9 min read

18 Best Volunteer Management Software Tools for Your Program

18 Best Volunteer Management Software Tools for Your Program
18 Best Volunteer Management Software Tools for Your Program
18:49

Volunteers are the lifeblood of many mission-driven organizations. Effectively managing these dedicated supporters ensures they have a positive experience, remain engaged, and continue contributing their time and skills to your cause over time. However, as your volunteer base grows, balancing the many responsibilities of running your program can become increasingly complex.

Fortunately, investing in the right tools can streamline volunteer program administration, freeing up time to focus on your mission and supporter relationships. In this guide, you’ll learn all you need to know about volunteer management software, including:

Before we dive into our top picks for volunteer platforms, let’s begin by exploring what volunteer management software is and why it matters for organizations like yours.

Discover Volunteer Impact, Better Impact's top-of-the-line volunteer management platform. Contact Us.

Volunteer Management Software: Frequently Asked Questions

What is volunteer management software?

Volunteer management software describes technology designed to help volunteer-driven organizations effectively coordinate and engage their volunteer bases. These solutions centralize volunteer data, scheduling, communication, and reporting in one place for streamlined administration and increased impact.

While your organization may have started out using basic spreadsheets and manual processes for volunteer coordination, investing in a dedicated, unified system will likely become necessary as your program grows (if it hasn’t already). A good volunteer management platform helps you save time, reduce stress, and accomplish more for your mission.

Why use volunteer management software?

Once you adopt the right volunteer management platform, your nonprofit can experience various benefits, such as:

A mind map of four benefits of volunteer management software, which are listed below.

  • Streamlined volunteer program operations: Simplify every step of the volunteer lifecycle—recruitment, onboarding, engagement, appreciation, and retention—by managing them all in a single system.
  • Stronger volunteer relationships: Personalize each volunteer’s communications and engagement opportunities to build deeper connections with them and encourage them to stick around long-term.
  • More effective decision-making: Track performance metrics and trends so you can continuously improve your volunteer program based on data-driven insights.
  • Improved data security: Safeguard sensitive volunteer information by consolidating it in one system that leverages robust data protection measures.

Understanding these benefits and considering them in the context of your volunteer program can help you make a stronger case to your organization’s leadership about why you need specialized volunteer management software. Leadership buy-in is crucial for ensuring your entire organization sees this technology purchase as a valuable investment in its mission success.

Calculate Your Volunteer Software ROI Potential

What features should you look for in a volunteer management platform?

Not all platforms are equally effective or suited to your nonprofit’s specific needs, so the tools you’ll prioritize looking for will be unique to your organization. However, when researching a potential solution, you should always start by considering its user-friendliness, customization options, pricing structure, and the level of technical support available. These factors can make or break your organization’s success with using a particular platform.

From there, start digging into the system’s specific capabilities. To help you evaluate the basic functionalities you’ll need, we’ve put together this interactive checklist you can use as you read about the features of a particular volunteer management solution.

The Best Volunteer Management Solutions

Now that you’ve gotten the lay of the land, let’s look at some of the top options for volunteer management software on the market today. Feel free to skim the full list or use the table below to jump to a specific solution that interests you.

 

Better Impact: Our Favorite Volunteer Management Software

Better Impact’s homepage.

Better Impact’s comprehensive volunteer management solution, Volunteer Impact, is designed for mission-driven organizations of all sizes and in all verticals, from healthcare systems to educational institutions to community parks. With an intuitive interface, customizable features, and top-tier customer support, Volunteer Impact makes it easy to streamline management tasks while boosting program engagement.

Top Features

  • Secure Volunteer Database: Collect detailed information about each volunteer and store it in their individual profiles to track their complete journeys within your program.
  • User-Friendly Recruitment Tools: Create custom volunteer application forms branded to your organization, then embed them directly into your website.
  • Onboarding & Ongoing Training: Build and administer online courses, upload helpful resources, and monitor progress through onboarding or skill development processes.
  • Communication Hub: Send targeted email and text messages, post updates, and organize all communications in one centralized location.
  • Data Tracking & Analytics: Generate insightful reports on volunteer participation, satisfaction, results, and other essential information to drive strategic decisions.
  • Volunteer Portal & App: Allow volunteers to sign up for opportunities, view their shifts, contact their leaders, and track their hours from their smartphones.

