Volunteers are integral to nonprofit organizations’ day-to-day operations. Without these dedicated supporters, many nonprofits would struggle to reach their annual goals.
However, successful volunteer recruitment, engagement, and retention are no easy feat. That’s where volunteer management software comes in.
Volunteer management software is a tool that nonprofits can use to better organize their volunteers by handling everything from scheduling to ongoing communication. In this guide, we’ll review what you need to know about volunteer management software and the top solutions to be aware of.
There are many moving parts involved in the volunteer management process, and volunteer management software brings these activities under one roof. Before you can evaluate your options, you first need to establish your organization’s needs and top features to look out for in a solution. Let’s dive in!
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, which in turn increases 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:
What are the steps of the volunteer management process?
There are hundreds of ways to run a volunteer program, and your team’s approach all 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 and creating role descriptions.
- Recruitment: You can recruit volunteers by reaching out to past volunteers, connecting with corporate volunteers, and advertising your open roles on social media and your website.
- Scheduling: Scheduling involves creating volunteer shifts and matching the right volunteers to the right roles.
- 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: 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 is a volunteer management system?
A volunteer management system, or volunteer management software, is a platform with features designed to help organizations administer volunteer programs, events, and initiatives.
This software often includes tools for volunteer recruitment, scheduling, management, and communication and acts as a database for all of an organization’s volunteer information. Some volunteer management systems integrate with donor management software, allowing nonprofits to gain a 360-view of all supporters from one convenient dashboard.
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
17 top volunteer management software solutions for nonprofits
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 17 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
- SignUpGenius
- POINT
- VolunteerMark
- Golden
- Signup Zone
- Giveffect
- Better Impact
- Helper Helper
- Get Connected
- YourVolunteers
- Timecounts
- VolunteerSchedulerPro
- CERVIS
- Mobilize
- isolved Giving & Volunteering
- ClickTime
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.
2. 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.
3. 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 signups, donation link, and needs registry. You can easily share this link across your social media pages, website, and email newsletters to boost recruitment.
4. VolunteerMark
Volunteer Mark 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.
Volunteer Mark’s software was designed to be very user-friendly, allowing volunteer managers to get up and running with the system quickly and easily.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
Wrapping up
Volunteer management software provides the tools you need to manage your volunteer program and empower your volunteers to do their best work.
There are so many options available on the market that it’s easy to get overwhelmed with choices. We recommend taking your time to define what you need from your volunteer software before committing to any one solution. Remember, investing in a solution that offers everything you need to succeed instead of using multiple, disconnected solutions will serve you better in the long run.
The post 17 Top Volunteer Management Software Options for Nonprofits appeared first on Bloomerang.
This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.
