Umbrella scales a nationwide vetted volunteer network with Persona

During COVID-19, Umbrella decided to scale a national volunteer network that could connect with seniors that needed help. To vet this massive network of volunteers, they partnered with Persona.

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COVID-19 has impacted a number of industries and populations, forcing many companies to quickly switch key processes from physical to digital. It hasn’t always been easy. Here at Persona, we find ourselves in a position to offer assistance for one of the most difficult pieces of moving online — identity verification. Recently, we were particularly excited to help Umbrella, a membership-based service that empowers older adults to live with independence and purpose, build a nationwide volunteer network to deliver groceries, medication, and other essentials to seniors.

Partnering with Persona allowed us to quickly scale nationwide while upholding our commitment to our customers’ safety and security.
Lindsay Ullman
Umbrella CEO

Before the pandemic, Umbrella focused primarily on localized services in New York. When it became clear the spread of COVID-19 was forcing many seniors to choose between isolation or danger, the company decided it was time to do something — Umbrella decided to waive its fees and scale a national volunteer network that could connect with seniors that needed groceries, medicine, or really anything else, but were unable to acquire it themselves. To do this, Umbrella first needed to figure out a plan to vet this massive network of volunteers. Sending strangers to the doorsteps of seniors was not an option.

But how do you scale from local to nationwide in a matter of weeks? And how do you maintain trust and safety for an at risk population? By partnering with Persona, Umbrella was able to use automated identity verification to vet each volunteer on the platform during onboarding, which allowed them to scale the volunteer side of their marketplace rapidly while still maintaining a rigorous verification process.

In a matter of days, Umbrella was able to go from a time-consuming, manual process to automated, rigorous, and scalable onboarding with minimal developer resources. With Persona’s Accounts, Umbrella was also able to offer an easy reverification process to its volunteers; instead of having to undergo the verification process again, after taking a break from volunteering, users could reverify in one or two easy steps and securely regain access Umbrella’s platform.

To learn more about Umbrella and volunteer to help adults 60 and over, visit askumbrella.com/volunteer

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