Why Better Impact Stands Out

More than 25,000 organizations trust Better Impact for its user-friendly design, robust capabilities, and scalable pricing options. Whether your program has a few dozen or a few thousand volunteers, your team can tailor the system to meet your needs.

But don’t just take our word for it—explore our case studies to see how other nonprofits have strengthened their volunteer programs using Better Impact! From small community groups to enterprise-level nonprofits, these success stories demonstrate how the right volunteer management platform can multiply an organization’s impact.

Discover Volunteer Impact, Better Impact's top-of-the-line volunteer management platform. Contact Us.

VolunteerHub

VolunteerHub's homepage

VolunteerHub helps nonprofits manage, recruit, and engage their volunteers with intuitive scheduling, communication, and reporting tools. It’s widely used across various sectors, including healthcare, education, and animal welfare.

Top Features

  • Customizable Registration Pages: Seamlessly gather volunteer information and reduce manual data entry.
  • Event Management: Create and manage events, track registrations, and communicate updates.
  • Integration Capabilities: Sync data with leading CRMs, including Blackbaud and Salesforce.

Pricing

VolunteerHub offers tiered plans based on your organization’s size and needs. Contact the VolunteerHub team for specific pricing information or request a demo on their website.

VolunteerMatters

VolunteerMatters' homepage.

VolunteerMatters is a solution designed to streamline volunteer coordination for nonprofits, schools, and government entities. Its robust feature set supports compliance tracking, background checks, and more.

Top Features

  • Advanced Compliance Tools: Automate background checks and create custom approval workflows.
  • Automated Volunteer Engagement: Manage email campaigns, scheduling reminders, and feedback loops.
  • Scalability and Flexibility: Easily accommodate growing volunteer programs.

Pricing

VolunteerMatters’ baseline pricing starts at $219/month plus a one-time startup fee of $499. There are also several advanced functionalities available at additional fees, plus custom quotes for enterprise-level organizations.

Civic Champs

Civic Champs’ homepage.

Civic Champs focuses on simplifying volunteer engagement through mobile and web-based platforms. Their intuitive app helps nonprofits build strong relationships with volunteers, track hours, and gather feedback on the go.

Top Features

  • Mobile Check-In & Hour Tracking: Let volunteers check in on-site and log their hours in real time.
  • Gamification Elements: Encourage volunteer participation with badges and incentives.
  • Feedback & Surveys: Collect post-event or post-shift feedback to improve volunteer experiences.

Pricing

Civic Champs’ pricing is directly based on the number of volunteers your organization has, plus any add-on features you’d like to invest in. Visit the platform's website for accurate, up-to-date cost information.

Golden

Golden’s homepage.

Golden stands out with its modern, user-friendly design and focus on community engagement. The platform provides nonprofits with the tools to recruit and retain volunteers through meaningful experiences.

Top Features

  • Engaging Volunteer Portal: Allow volunteers to browse opportunities, sign up, and share their experiences with friends.
  • Automated Reminders and Notifications: Ensure volunteers always know when they’re scheduled for shifts.
  • Analytics & Social Impact Tracking: Track volunteer hours, impact metrics, and generate reports.

Pricing

Golden has a free plan that includes the platform’s most basic features and is designed for small volunteer management teams. Paid plans start at $100/month when billed annually.

POINT

POINT’s homepage.

POINT is designed to make volunteering easy and accessible. With user-friendly mobile features, it connects volunteers to events and allows nonprofits to manage and report on volunteer activities.

Top Features

  • Centralized Dashboard: Simplify scheduling, communications, and volunteer data management.
  • Real-Time Tracking: Have volunteers check in and out from their mobile devices, providing live data on attendance.
  • Community Building: Promote events to a broad audience and attract new volunteers.

Pricing

POINT offers various pricing tiers, including a free plan for small organizations and a $99/month plan that most of their clients use. The sales team will also provide custom quotes to enterprise-level or multi-site organizations.

PlanHero

PlanHero's homepage

PlanHero is known for its easy-to-use event and volunteer scheduling tools. It’s particularly popular with churches, schools, and community-based nonprofits looking for a quick scheduling solution.

Top Features

  • One-Click Sign-Ups: Create sign-up sheets for events, tasks, and shifts.
  • Automated Reminders: Send volunteers email or text reminders about their commitments.
  • Group Management: Manage multiple groups, teams, or committees in one place.

