Turns out recruiting volunteers was the easy part — the real challenge is what came after.
Conflicting schedules, no-shows, missing contact info, a corrupt Excel file, competition over who gets to do what (I once had to break up a fight over who would fry the bacon)… the list goes on.
These issues led me to search for volunteer management software that could help. Given my budget was $0, I was delighted to find a number of free volunteer management tools that offered simple shift scheduling, automated email reminders, easy online registration, and tools to help me match jobs to volunteer skills. A quick evaluation of the tools I found led me to the perfect one for my needs, which has solved my problems ever since.
To help others like me, I’ve put together this list of every volunteer management tool I’ve come across to help volunteer managers from any sized organization.
Best volunteer management software
Today, more than 10 million NGOs are actively serving worldwide to fulfill different social causes with over 50 million volunteers working along with them. Volunteers are a sheer driving force behind the volunteer program run by a business, a philanthropic community, a charity, an organization, a club, a high-profile solo entrepreneur or a social service agency.
However, bringing in positive volunteer experience is no small task. Coherent coordination of voluntary work is the outcome of managing volunteer resources efficiently. A comprehensive approach to utilize effective volunteer management strategy is vital to fill the gap between human and other resources and objectives of the organization. A truly engaging and rewarding volunteer management program is essential to maximize their value for the betterment of the organization.
Volunteer Managers, therefore, adopt powerful volunteer management and tracking systems to manage the volunteer programs. Efficient volunteer management software automates the way the organization collects and manages their valuable volunteer data.
This article covers a broad aspect of how volunteer management software solutions can work to manage the entire process right from the recruitment of a volunteer till donor conversion. We will also discuss how free volunteer management software solutions perform for the purpose, as they are in massive demand in the market today.
What is the role of a Volunteer?
Volunteers work for the improvement of society. They play a crucial role to run our communities at the local as well as national level. Volunteers help in building a more cohesive, safer, and stronger community to serve humankind.
Volunteers work individually or in a group to provide services for no financial or social gain. Their aim just remains to benefit another person, group, or organization. Volunteering also connects with skill development that is often intended to promote the quality of one’s life.
Volunteers are also intended to make contacts for available employment. Many volunteers are trained and imparted relevant skill training in their professional denomination like emergency rescue, education, medicine, etc. Others work on a requirement basis, for example, to help people during a natural disaster.
A volunteer in a military context is the member of the armed force.
Volunteers are not contractually linked with an organization. They contribute their valuable time and efforts just being philanthropic and serve humankind. In the US alone, approximately, more than 1.5 million NGOs are established and are contributing roughly around 5.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in a year. Hence, for the effective management of voluntary services and their optimum usage, non-profit agencies and organizations utilize the most secure and reliable tool i.e. the volunteer management software system.
Why is Volunteer Management needed?
People volunteer for different reasons. Here are the reasons that will help you understand the purpose of a volunteer management solution:
- Volunteer management helps the non-profit organizations to survive and progress, as many volunteers act as a support system for these organizations.
- Volunteer management is necessary for effective volunteer recruitment. The system helps in the selection process for the volunteers.
- For regular supervision and communication with volunteers.
- As a liability coverage or insurance protection for volunteers.
- For the regular collection of information on volunteer number and hours.
- For screening procedures to identify suitable volunteers.
- To write policies and job description for volunteer involvement.
- For recognition activities, such as award ceremonies for volunteers.
- To measure the achievements and forecast the future requirements.
- For training and professional development opportunities for volunteers.
Overall, effective volunteer management is essential to recruit, schedule, and manage volunteers, track their interests, and retain a group of dedicated volunteers.
How Volunteer Management Software Works?
The primary objective behind using a progressive volunteer management system is to retain the maximum number of volunteers within an organization. Below-given points will show you how volunteer management software performs and how it benefits a non-profit-organization.
Are the software solutions data protected and privacy compliant?
