How St. Vincent DePaul Saved 15 Hours a Week using Unison for All Volunteer Signups
This Missouri parish uses Unison to schedule volunteers for recurring outreach like the nightly Meals Program and weekly Senior Bingo, plus special events like TurkeyFest and the Golf Outing—saving up to 15 hours each week while keeping service at the center.
At St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri, “Serving People” is part of their logo, their mission, and their charism. Every act of service flows from that calling to meet neighbors’ needs with dignity and compassion.
From nightly meals and weekly programs to large annual events, St. Vincent’s offers help and hospitality to hundreds of people each week through its vibrant outreach ministries. Behind the scenes, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Desiray Taylor keeps every program staffed and running smoothly.
The Challenge: Managing outreach with paper and phone calls
Before adopting Unison, organizing volunteers for so many programs meant juggling paper signup sheets, phone calls, and endless email threads. Every event—big or small—required manual reminders, data entry, and last-minute follow-ups.
“Before Unison, it was all sheets of paper,” says Desiray. “We spent a lot of time manually coordinating volunteers through emails, phone calls, and spreadsheets, especially during our busy events.”
As outreach grew, so did the administrative load. Desiray needed a simpler way to keep volunteers organized and informed—without spending hours each week managing logistics.
The Solution: Simple online signups for every event in one place
Unison became the central hub for all of St. Vincent’s outreach signups.
Shifts, roles, and reminders are automatically managed in one place. For recurring events like Senior Bingo or the Meals Program, Desiray can quickly duplicate a past event and adjust dates as needed. She can print rosters for on-site check-in and even use seasonal themes to make each event stand out—like Sunday Donuts or the Golf Outing fundraiser—at a glance.
“Once an event is set up in Unison, I can duplicate it next time in just one click,” she says. “It makes my life so much easier.”
The process empowers volunteers, too: they can see all available opportunities, sign up instantly, and receive personalized reminders before each shift.
“Everyone appreciates the reminders—it keeps everything running smoothly,” Desiray adds.
The Impact: 15 hours saved each week—more time for what matters
Since introducing Unison, time spent coordinating schedules has dropped dramatically—freeing Desiray to focus on people rather than paperwork.
“Unison has saved me 10-15 hours per week on average,” she says.
Across St. Vincent’s many outreach programs, over 250 volunteers now stay informed, connected, and ready to serve—without endless emails, phone calls, or sheets of paper.
“For our special events like TurkeyFest and the Christmas Program especially, it’s been a huge help in saving us hours of coordination time, reducing confusion, and keeping everything much more organized.”
That time saved goes right back into outreach—welcoming guests at the Meals Program, supporting families in need, and helping St. Vincent’s live out its mission of hospitality and dignity.
At a glance: St. Vincent DePaul
- Over 250 volunteers organized through Unison
- 15 hours saved each week coordinating schedules
- 1 click to duplicate recurring events for simple setup
- Hundreds served nightly through the Meals Program
- Dozens of volunteer opportunities, all in one place: Meals Program, Senior Bingo, Clothing Window, Food Pantry, Free Bread Table, Sandwich Window, Suds of Love, TurkeyFest, Thanksgiving Meal, Christmas Program, Golf Outing, Auction
Learn more about how St. Vincent DePaul Parish serves the community.
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Unison helps organizations like St. Vincent dePaul save hours each week and get more volunteers involved in every program.
