Listing of Volunteer Management Software

 
Some of the most frequently-asked questions to me are about volunteer management software/constituent relationship software: what's available, how different packages compare with each other, the cost of each, the features of each, and on and on.

I do not have the resources to create a comparison of all the different volunteer management/community relationship software out there. And I will not recommend any software on my web site unless I use it myself. But later on this page is a list of all of the volunteer management software geared towards nonprofit organizations (as opposed to corporate volunteering programs) that I know about, or nonprofit-related software/community relationship management software that has substantial volunteer management functions. There are around 40 volunteer management software options available (the number varies at any given time). I believe it is the most comprehensive list available anywhere.

How do I define volunteer management software? Software that allows an organization to, at the very least:

• track all contact information about volunteers (postal address, phone number, email, etc.)
• track where a volunteer applicant is in the volunteer orientation/participation process (completed application, completed orientation, first assignment undertaken, inactive because of illness, permanently withdrawn, etc.)
• track volunteer / community / constituent participation in events, online fora, etc.
• track volunteer hours/contribution by week, month, quarter, year, or project
• track volunteer impact beyond number of hours contributed
• track volunteer skills
• track volunteer availability and interests
• track volunteer performance reviews/assessments by a variety of staff
• allows for reports to be run/data to be exported on any combination of the above fields (a list of only those volunteers in a particular zip code who have completed the volunteer orientation and know HTML, for instance)

If anyone wants to create a comparison of the various volunteer management software that's there, I think the following information would be most helpful to the nonprofit community:

• cost to purchase the software, and yearly costs associated with use and support

• number of organizations using the software

• age of the company producing the software

• what operating system the software needs (including for Apple Macintosh)

• online access for volunteers to use the software themselves/input their own data (yes or no?), and, if yes, is the online platform accessible by any browser, not just the latest browser versions?

• accessibility (is this software something that volunteers or staff using assistive technology can access?)

• that the user/organization can add and customize fields, input screens and reports (yes or no?)

• how often the software is updated, the average cost of upgrades, and whether or not the company will continue to support software that is not updated

• if the producing company provides an online users forum, so users can help each other use the software, discuss features they have developed themselves (yes or no?)

• ability to track volunteer hours/contribution by week, month, quarter, year, and/or project (yes or no to all of these?)

• ability to track volunteer skills

• ability to track volunteer availability and interests

• ability to track volunteer impact beyond just number of hours contributed (fields that allow user to type in qualitative data, such as observations, etc.)

• whether or not the database information is stored at the organization using the software, or, remotely at the software company

• whether or not selected data, or all of the data, could be easily exported into other types of data files (like a spreadsheet)

• whether or not more than one staff member can access the product at the same time

DO NOT SEND ME THE ABOVE INFORMATION FOR YOUR SOFTWARE. I am NOT compiling this comparison information! I am just offering a list of what I hope someone else will do for the benefit of the nonprofit/mission-based community.

Below I've listed all of the volunteer management software geared towards nonprofit organizations (as opposed to corporate volunteering programs) that I know about, or nonprofit-related software/community relationship management software that has substantial volunteer management functions -- that means it actually uses the word "volunteer" somewhere on its web site in describing the product, not just "constituents" or "supporters"; a company that doesn't use the word "volunteer" in its software description must not rank volunteer management very highly among a nonprofit's constituent management, no?

Again, please note that while there are volunteer recruitment web sites that have some volunteer management components, I'm not including them in the list here unless they have most of the above minimum characteristics.

I am NOT endorsing any of these software packages/platforms/products. I am only trying to offer a listing of what's out there. It's up to YOU to research the individual products yourself -- and someone else to create the comparison we all dream of. If you would like your company/software listed, email me the name of the company, the name of the software, the web address, if a free version is available, and if the software is focused on a specific area (like for health care or school settings). If you do not use the word "volunteer" somewhere in the description of your platform, I will not list it.

• Andar Web-Based Volunteer Management, from Helix
  
• Blackbaud makes a variety of products that include volunteer management components (although the company rarely uses the word "volunteer" in describing their products)
  
• CERVIS (Community Event Registration and Volunteer Management System)
  
• Count Me In (for sports league volunteers)
  
• CiviCore Volunteer Management
  
• CiviCRM, open source and freely downloadable
  
• DonorPro, by TowerCare Technologies
  
• ebase, free single-user download
  
• eteambuilder
  
• GiftMaker Pro Volunteer Module from Campagne Associates
  
• GiftsFriends&Time, by OneWhoServes, Inc.
  
• GiftWorks Volunteers, an optional feature of GiftWorks fundraising software, by Mission Research.
  
• Global Relief Network volunteer management system, from AidMatrix
  
• Golden Futures Foundation 501(c)3 - For School Volunteer Programs
  
• Homeworks, by Cerner, a suite of programs focused on health-related organizations that includes a human resources management module with a volunteer management component
  
• Income Manager v.5.1
  
• Ministry Scheduler Pro, created originally for Catholic churches but "can be used for any religious denomination."
  
• Metrix (free -- uses MS Access)
  
• OrgAction Online Volunteer Database
  
• Paxxel Volunteer and Event Management
  
• Raiser's Edge by Blackbaud
  
• ROVIR, the Retriever of Volunteer Information and Reporting
  
• Salesforce.com
  
• Samaritan Technologies (eCoordinator)
  
• School Volunteer
  
• ShiftBoard
  
• Son of Service (SOS) (free)
  
• Tapestry, by VisionLink
  
• Tools for Organizations/Habitat Scheduling
  
• The Registration System (TRS), developed by Simply Hospitality
  
• V-Base, Developed by do-it and YouthNet UK (United Kingdom)
  
• V2/Volunteer2/Volunteer Squared/Volunteer Impact
  
• VolCentre
  
• Volgistics, Red Ridge Software
  
• Voltrax
  
• Volunteer Coordinator/Infosoft
  
• Volunteer Event Management (VEM) from Volunteer Solutions
  
• Volunteer Management System (VMS) , a free MS Access database by Wright Information Technology Solutions
  
• Volunteer Spot
  
• Volunteer Reporter (formerly RSVP Reporter)
  
• Volunteer Works, by Red Ridge Software (although it is being phased out and replaced by Volgistics)
  
• Vol - Track
  
• VSys One
  
• When to Help
  

 
The Corporation for National Service has a good comparison chart of three of the aforementioned software packages (Volunteer Reporter, Voltrax and Volunteer Works), with a focus on their appropriateness for managing senior volunteers.

Also see these database-related tip sheets:

• Overview of Databases
  • Database Terms
    
  • "Flat" and Relational Databases
    
  • How Databases Are Joined

• Customer Database Regular Maintenance

• Free Help With Databases & Software

• Importing Information Into a Database

• Choosing Specialized Software
  (label-making software, volunteer management software, project management software, fund raising software, etc.)

Also see:

TechSoup
This comprehensive web site provides detailed information about a variety of technology-related issues specifically for mission-based organizations. This includes resources and advice regarding databases. It provides some of the best information you can find regarding technology resources for mission-based organizations. TechSoup is a project of CompuMentor, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California.

Return to Index of Coyote Communications' Tip Sheets

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