Success Story

80 Volunteers, Zero LoginsHow Lighthouse Church Scaled Care Ministry

Discover how Missy, Care Ministry Director at Lighthouse Church, coordinates 80 volunteers to serve a large congregation—all through CareNote's email-first system that requires no logins or training.

Care Team Size

90

10 staff + 80 volunteers

Monthly Cost

$200

vs $630 with competition

Monthly Savings

$430

68% less than alternatives

Care Delivered

200+

Monthly care actions

The Challenge

Lighthouse Church is a thriving congregation with over 2,000 members. Missy, the Care Ministry Director, had a vision to mobilize volunteers from the congregation to help deliver pastoral care—but she faced a significant challenge. Most volunteers were busy professionals, parents, and retirees who wanted to serve but didn't have time to learn complex software systems or remember yet another login.

Previous attempts to use volunteer management software failed because the barrier to entry was too high. Volunteers would sign up enthusiastically but then forget their passwords, struggle with the interface, or simply stop checking the platform. Care requests would go unanswered, and Missy found herself spending more time on administrative work than actually coordinating care.

Core Obstacles

Login Fatigue

Volunteers forgot passwords and stopped using previous systems entirely.

Training Overhead

Each new volunteer required 30+ minutes of training on complex software.

Communication Gaps

Care requests fell through the cracks when volunteers didn't check the platform.

Manual Coordination

Missy spent hours each week manually calling and texting volunteers for assignments.

Privacy Concerns

Needed to share care details with volunteers without exposing sensitive information broadly.

Accountability Tracking

No way to know if care was actually delivered without constant follow-up calls.

The Solution

CareNote's email-first volunteer system was exactly what Lighthouse Church needed. Volunteers receive care assignments directly in their email inbox—the one app everyone already checks daily. With a single click, they can accept an assignment, and when care is delivered, they report back the same way.

“The beauty of CareNote is that my volunteers don't need to remember anything new,” Missy explains. “They get an email, they click accept, they deliver care, and they click to report back. That's it. No logins, no apps to download, no training sessions. We went from struggling to get 15 volunteers engaged to having 80 active caregivers in just three months.”

With CareNote's pricing model, Lighthouse Church pays for 10 staff users at $15/month ($150), and each staff user includes 3 free volunteers (30 free). The remaining 50 volunteers cost just $1/month each ($50). Their total is $200/month to coordinate care for their entire congregation.

Email-First Experience

  • One-click accept/decline
  • No login required
  • Works on any device
  • Secure action links

Volunteer Empowerment

  • Clear assignment details
  • Easy care reporting
  • Daily digest options
  • Respectful of time

Leadership Visibility

  • Real-time dashboards
  • Care completion tracking
  • Volunteer engagement metrics
  • Nothing falls through cracks

The Competition Costs More and Delivers Less

If Lighthouse Church used alternative pastoral care software, they'd pay significantly more—and get fewer features. With 90 care team members (10 staff + 80 volunteers), here's what the competition would cost:

CareNote
$200/mo
10 staff × $15 + 50 extra volunteers × $1
30 volunteers included free
Undershepherd
$630/mo
90 users × $7/user
215% more expensive
Notebird
$540/mo
90 users × $6/user
170% more expensive

Not Only More Expensive—Less Capable

The competition doesn't just cost more—they deliver less value. Here's what Lighthouse Church would lose with alternatives:

No Care Action Center dashboard
No SMS push alerts for assignments
Can't email-to-care-request
No prayer request integration
No automated form intake
No volunteer-specific pricing

How It Works

Step 1

Care Request Created

Staff enters a care need and assigns it to an available volunteer.

Step 2

Email Sent

Volunteer receives an email with care details and one-click accept button.

Step 3

Care Delivered

Volunteer provides care—a meal, visit, card, or other support.

Step 4

Report Back

Volunteer clicks to report completion. Leadership sees it instantly.

The Results

Before CareNote

  • 15 volunteers engaged (struggled to maintain)
  • 20+ hours/week on coordination
  • 40% of care requests went unfulfilled
  • No visibility into care delivery
  • $300+/month on ineffective software

After CareNote

  • 90-person care team (10 staff + 80 volunteers)
  • 5 hours/week on coordination (75% reduction)
  • 94% of care requests accepted within 24 hours
  • Real-time Care Action Center dashboard
  • $200/month—saving $430/month vs competition
“With CareNote, I coordinate 80 volunteers serving our congregation. They receive assignments by email, accept with one click, and report back—all without needing logins or training. It's transformed how we deliver care. Our volunteers feel empowered, our congregation feels loved, and I finally have time to focus on the ministry itself rather than just managing spreadsheets.”

Missy • Care Ministry Director, Lighthouse Church

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