Customer Story: Young Enterprise

With Access Assemble, Young Enterprise has gained deeper insight into the true scale of its volunteering, recorded triple the number of volunteer activities year on year, and created a more rewarding experience for volunteers and staff alike.

Young Enterprise is a national charity empowering young people through financial and enterprise education across England, Wales, and now Scotland. With more than 2,000 volunteers supporting its work each year, having a clear and consistent way to manage and engage that volunteer base is essential.

But before introducing Access Assemble, capturing the full picture of volunteering across the organisation wasn’t easy. “We had a legacy set-up with fragmented spreadsheets and DIY systems,” explains Katherine Gale, Head of Volunteering. “There were huge amounts of goodwill and activity, but very limited visibility. It made it hard to reflect the scale and impact of what was really going on.”

From patchy data to powerful insight

Access Assemble gave Young Enterprise a single, central system to manage volunteer roles, communications, onboarding, and reporting, helping them build a clearer picture of the volunteering taking place and who was involved.

“Before Assemble, someone might have been marked as a volunteer for years without us really knowing what they were doing,” says Katherine. “Now we can see not just who’s registered, but what activity they’re engaging in, where, and how often.”

Since implementing Assemble, Young Enterprise has recorded a huge uplift in tracked activity: from around 2,000 volunteer activities in the first year to over 6,000 the next. Katherine is clear this doesn’t reflect an increase in actual volunteering, it’s about improved visibility and smarter processes.

“The work was always happening, but we finally have a way to capture it properly. Assemble gives us the insight to focus on what’s working, improve what isn’t, and make volunteering a better experience for everyone.”

Standardising and strengthening best practice

One of the biggest long-term benefits has been Assemble’s ability to embed and reinforce consistent, best-practice processes across the charity. With over half the organisation now managing volunteers in some capacity, having a reliable, structured system ensures everyone is following the same steps.

“As a national charity with a lot of moving parts, standardising how we manage and support volunteers is vital,” Katherine explains. “Assemble helps enforce those expectations, so we know things are being done properly, no matter who’s managing a volunteer.”

Whether it’s safeguarding, onboarding or engagement, Assemble makes it harder to skip steps and easier to get it right first time. “We’re no longer reliant on people just remembering to do things. The system keeps us on track.”

Turning data into insight for stakeholders

Katherine also highlights how Assemble’s reporting functionality has transformed internal conversations around volunteering. “I absolutely love the reporting,” she says. “Being able to reflect back to stakeholders exactly how many activities are taking place, and how volunteers are contributing, is incredibly powerful.”

“Before Assemble, we just couldn’t tell the full story. Now we have evidence of what’s happening, and that gives our trustees, senior leaders and funders real confidence in the value of volunteering.”

The charity has moved away from vague KPIs about total volunteer numbers and is now focusing on meaningful engagement. “More isn’t always better. The data is helping us identify where people are getting involved, where they’re needed most, and how to better support them.”

Making the most of every volunteer

As well as streamlining processes, the data gathered through Access Assemble has helped Young Enterprise shift its strategic approach.

Rather than focusing solely on recruitment numbers, they’re now able to understand and enhance how existing volunteers engage, match people with the right opportunities, and encourage deeper involvement over time.

“Previously, we had KPIs around how many new volunteers we brought in. Now, it’s about how we support people to stay involved and make a bigger impact. It’s a far more meaningful measure,” says Katherine.

“Volunteers don’t want to be a name on a list, they want to feel part of something, to know they’re making a difference. Assemble has helped us bring that sense of purpose and community to life.”

Better volunteer experience, less manual work

Today, more than half of Young Enterprise’s staff are involved in some aspect of volunteer management. With only 2.5 full-time roles in the central volunteering team, the charity relies on Assemble to enable best practice at scale.

The system has significantly reduced admin and allowed staff to spend more time on what matters most. “It’s freed people up to focus on supporting volunteers, not just chasing paperwork,” says Katherine.

Features like opportunity listings, messaging, internal vs public links, and custom workflows have made it easier to advertise roles, communicate consistently and react quickly when change is needed.

Building a stronger sense of community

Access Assemble has also transformed how Young Enterprise communicates with its volunteers, making interactions more personal, timely and inclusive. With features like in-system messaging, tailored news updates and role-specific contact lists, volunteers no longer feel disconnected from the wider organisation.

“Volunteers can now message us directly, see updates, and access everything they need in one place,” says Katherine. “It’s created a stronger sense of belonging — people feel more informed, more connected, and more valued.”

This improved communication has helped foster a growing community of volunteers who feel part of something bigger than just their individual role. It’s not just about delivering programmes, it’s about building lasting relationships and shared purpose.

Advice to others: Start simple, and use the support

Katherine’s advice for other charities looking to move to a more structured system?

“Start with the basics, build your admin knowledge, and lean on the support available. The training and customer success team are brilliant, and the more you engage, the more you’ll get out of it.”

She adds, “There’s nothing you can really break. You can learn, adapt, and configure it around your needs. But once it’s embedded, it becomes an essential part of how you work.”

Volunteer management that works for everyone

With Access Assemble, Young Enterprise hasn’t just improved volunteer admin, it has changed the way the charity thinks about volunteering as a whole.

Instead of focusing on numbers, they’re focused on relationships. Instead of firefighting processes, they’re supporting people. And instead of guessing, they now have the data and confidence to grow.