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18+ Top Volunteer Management Software Picks for Nonprofits
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Volunteers are integral to nonprofit organizations’ day-to-day operations. Without these dedicated supporters, many nonprofits would struggle to reach their goals and fulfill their missions. However, successful volunteer recruitment, engagement, and retention are no easy feat.
According to the 2024 Volunteer Management Progress Report, recruitment and retention are the top challenges for volunteer managers. In fact, recruitment was the top challenge for eight of the last nine years.
To combat these challenges, many organizations turn to volunteer management software. These tools help nonprofits better organize their volunteer programs by handling everything from scheduling to ongoing communication.
This guide reviews everything you need to know about volunteer management software in the following sections:
Volunteer management software FAQs
Proper volunteer management ensures the overall health and sustainability of programs and events that rely on volunteers. A successful volunteer management process ensures that volunteers are informed, engaged, and motivated, increasing long-term volunteer retention.
Your volunteer management system can facilitate more streamlined volunteer engagement and communication. Let’s answer a few frequently asked questions about how this process works:
How can nonprofits manage volunteers effectively?
There are hundreds of ways to run a volunteer program, and your team’s approach depends on your organization’s unique goals and needs.
The volunteer management life cycle outlines the basic elements of properly managing a volunteer program. From defining your staffing needs to recruiting and scheduling volunteers and supporting them to do their best work, a lot goes into running a successful volunteer program.
Here are the key steps in the volunteer management lifecycle:
- Planning: Planning your volunteer program involves setting goals, creating role descriptions, and determining what success looks like for the program.
- Recruitment and screening: You can recruit volunteers by contacting past volunteers, connecting with corporate volunteers, and advertising your open roles on social media and your website. Then, you can screen them by conducting thorough background checks.
- Scheduling: Scheduling involves creating volunteer shifts and matching volunteers to the right roles based on their skills, interests, and availability.
- Training: A thorough training and onboarding process prepares volunteers to fulfill their roles effectively.
- Engagement: To boost volunteer retention, you’ll need to manage and empower volunteers to do their best work through ongoing appreciation and investment in their personal growth.
- Evaluation: The final step of the volunteer lifecycle involves evaluating your programming and surveying your volunteers for feedback.
Volunteer management software allows you to manage each of these steps in a centralized platform.
What are volunteer management systems?
A volunteer management system, or volunteer management software, is a platform designed to help organizations administer their volunteer programs.
Specific features can vary across solutions, but a few common ones are tools for volunteer recruitment, scheduling, management, and communication. Most platforms also provide a database for the nonprofit’s volunteer information. Some volunteer management systems integrate with donor management software, allowing nonprofits to gain a 360-degree view of their supporters from one convenient dashboard.
Benefits of volunteer management software
Volunteer management software offers numerous benefits for both your nonprofit’s staff and your volunteers, allowing you to:
- Keep volunteer information organized and easily accessible in one location.
- Provide volunteers with a convenient way to sign up for events and track their volunteer hours.
- Facilitate two-way communication between volunteers and your organization.
- Reduce no-shows and fill shift gaps.
- Report on the success of your volunteer program.
- Recognize volunteers who go above and beyond.
The Time Well Spent 2023 report found that volunteers feel most satisfied when they are recognized for their contributions, feel respect and trust in the organization, and feel a sense of belonging to a group. Your volunteer management software can help support each of these goals by giving volunteers a convenient way to engage with your organization’s staff, track their contributions over time, and see the real impact of their volunteer work on your mission.
What features should you look for in volunteer management software?
There are dozens of volunteer management solutions available, but not all of them will meet your specific needs. To find the right solution for your nonprofit, you first need to establish your organization’s long-term volunteer management needs and goals. What you need today may not be enough tomorrow.
