How XtraMile Helped the Norwegian Cancer Society Save Time on Training and Engage 1,500 Volunteers

The Challenge

Before partnering with XtraMile, training volunteers at the Norwegian Cancer Society was both manual and resource-intensive. 

Volunteers were required to attend physical courses, often lasting up to two days. With volunteers spread across the entire country, managing the logistics of training while ensuring consistent quality became increasingly challenging. 

The Norwegian Cancer Society needed a solution that would make it easier to create and distribute e-learning content. The system also had to be user-friendly for all volunteers, regardless of their level of technical expertise. 

From Manual Training to Efficient E-Learning 

The Norwegian Cancer Society chose to work with XtraMile to find a more efficient way to train its volunteers. 

Using XtraMile’s learning platform, the organisation was able to quickly create and adapt e-learning courses and roll them out with ease. 

Gaute Holthe, Senior Advisor for Training and Volunteering at the Norwegian Cancer Society, explains: 

“One of the biggest advantages of XtraMile is how easy it is to use. Our subject-matter experts can now create e-learning courses themselves, without requiring extensive technical knowledge. What previously took days of preparation and physical training sessions can now be done in 30–60 minutes.” 

Results

• Reduced Training Time: In some cases, training time per volunteer has been reduced from eight hours to just two hours. This saves the Norwegian Cancer Society approximately 1,200 hours per year when onboarding 200 new volunteers. 
  
  
• Scalable Training for 1,500 Volunteers: The organisation is now able to provide consistent, high-quality training to all volunteers, while only requiring 5–10 employees to produce the content. 
  
  
• Simplified Collaboration: The XtraMile platform has made collaboration with external partners—such as the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN)—much easier. This enables faster course updates without the need for extensive coordination.
  
  

Exceeding Expectations 

Training initiatives that previously took several months to plan and execute can now be completed in a fraction of the time.

Gaute adds:

“The best thing about the XtraMile platform is how simple it is. We can train volunteers who are 70 years old and not particularly tech-savvy with almost no issues. The platform is so user-friendly that we receive fewer support requests, and we can deliver consistent, scalable training nationwide.”

As a result, the Norwegian Cancer Society can spend more time improving the volunteer experience instead of managing logistics. 

XtraMile has transformed the way the organisation approaches training—saving time and resources while significantly improving training quality. 

Conclusion

The Norwegian Cancer Society is one of the largest patient and advocacy organisations in Norway. Its mission is to reduce the number of cancer cases, increase survival rates, and improve quality of life for patients and their families. The organisation has nearly 200 employees and 1,500 volunteers.