Volunteers are often the unsung heroes of nonprofit organizations. Whether managing daily tasks, running workshops, or hosting events, volunteers help boost your organization’s efficiency and reach desired goals. However, managing volunteers can be difficult. As a nonprofit leader, you need to train your volunteers and ensure they can effectively facilitate programs and events.
A volunteer management software is a software that helps a nonprofit or a company to manage their organization’s volunteers. The software typically keeps track of the time contributed by volunteers, deal with important notifications and reminders, provide tools for creating event registration forms, do some sort of background checks on the person who wants to be involved in your organization/company. If you are managing a nonprofit organization which relies heavily on volunteers, then you know how important it is to have an easy-to-use system in place to coordinate the scheduling of tasks order by various volunteers. This is where volunteer management software helps. It simplifies the process of tracking volunteers and manages their duties.
Free volunteer management software can help with all this and more by making it easier to train, coordinate, and mobilize volunteers. These tools help organize your data, delegate tasks, facilitate volunteer collaboration, and let you view individual performance in a volunteer portal.
1. POINT
POINT is a free all-in-one volunteer management platform for nonprofits. Its collaborative tools help organizations find and manage volunteers using its cloud-based system, as well as partner with businesses or schools to co-host events. POINT also offers an admin dashboard and volunteer iOS and Android app.
POINT comes with several additional features to help nonprofits meet their volunteer goals, including:
- One system for signing up, checking in, and reporting
- Website integration to streamline the recruitment process
- A nonprofit directory so local volunteers can find you
- Live analytics and automatically generated reports
Using POINT, your nonprofit can easily post events and manage groups, and the platform will ensure volunteers know exactly where they need to be and when.
POINT offers volunteer tools for both nonprofits and companies. In fact, when a company buys a subscription to POINT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit receives the platform for free. This means nonprofits can benefit from POINT without breaking the bank and leverage the tech tools they need to succeed.
2. VOLUNTEERLOCAL
VolunteerLocal is a volunteer management system built for nonprofits, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, festivals, events, and more. This software is a fantastic choice for groups of all shapes and sizes looking to simplify and streamline their volunteer engagement processes.
Specifically, VolunteerLocal’s powerful VMS offers the following key tools and features:
- Easy online volunteer self-scheduling solutions for individuals and groups
- Comprehensive volunteer data collection and management with real-time reporting
- Volunteer hour-tracking options with on-site check-in, mobile app, web, kiosk, and admin screen functionalities
- Seamless communication abilities with email and SMS messaging, as well as the ability to segment by an individual, role, shift, or program
- Signup and cancellation notifications to ensure organizers are on the same page and prepared for upcoming shifts
- Easy-to-use mobile app for volunteers to better engage with their groups
- Unlimited phone and email support to help get set up and troubleshoot any issues as they arise
The VolunteerLocal platform essentially serves all sorts of volunteer-driven organizations, streamlining management and engagement from beginning to end. Not only will your behind-the-scenes team appreciate its impact, but your volunteers interacting with the solution will as well.
Why We Love This Volunteer Management Tool
VolunteerLocal stands out because of its native integration with Double the Donation’s matching gift and volunteer grant automation tool, 360MatchPro.
Volunteer grants are a significantly underutilized form of corporate funding offered by companies whose employees volunteer with charitable organizations. By employing a volunteer grant software solution, VolunteerLocal is helping to close that gap, inform eligible volunteers about grant availability, and secure more dollars for nonprofit causes.
And the process is simple! As volunteers complete their registration forms for upcoming events and opportunities, they are encouraged to enter their employer’s name in an online field. This information is then stored within their volunteer record and used for future outreach once the event has passed.
3. GET CONNECTED
Get Connected is a comprehensive volunteer management solution perfect for volunteer management leaders who have trouble balancing administrative tasks, promoting programs, and turning volunteers into donors.
With Get Connected, you can improve your volunteer management processes with:
- A mobile volunteer app where supporters can check in, receive time-sensitive updates, and other push notifications.
- Comprehensive volunteer profiles full of information that can help you engage supporters and match them with opportunities that align with their skills and interests.
- A tracking system that allows volunteers to input hours through an on-site kiosk, a mobile app, and their home computer. Get Connected also has an automated hours tracking component that assigns hours based on completed shifts!
- Automated communication tools so you can easily welcome new volunteers, send appreciation emails, and any pertinent reminders. This ensures everyone is on the same page and ready to help your mission.
- Promotion tools to help you spread the word about exciting volunteer opportunities and recruit new volunteers.
Better engage volunteers while also setting up the foundation for an impactful, long-lasting relationship. Volunteers are some of your most valuable supporters, so make sure to invest in a solution that provides easy tools for volunteer management and one that ensures a positive experience for all.
For over a decade, Get Connected has helped 50,000+ organizations like yours generate more than $250 million in community impact. They help organizations across the U.S and Canada activate a database of over 2 million dedicated volunteers. In one case study, an organization was able to triple their volunteer pool with Get Connected.
Get Connected is the perfect volunteer management tool to not only build life-long connections, but also better communicate with volunteers, fill the shifts in your events, and track hours with ease and convenience for all. With Get Connected, you can make a real difference in your local community.
4. LUMAVERSE
Lumaverse Technologies offers a variety of powerful nonprofit software solutions that can help any organization streamline and simplify supporter management processes—including for donors, members, and, of course, volunteers. This software is perfect for nonprofits, schools, faith groups, and other organizations looking to take a data-informed approach to volunteer management.