With that in mind, here is a list of core features to look out for in a solution that can accommodate basic and more complex needs for the future:
Volunteer database features
- A secure database that stores all volunteer profiles and activity information
- Easy data filtering and sorting capabilities
Recruitment features
- Branded volunteer sign-up pages listing opportunities and available shifts
- Customized online volunteer application workflow
- Accommodation for group sign ups
- Ability to collect important documents like waivers
Scheduling features
- Easy schedule building with bulk actions and shift duplication capabilities for ongoing tasks
- Multiple scheduling views (calendar and list)
- Automated matching for volunteers with shifts based on qualifications, roles availability, and conflicts
- Group scheduling
- Mobile schedule management
Communication and engagement features
- Volunteer mobile app with a communication hub, personal schedules, and access to relevant documents
- Self check-in and attendance tracking for volunteers in the mobile app
- Multiple channel communication options (email, SMS, and in-app messaging)
- Ability to send personalized thank you messages through email or the mobile app
Tracking and reporting features
- Volunteer tracking and hours tracking with a summary of check-in/out timestamps
- Custom exports reporting on volunteer program data
The best volunteer management software solutions
Quality volunteer management software should provide the flexibility to choose how you want to manage your programs and events within the system. The software should also be up to date and easy for you and your volunteers to use.
With that in mind, here are 18+ top solutions to consider when searching for the right software for your volunteer program. Feel free to skip to a solution that catches your eye or browse the full list for a complete overview of what’s available:
- Bloomerang
- 360MatchPro
- SignUpGenius
- POINT
- VolunteerMark
- Golden
- Signup Zone
- Giveffect
- Better Impact
- Helper Helper
- Get Connected
- YourVolunteers
- Timecounts
- VolunteerSchedulerPro
- CERVIS
- Mobilize
- isolved Giving & Volunteering
- ClickTime
- Bugle Volunteers
1. Bloomerang
Bloomerang combines volunteer and donor management into one unified system. Instead of having to learn two separate systems, your nonprofit’s staff has access to everything they need in one convenient place.
Plus, managing volunteers and donors together lets you discover hidden fundraising opportunities for volunteers and potential new volunteers within your donor pool. You can maximize the potential of both groups, providing sustainable support for your fundraising and volunteer initiatives.
Here’s what we love about Bloomerang’s system:
- Easy use for both staff and volunteers. The interface is intuitive and user-friendly. It’s also easy to customize settings to create flexible views tailored to your nonprofit’s top priorities.
- Makes recruitment and scheduling a breeze. Flexible recruitment workflows make it easy for volunteers to input their qualifications, preferred roles, and availability and sign up for shifts. Self-serve options give volunteers the independence to sign up for the roles that interest them most.
- Improves volunteer engagement and retention. Send timely, personalized thank you messages to volunteers recognizing them for their hard work. Use data to highlight volunteers’ impact on your mission. Grow relationships with volunteers by encouraging them to join your donor programs as well.
Bloomerang also offers a mobile app to streamline staff and volunteer communications.
Take a look at how two inspiring customer organizations, ShowerUp and Compassion Delivered, used Bloomerang Volunteer to amplify their impact:
Pricing
Bloomerang’s volunteer management solution starts at $119 per month. This plan includes many tools to manage every aspect of your program, including volunteer contact management, recruitment tools, attendance tracking, and volunteer and administrator mobile apps.
2. 360MatchPro
360MatchPro by Double the Donation isn’t a traditional volunteer management system, but it does offer a unique feature absent from almost all other platforms: a volunteer grant database.
Volunteer grants are monetary donations businesses give to the nonprofits where their employees volunteer. 360MatchPro specializes in helping volunteers discover if they are eligible for these programs through its searchable database.
Here’s what we love about 360MatchPro:
- User-friendly. Searching the volunteer grant database is simple. Volunteers just need to enter their company name into the streamlined search tool. The search will auto-complete to help supporters find the information they need in seconds.
- Embeddable search tool. Earn more volunteer grants by putting your volunteer search tool in front of as many supporters as possible. Embed it into your volunteer page or anywhere else on your website for easy access.