Pricing

PlanHero’s paid plans begin at $12/month for unlimited event scheduling. More advanced features are available with higher-tier plans, and the platform also offers a free plan with more limited functionality.

Volunteer Local

Volunteer Local’s homepage.

Volunteer Local offers simple but powerful volunteer registration and scheduling tools. It’s especially popular for large events and festivals that require hundreds or thousands of volunteers.

Top Features

  • Easy Event Setup: Quickly create volunteer shifts and opportunities with custom sign-up forms.
  • Check-In & Hours Tracking: Integrated onsite check-in and hours logged for accurate reporting.
  • Automated Email Notifications: Keep volunteers informed with shift updates and event reminders.

Pricing

Volunteer Local’s pricing starts at $600/year, and you can add features to your base plan on an a la carte basis before upgrading to the next level. This team also does custom quotes for enterprise-level organizations.

VolunteerMark

VolunteerMark's homepage.

VolunteerMark is a flexible platform focusing on volunteer scheduling, management, and donor integration. It helps nonprofits engage volunteers and donors in a single, unified database.

Top Features

  • Volunteer Scheduling & Communication: Post volunteer opportunities and handle sign-ups with ease.
  • Hours Tracking & Reporting: Stay on top of volunteer engagement and produce professional reports.
  • Donor Integration: Link volunteer data with donor information to deepen supporter relationships.

Pricing

After a 30-day free trial, VolunteerMark users can choose to continue using the platform for free with limited scheduling capabilities or upgrade to one of the solution’s unlimited paid plans costing between $34-$125/month.

CERVIS

CERVIS's homepage.

CERVIS is designed to manage volunteer engagement, track service hours, and streamline event planning. It works well for nonprofits, schools, and faith-based organizations looking for robust program tracking.

Top Features

  • Detailed Volunteer Profiles: Store contact information, skills, availability, and preferences.
  • Advanced Reporting: Generate customized reports to monitor volunteer impact and hours.
  • Comprehensive Scheduling: Create and manage recurring events, sign-ups, and waitlists.

Pricing

CERVIS offers three flat-rate pricing plans (i.e., they aren’t dependent on the number of volunteers or administrators in your program) that start at $25/month.

Salesforce Volunteer Management

The Salesforce Volunteer Management product page.

Salesforce Volunteer Management encompasses the volunteering features that are accessible to organizations using Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud. Some of these features are built in, while others are available by combining other Salesforce apps and products with Nonprofit Cloud. Essentially, this solution allows you to build the volunteer management system you need directly within Salesforce.

Top Features

  • Salesforce-Native Development: Leverage the robust CRM capabilities of Salesforce to manage volunteers every step of the way.
  • Customizable Dashboards: Build personalized dashboards to track hours, schedules, and volunteer engagement.
  • Event and Shift Management: Post volunteer opportunities, automate reminders, and coordinate shifts across your organization.

Pricing

Since there are multiple tools involved in Salesforce Volunteer Management, pricing varies depending on your organization’s needs. Contact the Salesforce team for more information.

Shift

Shift's homepage.

Shift provides a straightforward solution for managing volunteer schedules, tasks, and roles. Users can easily create a variety of volunteer opportunities and oversee them from a single dashboard.

Top Features

  • Shift Creation & Management: Quickly design volunteer roles, establish time slots, and set capacity limits.
  • Automated Scheduling: Let volunteers sign up for their own shifts while automatically preventing double bookings.
  • Communication Tools: Email or text updates about shift changes and important announcements.

Pricing

After a 30-day free trial, Shift subscriptions cost $39/month for all users.

SignUp.com

SignUp.com's homepage.

SignUp.com offers simple online sign-up sheets for volunteer events, fundraisers, and group activities. It’s used by nonprofits, schools, and community groups looking for an intuitive way to coordinate tasks.

Top Features

  • Group Sign-Up Sheets: Easily organize volunteers, collect RSVPs, and assign tasks.
  • Automated Reminders: Reduce no-shows with reminders via email and mobile notifications.
  • Calendar Sync: Make it easy for volunteers to add events directly to their personal calendars.

Pricing

SignUp.com offers a free basic plan and paid options starting at $99/year that unlock advanced features like custom branding and analytics. Users in the US and Canada can also opt for an ad-free experience by paying an additional fee.

