Listing of Volunteer Management Software

 
Some of the most frequently-asked questions to me are about volunteer management software/constiuent 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 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 more than 30 software options available. 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(completed application, completed orientation, first assignment undertaken, inactive because of illness, permanently withdrawn, etc.)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 / consituent participation in events, online fora, etc.
• track volunteer hours/contribution by week, month, quarter, year, or project
• 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 what's out there, I think the following information should compared to be most helpful to the nonprofit community:

• cost to purchase the software, and yearly costs associated with 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 (yes or no?), and, if yes, is it 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 (yes or no?)

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

• ability to track volunteer skills

• ability to track volunteer availability and interests

• 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 an Excel spreadsheet)

DO NOT SEND ME THE ABOVE INFORMATION. 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. Again, please note that while there are online recruitment packages that have some volunteer management componants, 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 packages. I am only trying to offer a listing of what's out there. It's up to YOU to research the individual packages yourself -- and someone else to create the comparison we all dream of. If you would like your company/software listed, just 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). Please do not send any other information, as I will NOT list any additional info about your software!!.

• Andar Web-Based Volunteer Management, from Helix
  
• 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
  
• FundRaiser Select and FundRaiser Professional, now a part of Blackbaud
  
• GiftMaker Pro Volunteer Module from Campagne Associates
  
• GiftsFriends&Time, by a company called OneWhoServes, Inc.
  
• 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
  
• Metrix (free -- uses MS Access)
  
• OrgAction Online Volunteer Database
  
• Raiser's Edge by Blackbaud
  
• ROVIR, the Retriever of Volunteer Information and Reporting
  
• Salesforce.com
  
• Samaritan Technologies (eCoordinator)
  
• 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
  
• 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 Reporter (formerly RSVP Reporter)
  
• Volunteer Works, Red Ridge Software
  
• 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.

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