- Comprehensive data. 360MatchPro is the largest and most comprehensive matching gift and volunteer grant database available. With coverage for 99.68% of employee supporters, all of your volunteers will be able to find their eligibility information. Plus, 360MatchPro doesn’t just let supporters know if their employer offers a volunteer grant program—it also provides detailed information on hours requirements, grant totals, and volunteer time off programs.
If your nonprofit is interested in adding 360MatchPro to your volunteer toolkit, chances are that you can do so with ease thanks to its extensive array of integrations.
Pricing
Pricing starts at $999 per year for the small nonprofit plan.
3. SignUpGenius
SignUpGenius simplifies the process of coordinating events and volunteers by providing online sign ups for all sorts of nonprofit events.
Here’s what you can do with this volunteer management software:
- Establish an easy sign-up process
- Send automatic emails or text reminders
- Run volunteer hours reports for easy tracking and exports
This is a simple tool that’s great for organizations looking for a way to recruit volunteers online quickly.
Pricing
SignUpGenius offers a free plan. Paid options start at $8.99 per month.
4. POINT
POINT offers free volunteer management tools to nonprofits, allowing up-and-coming organizations on a budget to connect with volunteers.
Here are the features that make the POINT app stand out:
- Manage data in a cloud-based dashboard and coordination platform.
- Integrate your volunteer sign ups with your website for easy access.
- Stay connected to volunteers with the POINT app on iOS, Android, or the web.
You can also create a POINT page, an online volunteer hub that includes your nonprofit’s profile information, event sign ups, donation link, and needs registry. You can easily share this link across your social media pages, website, and email newsletters to boost recruitment.
Pricing
POINT offers a free plan. Paid options start at $99 per month, billed annually.
5. VolunteerMark
VolunteerMark offers comprehensive volunteer management software that includes scheduling, communication, and reporting. Plus, their mobile app gives volunteers an easy way to keep track of their duties and schedules.
Here’s what you can do with this volunteer management software:
- Invite both groups and individuals to volunteer opportunities, meaning that vetted volunteers can bring along family members or friends to work alongside them. This is a great option for nonprofits looking to recruit large groups of volunteers that don’t need to be thoroughly screened.
- Create fixed, flexible, and one-time volunteer shifts depending on your needs.
- Allow volunteers to create their own profiles and update their availability, skills, and interests, giving your nonprofit greater insight into their motivations.
VolunteerMark’s software was designed to be very user friendly, allowing volunteer managers to get up and running with the system quickly and easily.
Pricing
VolunteerMark offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $34 per month.
6. Golden
Golden makes getting involved in volunteer opportunities easy for passionate supporters. With a mobile app for iOS and Android, volunteer managers can easily organize volunteer information and scheduling, even when out in the field.
This volunteer management system offers features like:
- Instant background checks to facilitate a speedy volunteer onboarding process and get volunteers up and running faster
- The ability to make top volunteers eligible to win raffles (supported by Golden) for valuable prizes
- Global support for operations in different countries
Nonprofits looking to get started with volunteer management software for the first time can begin on the free plan and scale up their involvement as needed.
Pricing
Golden offers a free plan to organizations that want to try the platform before investing. Paid options start at $1,200 per year.
7. Signup Zone
Signup Zone is an online tool for coordinating volunteers. It is as easy to use as a paper signup but with all the convenience of being online. This solution is a good option for those simply looking to collect a list of contacts quickly.
Here’s what you can do with this volunteer management software:
- Create volunteer sign up pages
- Require sign- ins for extra security if needed
- Create and share schedules
- Build a volunteer roster
Signup Zone offers a simple solution for organizations like schools to quickly collect parent and volunteer information online.
Pricing
Standard Signups are free. Additional features are available for small fees.
8. Giveffect
Giveffect is an all-in-one nonprofit software that provides robust volunteer management functionality. Volunteer shifts, hours, and contact information seamlessly integrate into the Giveffect CRM system, providing a comprehensive overview of your supporters.