SignUpGenius

SignUpGenius's homepage.

SignUpGenius is a popular volunteer sign-up tool known for its ease of use. It’s highly flexible, letting nonprofits customize sign-up forms and manage multiple volunteer activities.

Top Features

  • Custom Sign-Up Templates: Tailor sign-up sheets to match your organization’s needs.
  • Automated Notifications: Email or text confirmations and reminders.
  • Payment Collection: Open up the option to collect fees or donations alongside volunteer registrations.

Pricing

SignUpGenius offers a free version supported by ads. Their paid plans (starting at $8.99/month) remove ads and provide additional customization and functionality.

Mobilize

Mobilize's homepage.

Mobilize is designed for advocacy groups, political campaigns, and nonprofits wanting to improve volunteer recruitment and event management. It helps these organizations coordinate large-scale volunteer movements efficiently.

Top Features

  • Recruitment Tools: Promote opportunities to a wide audience and capture volunteer sign-ups.
  • Data & Analytics: Track volunteer attendance, engagement, and event success metrics.
  • Community Building: Foster connections among volunteers to encourage repeat engagement.

Pricing

Mobilize offers customized pricing based on each organization’s needs. Contact the Mobilize team for more information.

Bonterra Volunteer Management

The Bonterra Volunteer Management product page.

As an integral part of the larger Bonterra suite of nonprofit software, Bonterra Volunteer Management focuses on increasing community engagement and simplifying volunteer management for nonprofits and public institutions.

Top Features

  • Engagement & Collaboration: Encourage volunteer collaboration through a user-friendly online community.
  • Automated Scheduling & Communication: Share event details, reminders, and updates automatically.
  • Reporting Tools: Gain insight into volunteer trends, engagement, and program impact.

Pricing

To receive a detailed quote tailored to your organization, get in touch with Bonterra’s sales team.

Bloomerang Volunteer

The Bloomerang Volunteer product page.

Bloomerang Volunteer (part of Bloomerang’s integrated CRM system) helps nonprofits consolidate donor and volunteer data in one database, offering a holistic view of their supporter network.

Top Features

  • Integrated CRM: Combine donor and volunteer profiles for deeper insights into supporter engagement.
  • Efficient Scheduling: Create volunteer opportunities with flexible time slots and automated reminders.
  • Analytics & Reporting: Run reports on volunteer hours and financial contributions in one place.

Pricing

Bloomerang Volunteer pricing is available upon request, as it typically comes bundled with Bloomerang’s overall fundraising software.

Double the Donation Volunteering

The Double the Donation Volunteering product page.

Double the Donation is best known for matching gift software, but the company also provides solutions for nonprofits to tap into other workplace giving programs, including corporate volunteering initiatives like volunteer grants and paid volunteer time off (VTO).

Top Features

  • Corporate Volunteer Database: Identify companies that match volunteer hours with corporate donations and provide days off specifically for employees to volunteer.
  • Automated Outreach: Remind eligible volunteers to submit their volunteer grant requests to their employers and use their VTO.
  • Comprehensive Tracking: Track volunteer hours and grant statuses, VTO usage, and other corporate volunteering partnerships in one place.

Pricing

Double the Donation’s volunteer, matching gift, and other workplace giving tools are custom-priced based on usage. Contact the team or visit their website for detailed plan options.

Wrapping Up: Additional Resources on Volunteer Management

Choosing the right volunteer management software can make all the difference in your organization’s efficiency, volunteer satisfaction, and overall impact. By streamlining backend processes from recruitment to retention and beyond, you’ll free up valuable team time and energy to invest back into your mission.

For more information on volunteer management tools, check out these resources:


See how dedicated volunteer management software can work for your nonprofit. Reach out to Better Impact to get started. Contact Us.

 

How Zoos Save Thousands of Hours with Volunteer Management Software

How Zoos Save Thousands of Hours with Volunteer Management Software

Volunteer management software centralizes recruitment, scheduling, training, communication, and reporting for zoo and aquarium volunteer programs in...

Read More
How Volunteer Management Software Transforms Churches and Ministries

How Volunteer Management Software Transforms Churches and Ministries

Volunteer management software for churches and faith-based organizations is a centralized platform that helps church leaders coordinate volunteer...

Read More