshelf, and Junior League of Troy to Trinity Health of New York in their continuing care areas.

“Notice Volunteer creates a platform for all local nonprofits to have a voice,” explained Michelle Hogan, President of the Junior League of Troy and Strategic Client Executive for New York State Government at Microsoft, as she opened the launch event on campus. “It has the potential to empower individuals to take notice of how they can apply their own superpowers to support their own communities.”

Currently only available on the Apple iOS platform, the team is continuing to work on development for an Android version of the application and is actively working with community partners to both expand features and add new organizations to their growing list of volunteer offerings available each week.

“We intend to learn from the initial launch of our platform and grow it with our community of users,” said Angel W. ’23, who serves as Chief Operations Officer and is the third member of the Notice Volunteer executive team.

“Notice can make a difference in the acute labor shortage faced by our regional nonprofit partners but also add so much to the life of our volunteers and those who benefit from the services they’re helping to provide.”

Following the success of the Notice Volunteer launch last fall, the local NPR affiliate station WAMC radio sent a reporter to Emma Willard to interview Manu, Karissa, and Angel for the segment “The Best of Their Knowledge.” The interview was broadcast on February 24 and can be listened to streaming online at emmawillard.org/notice-app or by using the QR code below.