Giveffect’s volunteer management features include:
- The ability to use your mobile device as a volunteer check-in kiosk, allowing you to facilitate faster check ins and automatically track volunteer hours
- Simple shift management and the ability to create public or private calendars.
- Robust reporting and data analytics, providing insight into everything from volunteer recruitment to the success of your volunteer newsletter.
With volunteer scheduling and tracking, a mobile volunteer check-in kiosk, and volunteer-to-donor conversion tracking, Giveffect consolidates your nonprofit operations and eliminates manual data entry.
Pricing
Schedule a demo and get pricing information on the Giveffect website.
9. Better Impact
Better Impact offers supporter management features—from donor and client stewardship to volunteer and member management—for nonprofits and other organizations as well.
Here are the top volunteer management features of the Better Impact platform:
- The ability to create robust volunteer profiles and run search queries to easily look up volunteer data
- Individual and mass-targeted email and text communications that are personalized with volunteers’ names
- Self-scheduling for pre-qualified volunteers to provide more flexibility and control for supporters
This volunteer management solution offers customizable profiles, database management, volunteer recruitment, flexible scheduling tool capabilities, and reporting to help manage your volunteer team efficiently.
Pricing
Get a quote on the Better Impact website.
10. Helper Helper
Helper Helper’s software platform and mobile app help you easily coordinate and track service hours across your entire organization. Nonprofits, businesses, colleges, high schools, and Greek life organizations turn to this solution to manage their ongoing volunteer opportunities.
Here’s what you can do with this volunteer management software:
- Send automated service reminders and push notifications to boost attendance.
- Brand your volunteer platform with your nonprofit’s logo and colors to promote brand recognition.
- Access an automated list of top volunteers and donors to ensure that you don’t forget to show appreciation to them.
This solution offers a centralized data source for your volunteer program that includes sign ups, reminders, kiosk check ins, and reporting.
Pricing
Helper Helper offers a free trial. Contact the platform for cost information.
11. Get Connected
Galaxy Digital offers an easy-to-use volunteer management system called Get Connected. This product makes it simple for volunteers to find and select the opportunities they are passionate about.
This volunteer management system allows nonprofits to:
- Find skilled volunteers by restricting access until volunteers have been screened for qualifications and approved.
- Create and promote compelling event landing pages with essential event day logistics.
- Integrate with your social media accounts for easy promotion and allow volunteers to share your content directly with their networks.
Ideal for everyday use, Get Connected can help increase volunteer engagement, develop long-term relationships, and track involvement.
Pricing
Contact Galaxy Digital for pricing information.
12. YourVolunteers
YourVolunteers is a free volunteer management tool that supports registration management, scheduling, and volunteer profile creation.
Here’s what you can do with this volunteer management software:
- Create notes about volunteers and easily share them with your volunteer managers.
- Let volunteers view all available shifts and add shifts to their schedules.
- Use the application on your mobile device, tablet, or computer depending on your needs.
This cloud-based tool provides an easy way to create and assign volunteer shifts and collect information from volunteers.
Pricing
YourVolunteers offers a free option or a premium option for $20 per month, as well as custom plans.
13. Timecounts
Timecounts’ solution provides organizations with user-friendly, scalable tools to grow their volunteer programs.
This volunteer management software offers features like:
- Track applications, background checks, and volunteers’ skills and interests to streamline the onboarding process.
- Track volunteer information by importing unlimited contacts and attaching relevant documents to profiles.
- Easily schedule ongoing shifts to give volunteers a clear weekly or monthly schedule.
This solution removes friction between you and your passionate volunteers by providing a way to publish opportunities online, collect volunteer information, maintain a directory of volunteers, and maintain ongoing communication.
Pricing
Timecounts offers a free plan or a Pro plan for $59 per month.
14. Volunteer Scheduler Pro
Volunteer Scheduler Pro is a specialized volunteer scheduler that can also help you manage and communicate with volunteers as well.
This volunteer management system allows nonprofits to:
- Easily create schedules using a drag-and-drop editor.
