Volunteer Management Software

Non profit organizations depend heavily on volunteers to keep functioning. And this volunteers data need to be tracked and organized in a manner that it is easily accessible and kept updated so that administrative time is cut down and the volunteer based organizations can focus on their activities. There are many volunteer management software packages available that provides all the necessary features to take care of your volunteers.  

Start with the recruitment feature of the software. Volunteers can submit their applications online and you receive the data directly in your database. As part of the selection process the software offers the applicant screening process which includes reference check and criminal background check. Keep all the records of the traits and qualifications of your volunteers and this helps in allocation of volunteers to various events and for different activities.

Schedule shifts for your volunteers. You have various options available with the software like scheduling occasional shifts, regular shifts, one-off shifts for individual volunteers as well as for group of volunteers. As a manager you can schedule the shifts or the volunteers can schedule the shift themselves. Further, schedule the volunteers based on their interests and availability. The software ensures that there are no conflicts in the scheduling.

Keep track of volunteer hours automatically. However, if the volunteer does not start the shift on time, you have the option to manually enter the hours worked. This also helps you in tracking those volunteers who are regularly late or are frequently absent.  You can track hours of individual volunteers for each event as well. Tracking feature of the software also includes tracking volunteer training and qualifications.

Along with the tracking feature, you also get the reporting feature that includes advanced reporting options. Generate reports on volunteer hours, training, qualifications, and accomplishments. Get reports that allows you to see the interests and demographics of your group of volunteers. Generating these reports is done very easily just with a click of mouse.

Communication with your volunteers is made easy with volunteer management software. You can communicate with each volunteer individually or communicate with them as a group. Further, there are some software solutions that offers integration with your website. This allows you to promote your events to your volunteers.  Those volunteers who have signed up with your website get all the information about upcoming events and can also sign up to your social media networks.  You can also promote your volunteer recruitment drive through your website.

Volunteers can register on your website. The system then automatically sends confirmation and thank you notes. You can see how many volunteers have registered for an event. Print out sign in sheet on the day of the event and attendance taking task is simplified for you. The software lets you limit and control the number of volunteers who can sign up for the event. This helps you in managing the number of volunteers for events. It has also been found that ease of sign up helps in increasing your volunteer sign up.

Most volunteer software management systems are cloud based and this means you do not have to make investment in any special hardware.  The software solutions are also designed keeping in mind that it can be used even on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The user experience is the same on these devices as that of on computers.