Customer Story: Mencap

Mencap’s mission is to make the UK the best place in the world to live if you have a learning disability. Volunteers play a vital role in achieving that goal, whether supporting local events, befriending individuals, helping in shops or amplifying national campaigns.

With around 2,000 volunteers involved across England, Wales and Northern Ireland each year, and more joining all the time, the Volunteering Services team needed a smarter way to manage the workload, keep volunteers informed, and grow the programme sustainably.

“Our volunteer roles are created with and for people with a learning disability,” explains Matt Hatt, Volunteering Services Manager. “That means we welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences, but we needed a system that could support that diversity at scale.”

The challenge: time-consuming processes, limited insight

Before introducing Assemble, the team struggled to keep on top of everything, managing applications, references, DBS checks, interviews and updates across such a broad and dispersed volunteer network.

“The time spent just administrating everything was huge,” says Matt. “And we didn’t have the reporting capabilities we wanted. The process didn’t reflect the experience we wanted to give our volunteers it just wasn’t good enough.”

Creating a consistent culture of community across the charity’s national footprint was also difficult. “It was hard to make volunteers feel part of something bigger,” Matt says. “That matters to us.”

Why Assemble stood out

When it came to choosing a platform, Mencap wanted more than functionality. They wanted a trusted partner. “Assemble simply offered all the features we were looking for,” says Matt. “The app was great, the support was there, and the team clearly understood our challenges.”

The system's intuitive design made a big difference. “After all our prep work, user guides, videos, we were amazed how easily people took to it,” Matt explains. “Volunteers and managers just got it straight away. And automated referencing has been a total game-changer for the team.”

A smooth onboarding that sharpened processes

The onboarding journey helped fast-track improvements across the charity. “The Access team gave us loads of time and support, which meant we were able to interrogate our processes and fix things we’d planned to tackle later,” says Matt.

“It pushed us to improve our data, update our training, get policies aligned, so by the time we launched Assemble, we were in a much better place.”

The structured onboarding plan also made things easier across departments. “Our IT, website and data teams were all impressed with the system. That made the setup so much smoother.”

Immediate adoption, lasting impact

The results have been striking. Since implementing Access Assemble:

• Volunteer numbers have increased by 71% in just one year
• Volunteers with a learning disability have increased by 18% in retail
• Volunteer managers now take greater ownership of recruitment
• Training compliance has improved thanks to reminders and alerts
• Internal requests for volunteers can now be met faster and more often

“We couldn’t imagine our lives without it now. It’s created capacity we never had before and that’s making a real difference for the people we support.”

Creating consistency across a national network

With so many volunteers and teams spread across the UK, Assemble has helped standardise processes, improve data quality, and simplify onboarding, giving staff more time to focus on what matters.

Features like reusable role profiles, automated steps, and the central document hub mean staff no longer reinvent the wheel or lose time to email chains.

“It’s becoming the one-stop shop we always wanted,” says Matt. “Everyone knows where to go, how to do things, and how to stay compliant. That’s a big step forward.”

Stronger communication and a deeper sense of belonging

One of the biggest wins has been the impact on volunteer engagement and culture. The newsfeed, messaging tools, and accessible design mean volunteers feel more connected than ever before.

“We can share impact stories, key updates, and reminders in one place. It’s helping build that sense of community, especially for people who aren’t physically close to a Mencap office, service or shop.”

Assemble also helps create accessibility and visibility, empowering volunteers to take control of their experience and feel more valued.

Using data to drive inclusion

The diversity module within Assemble has helped Mencap collect secure, anonymous data to better understand who their volunteers are, and identify how to make volunteering more inclusive.

“We’ve always wanted to report on diversity,” says Matt. “Now we can. That data is helping shape future recruitment and feed into wider organisational goals.”

It’s already helped boost representation. “We’ve increased the number of volunteers with a learning disability by 18%, and we’re now using the data monthly to keep moving forward.”

Looking ahead: recognising volunteers and building on success

Now that the foundations are in place, Mencap is ready to explore more ways to enhance the volunteer experience through Assemble, from reward and recognition tools to even smarter reporting.

“We’ve focused on getting the basics right,” says Matt. “But we’re excited to go further. Assemble gives us what we need to keep improving, and that’s the real power of it.”

With Access Assemble, Mencap has gone from admin overload to sustainable growth. They’ve saved time, boosted diversity, and built stronger relationships, all while delivering greater impact for the people they support.

Discover how Access Assemble can help you grow your volunteer programme with confidence.