Volunteers First: How CareNote Makes Care Ministries Thrive
As a volunteer, Susan used CareNote's pastoral care app to turn compassion into action at Cornerstone Church. With CareNote, Susan coordinated 60 volunteers who made 2,000 visits to 175 congregants. This volunteer-led ministry model shows how the right technology enables sustainable care programs.
Driven by compassion and equipped with CareNote, Susan transformed Cornerstone Church’s care ministry from a vision into reality. Starting in 2016, she built and led a dedicated team of 60 volunteers who touched the lives of 175 congregants through nearly 2,000 personal visits. By combining volunteer leadership with CareNote’s tools for organizing requests and coordinating care, Susan created a sustainable ministry model that continues to thrive today. Her story demonstrates how purpose-built technology and inspired leadership can empower churches to build enduring care programs.
Susan’s Clear Vision for Care
When Susan first reached out, her goals were clear:
- A system to log care requests.
- A way to assign those care requests to volunteers.
- Functionality for volunteers to accept or reject requests, with a reason for rejection if applicable.
- A simple way for volunteers to submit reports after delivering care.
Susan envisioned a streamlined approach to care that could empower volunteers while ensuring no one in her congregation was overlooked or fell through the cracks.
Innovation Inspired by Compassion
At the time, CareNote was in its early stages, but Susan’s passion for ministry inspired its evolution. Over the course of a year, we worked closely to refine CareNote, ensuring it met her needs. With the system in place, Susan got to work.
Using CareNote, Susan got to work. Over time, Susan recruited a team of over 60 volunteers and started entering care requests as needs arose. Although her church’s legacy software didn’t integrate directly with CareNote, Susan manually entered care receivers one at a time. Despite this hurdle, she built a database of over 175 care receivers.
Affordable Solutions for Sustainable Care
CareNote's innovative pricing made Susan's vision affordable. Each paid manager account at $9/month unlocked three free volunteer accounts, so Susan and her two managers got nine volunteers at no cost. They paid just $1/month for each additional volunteer, bringing their total to only $78/month—a fraction of the $315/month competitors would charge for their basic features.
Beyond the cost savings, CareNote has evolved to deliver useful features like smart routing, automated workflows, and seamless Planning Center integration—all designed to maintain the personal touch while reducing administrative burden.
The results of using CareNote speak for themselves: 60 volunteers made 2,000 personal visits to 175 congregants, all coordinated through CareNote's time-saving tools. Smart notifications ensured no follow-up was missed, and automated reminders reduced administrative burden. By combining volunteer-friendly pricing with smart automation, CareNote made comprehensive pastoral care accessible and sustainable for Cornerstone Church.
CareNote Loves 💜 Volunteers
The impact of Susan’s work extended beyond her tenure. When she stepped away, the ministry transitioned seamlessly to another volunteer. Cornerstone Church’s care ministry remains entirely volunteer-based, ensuring the congregation’s needs are met without overwhelming their budget—all because CareNote truly Loves 💜 Volunteers.