- Effectively communicate with volunteers by sending personalized emails, texts, and even polls.
- Limit no-shows by allowing volunteers to find substitutes or cancel an assignment.
This solution is ideal for small organizations that need a simple upgrade from general office tools.
Pricing
Get a free trial or contact the platform for pricing information.
15. CERVIS
CERVIS empowers nonprofits with volunteer management software that offers simple features for coordinating volunteers. Their solution includes tools for scheduling, communication, reporting, and more.
Here’s what you can do with this volunteer management software:
- Easily create online schedules and allow volunteers to quickly register online.
- Send out automatic shift reminders and thank you messages.
- Allow volunteers to create their own accounts to track their involvement and update their profiles.
They also offer impactful training resources for you and your team to get up to speed on effective volunteer management and software.
Pricing
Plans start at $25 per month.
16. Mobilize
Bonterra’s Mobilize offers a solution for mission-driven organizations to help manage events and recruit volunteers. This solution is used by nonprofits, progressive campaigns, advocacy organizations, labor unions, and more.
Mobilize’s volunteer management software allows organizations to:
- Set up recurring and multiple-shift events
- Automate email and text messages
- Ensure straightforward approval processes and permission levels
This solution makes sure volunteers sign up, show up, bring friends, and come back through its powerful and engaging platform.
Pricing
Contact Mobilize for pricing information.
17. isolved Giving & Volunteering
isolved Giving & Volunteering is a corporate philanthropy platform that makes it easy for employers to facilitate giving and volunteering opportunities for their employees.
This volunteer management software offers features like:
- The ability to let employees choose where to direct their charitable giving and make the greatest impact possible
- Automatic donation and volunteer hours tracking to document your program’s impact
- The ability to spotlight top volunteers and communicate program milestones
This platform is best for professional businesses and healthcare services looking to better track their philanthropic activities.
Pricing
Contact the provider for pricing information.
18. ClickTime
ClickTime makes it easy to track, plan, and manage employee and volunteer time. This solution is great for organizations looking to report on impact for funding purposes.
ClickTime’s volunteer tracking system makes it easy to:
- Track the cost of your program to ensure you’re staying within your budget.
- Stay compliant with grant requirements regarding volunteer hour tracking.
- Understand your program’s impact and clearly convey it to prospective new volunteers, boosting your recruitment efforts.
With ClickTime, you can improve operations and increase team-wide employee productivity through easy-to-use timesheets you can access anywhere, anytime.
Pricing
Pricing starts at $11 per user per month.
19. Bugle Volunteers
Bugle Volunteers makes volunteer event management a breeze. Say goodbye to clipboards, paper waivers, and manual data entry.
Bugle makes it easy for:
- Volunteers to sign up for events and shifts
- Volunteers to check in and out of events digitally
- Organizations to communicate event outcomes
Organizing volunteer events is hard, but it doesn’t have to be with Bugle Volunteers.
Pricing
Bugle offers a free option. Paid plans start at $24.42 annually per employee.
Wrapping up
Volunteer management software provides the tools you need to manage your volunteer program and empower your volunteers to do their best work.
Because there are so many options available on the market, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with choices. We recommend taking your time to define what you need from your volunteer management software before committing to any one solution. Remember, investing in a volunteer management software solution that offers everything you need to succeed—like Bloomerang Volunteer—instead of using multiple, disconnected solutions will serve you better in the long run.
Looking for more tips to help make your volunteer program management a success? Start with these additional resources:
- Volunteer Engagement | Strategies for Smart Organizations. Effective volunteer engagement increases volunteers’ satisfaction with your program. Use these strategies to create a better volunteer experience.
- 9 Proven Volunteer Retention Strategies for Nonprofits. Retaining volunteers for the long term helps build a reliable support system for your organization. Try these best practices to increase volunteer retention.
- The 9 Best Volunteer Apps for Better Engagement in 2024. Volunteer apps help nonprofits stay in touch with supporters between opportunities. Explore nine top options.
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