Organizations are obliged to treat the personal information of their voluntary members with care. Majority of volunteer management software solutions are supported by secure data protection policy. Even the free solutions are privacy compliant and are made available to users with all security measures. Therefore, the majority of non-profit organizations and community portals have started adopting free and open source volunteer management software solutions due to their easy usage and competent features.
What are the available solutions for Volunteer Management?
Customizable and easy-to-operate software work best for all types of organizations. Today is the trend of SaaS, web-based, cloud-based software solutions for different requirements. Some of them are free and open source volunteer management software solutions that come with an open code base and an opportunity to modify it according to user preferences.
How will the Volunteer Management Software fit into your business processes?
Always select the software that allows the volunteers to go online and update their information themselves. It could save your staff’s tedious data entry job if you follow the points stated below:
- Let your volunteers sign in for a meeting or work shift whenever they are on your site.
- Prompt them to share their contact information when they are using your website.
- Send email reminders occasionally inclusive of the links to your volunteer management software, to update their contact information and other details.
It will help you keep their information in record and encourage them to act when you are assuring them of all safety and security measures.
We have listed some of the popular free volunteer management software solutions to know what is more preferred in the market today. Let us have a look at them.
Have a look at the comparison chart displayed below. It will show their important characteristics with some unique features to help you understand them more comfortably.
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Now, let us discuss these software solutions in detail.
As a free cloud-based volunteer management solution, YourVolunteers is a product created by Primary Key Technologies. Founded in the year 2002, it is the perfect system for volunteer managers and works efficiently to perform registration management, scheduling, and volunteer profiling.
(Source: YourVolunteers)
Features:
- It is easy to create shifts and assign volunteer duties in the YourVolunteers software.
- Keeping notes, collecting contact information, and creating custom questions for the established volunteers is quite simple using the software.
- The entire tracking facility comes in terms of manual shift editing, along with ‘no show’ option.
- The free account includes ads for the website owners as well as their volunteers.
Established in the year 2010, VolunteerMark offers a reliable and efficient volunteer management software program that helps organizations in engaging their volunteers effortlessly. The software helps manage your valuable volunteer base, and all data stored in the software base is safe, secure, and reliable.
(Source: VolunteerMark)
Features:
- VolunteerMark software facilitates easy to import and export of the volunteer data. One can download the sample CSV template for importing all their volunteer data at a time.
- Addition of a new volunteer to a shift is simple with clicking on the action button in the software.
- A standard designed dashboard is available for all users of the software.
- ‘Discover’ allows sending mails to group members and inviting them.
- Kiosk set-up is facilitated for the volunteers. The PINs are available beside name of each volunteer.
3. iVolunteer
iVolunteer is an easy and effective way to join new volunteers and manage volunteer scheduling. It is a free volunteer management software system that facilitates the voluntary members to easy sign up on the website. It is one of the best tools to save time, increase participation, and give greater confidence to the volunteers to fulfill their commitments.
(Source: iVolunteer)
Features:
- Potential volunteers at iVolunteers get an easy-to-sign-up and re-usable sheet online.
- Advanced customization features are offered for homepage, header, and instructions for all volunteering events.
- Customizable e-mails are sent on-demand or automatically relative to the sign-up dates and administrators get e-mail notifications of sign-ups, cancellations, etc.
- All reports are optimized for HTML, EXCEL, and PDF. Consolidated reports are run across multiple events.
- Real-time attendance recording on the website, Excel sheet, paper, or sign-up report to track attendance hours.
4. SignUp
SignUp is a free volunteer management services providing software. It makes signups and participations easier for everyone and comes with easy and user-friendly features. It is one of the best tools that have been used by the education institutes as well as the organizations.
(Source: SignUp)
Features:
- The essential elements of the SignUp software include unlimited participation & signups and unlimited emails to volunteers.
- More than 1,500 theme combinations are offered along with swift shift scheduling.
- Quick multiday copy, sort, archive, and favorite signups, and simple shift swapping is facilitated.
