Updated: listing of volunteer management software
04:39, 20 October 2008
.. Posted in Volunteerism and Volunteer Management.. Link
I've updated my listing of volunteer management software yet again, and the list has reached an all-time high of 40 different software packages. I've changed the requirements a bit regarding what a software has to have before I will list it on the page. Specifically, the software must be geared towards nonprofit organizations -- it can also be focused on helping other organizations, like schools or for-profit hospitals, but helping nonprofit organizations has to be at its heart. Also, the software must have substantial volunteer management functions and actually use the word "volunteer" somewhere on its web site in describing the software, not just "constituents" or "supporters". In other words, if you think your donor-tracking software or your ticket-selling software could also be used to track volunteers, you must offer details about how this is possible in your official software description on your web site (not just in your email to me), and actually use the world volunteer on your web site description.
At minimum, software that claims to track volunteers should, IMO:
- 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(completed application, completed orientation, first assignment undertaken, inactive because of illness, permanently withdrawn, etc.)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
- allow 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)