Lumaverse’s volunteer management software can assist organizations with the following key tasks:
- Creating easy to use, easy to share volunteer sign ups
- Receiving detailed attendance tracking and reporting for volunteers
- Building and updating detailed volunteer and other supporter profiles
- Connecting volunteer and other supporter profiles to a centralized CRM
- Personalizing and/or automating communications and other outreach to volunteers
- Understanding which initiatives volunteers are responding to, what works, and what doesn’t
- Coordinating and streamlining events
Volunteers are the backbone of so many organizations. Lumaverse gets that—after all, many of their technology experts started out in nonprofits! By taking a more tech-driven approach to volunteer management, you can provide a more streamlined, more enjoyable experience for both your staff and your highly valued volunteers.
One of many reasons why we love Lumaverse’s volunteer management tools is because it integrates with Double the Donation. Not only can you collect and store critical volunteer management data in your CRM system, but you can also cross-reference that information against Double the Donation’s comprehensive corporate giving database to discover new volunteer grants and matching gift opportunities.
5. SIGNUPGENIUS
SignUpGenius is a coordination and volunteer management solution designed to help nonprofits organize events and manage event attendees and volunteers.
This volunteer management system offers multiple themes so users can create customized signup pages and add information fields on signup forms. You can also duplicate past signups and transfer information to save time.
SignUpGenius lets you send automatic text and email reminders to volunteers and track volunteer engagement. You can send individual and group messages to event attendees and target communication for specific recipients.
This tool also helps with volunteer scheduling and can generate custom reports to track volunteer hours. You can assign multiple admins with varying permission/access levels and also notify admins whenever reports are generated for a volunteer program.
SignUpGenius offers email, phone, and chat support and is web-based.
Key Features:
- Attendance tracking
- Calendar management
- Communication management
- Event management
- Scheduling
- Volunteer recruiting
6. WILD APRICOT
Wild Apricot is a membership and volunteer management system fit for small businesses and nonprofits. It allows users to create websites for event signups and send registration emails.
This tool helps with volunteer recruitment, volunteer management, and task assignments for upcoming events. Users can create a volunteer schedule within the tool and it includes an online registration portal where you can create detailed event listings with descriptions and images.
Wild Apricot facilitates payment tracking and event registration fee collection through your website. Attendees can also use a mobile app to submit payments.
This tool maintains a volunteer information database and lets you send email blasts for announcements and organizational updates.
Wild Apricot offers email, phone, and live chat support, as well as an iOS and Android app for mobile
7. CERVIS
If you often find yourself struggling to keep track of volunteers and send important updates and reminders, CERVIS is there to meet your volunteer coordinator needs.
CERVIS is a simple volunteer management solution to help nonprofit leaders coordinate volunteers and save time while doing so. This way, you can stay organized and get closer to achieving your mission. With it, you can streamline your volunteer program for all parties invite.
Key Features of CERVIS
CERVIS offers the following:
- Customized, online scheduling
- Automatic reminders through email and text messaging
- Training and support from the CERVIS team
8. VOLIGISTICS
For over 25 years, Volgistics has provided a solution to help organizations manage and engage their volunteers. Within its volunteer portal, supporters can submit applications, view opportunities, check their schedules, and track their hours.
Volgistics is there to help you through the entire volunteer management cycle, as well as address specific needs. You can turn features on or off and personalize the system to work for you.
Key Volunteer Management Features
Volgisitcs can empower your volunteer management with the following features:
- Background screening with Verified First
- Intuitive scheduling software to organize volunteers and events
- Volunteer application management tool to help with recruitment
9. VOLUNTEERHUB
With VolunteerHub, you make the most of both your volunteers’ time and your own, from volunteer scheduling to recruitment to analyzing data.
Volunteer Hub allows you to simplify your management while still maximizing engagement with volunteers, providing a win-win solution for all parties involved.
Key Volunteer Management Features
With VolunteerHub, you can:
- Provide a volunteer sign up calendar to simplify scheduling and organization
- Send automated thank you emails to your volunteers
- Refer to a volunteer database to increase functionality and improve future programs.
10. TEAMKINETIC
TeamKinetic is a UK-based volunteer management software company that aims to build cohesive and passionate communities through volunteerism, club memberships, events, and other local opportunities.
With TeamKinetic, you’ll be able to not only recruit more volunteers but also retain them. Use instant feedback and achievement badges to motivate volunteers and build relationships with them.
Key Volunteer Management Features
TeamKinetic can empower nonprofits to:
- Take control of their volunteer programs with customized registrations
- Email and text volunteers straight from the TeamKinetic dashboard
- Measure impact with real-time reports using volunteer hours and common KPIs
How to choose the right free volunteer management software for your organization
When you’re working with a limited budget like most nonprofits, choosing a free software tool can help you reach your goals without spending too much. Keeping the following considerations in mind can help you choose the right tool:
- Figure out how accessible the tool is: An ideal volunteer management tool is accessible from multiple devices and lets you view volunteer databases and reports on demand. This makes event and volunteer management more efficient and means you can easily delegate responsibilities to available volunteers.
- Check for a robust communication portal: Any volunteer management software is incomplete without built-in communication functionality. The software you choose should be able to send text and email reminders to volunteers and event attendees.
- Assess the efficiency a tool brings: Features such as scheduling and hours tracking, report generation, and a user-friendly interface are crucial to get the most out of a volunteer management tool. Before making a final purchase, check whether the software you’re buying has these features.
Conclusion: The best volunteer management software for nonprofits is a program that will help you and your team better manage, track and work with volunteers. Most of these programs can integrate directly with your existing contact base to streamline the process even further.