- You can easily upload images and logos, sync and embed calendar, track email delivery, and social media sharing.
- Free iPad app is offered to the iPad users.
5. Timecounts
Timecounts is best to recruit, manage, and mobilize volunteers. Timecounts software is well-organized so the users can devote more energy to take care of their organization and other operational activities. It is a free volunteer management software that empowers the non-profit organizations to help others, whether they are big or small.
(Source: Timecounts)
Features:
- Timecounts is an all-in-one solution to activate and schedule supporters.
- It requires zero coding knowledge, and you can customize your online volunteer hub and publish the opportunities within minutes.
- You no longer need to stick to spreadsheets and can easily store your supporter information into a smart directory with profile cards.
- Auto confirmations and reminders make things easier for volunteer scheduling.
- Easy email and SMS facility to connect and follow-up with individual or segmented volunteers.
6. TeamKinetic
TeamKinetic is a free volunteer management software that works for organizations and communities. It is a small team from Manchester that specializes in community building and brought about the TeamKinetic software that went live in the year 2010. Over a target of recruiting 300 volunteers within three years, TeamKinetic recruited 2000 volunteers in the Great Manchester area.
(Source: TeamKinetic)
Features:
- The TeamKinetic software aims at building better communities through transparency, clarity, and communication.
- The software works best to support the voluntary sector with best practices, collaboration and shared researches.
- Some of the great free tools are offered by the TeamKinetic organization to build volunteer communities better.
- Design decisions are given the primary focus here to provide users the best choice for their system.
7. Volgistics
Volgistics sets the standards in the volunteer management software. It offers a free volunteer management software solution to help the volunteer leaders managing, volunteer recruitment, scheduling, and other related jobs in a non-profit organization.
(Source: Volgistics)
Features:
- Leaders can stay organized and help your organization through effective volunteer scheduling procedure. Flexible options for both automated and manual volunteer reminders are available.
- IT support manages the sophisticated volunteer database to store your volunteer information safely and securely.
- One can recruit volunteers using advanced feature of advertising and then adding people to your database easily.
- Volgistics is a web-based system that does not require installing. Reports can be generated in PDFs or Excel formats.
- VicNet module in the volunteer portal of the software is available for the users to check schedules, sign-up for scheduled openings, post their service, and to receive messages from the users.
8. InitLive
Established in 2013, InitLive volunteer management software equips volunteers with real-time communication system and a comprehensive volunteer scheduling service. InitLive automates and improves operations in an organization. It is a platform that reforms your staff and volunteer management.
(Source: InitLive)
Features:
- The advanced automation features of InitLive Software makes volunteer scheduling easier than ever.
- The software is tailored to fit their scheduling and communication requirements. It is perfectly configured for your event needs.
- It increases staff engagement and automates staff management.
- It is a GDPR compliant software.
Conclusion
It is the power of humanity and voluntary services that brought back Marzela’s life after a giant 7.4-magnitude earthquake that tore through the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia in the late September 2018.
The helping hand and medical care that ‘Save the Children’ gave to Samuel when his family was deceased due to Ebola virus and he tragically lost one of his legs, is indescribable in words.
Volunteer management software has been around for at least 15-20 years. Yet, it is very recently volunteer coordinators have realized to have some all-in-one solutions to manage volunteer responsibilities. As per the current trends, NGOs and charitable organizations are adopting modern management methods and volunteer management practices to bring some sort of professionalism in their operations. The major benefit they are obtaining using volunteer management technique is to generate a higher volunteer retention rate that is the backbone of any non-profit organization.
The concept of volunteering-within-the-organization is also on high rise where employers encourage their employees to willingly go way beyond their abilities to contribute to their organization’s success. This involves inspiring the employees to help their coworkers, volunteer to take on some important assignments, attend not-compulsory, but important meetings, introducing new ideas and work practices and put extra hours to complete their important projects. This ultimately has proven effective to improve citizenship behaviors among the employees.