Amid a volunteer recruitment crisis for charities, we round up some of the best digital tools to help charities attract and engage volunteers for future success.
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Volunteering in the UK is in a slump amid financial uncertainty and changing lifestyles among those giving up their time for good causes, according to latest research.

Earlier this year it emerged that one in five volunteers have stopped over the last two years during the cost-of-living crisis.

A third of volunteers have reduced their hours over the same period, this research by investment firm Rathbones found. Last year the Charity Retail Association revealed that charity shop volunteer numbers have fallen by 15% over the last four years. It warned that many charities have failed to claw back volunteers that drifted away during the Covid lockdown.

The health crisis, and subsequent cost-of-living crisis, have also seen a shift in lifestyles for many volunteers, particularly older people who are having to work later in their life and take on childcare commitments as their sons and daughters take on more hours.

This has seen a greater proportion of volunteers coming from younger generations, with a Blackbaud survey from last year revealing that half of Generation Z and Millennials volunteer for charity, compared to only one in four Baby Boomers.

Volunteers are changing, and so too should charities, in particular around using technology to help them manage, engage and retain those of all ages who are giving up their time for free.

Using such digital tools is especially important in helping charities navigate the increasingly complex lives of volunteers, who can be constrained by rising costs and work commitments, as well as be more available for more flexible and virtual work due to an increase in working from home.

Charity sector body NCVO recommends when choosing a tool charities are clear about their requirements and specific volunteer problems they want to tackle, such as organising workflows or streamlining the recruitment process.

It suggests charities draft a ‘must haves list’ with no compromise and have lists of features that are nice to have but not necessary. Here we look at some of the useful digital tools available to support charities and their volunteers.

Rosterfy

This volunteer management software helps charities to manage and engage with their volunteers and those applying for roles, as well as collect insights into the work being carried out. This data helps charities to better plan their strategies.

According to British Heart Foundation volunteering development manager and systems manager, Sue George, using this tool saves the charity around 15 minutes when screening each volunteer application.

The number of administrators with this tool starts at 10 and can be bolstered. It offers the ability to oversee up to 500 volunteers, with the potential to expand much further for those with thousands working on their books.

It claims charities can save £6,000 a year for each volunteer manager they have in terms of time saved managing applications.

Visit: rosterfy.com/

Be On Hand

This tool is focused on corporate volunteering for companies looking to better manage the time their workers give up for charity partners.

Features include an employee engagement feature for employees looking to volunteer as well as make donations.

Corporate volunteering is of increasingly interest to staff, as firms look to help their staff give up their time for good causes and their charity partners.

But research published by social value management platform What Impact last year found that two in five charities in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland that want to collaborate with the private sector have yet to find a corporate partner to work with.

Barriers include a lack of resources among charities to run corporate partnerships and poor communication. Such challenges can be helped by more savvy use of digital tools to better manage these relationships.

Visit: beonhand.co.uk/

PAAM

App-based tool PAAM is another that includes a focus on managing volunteer recruitment and the work they carry out. For example, within this tool charities can set up a new event or project, add details and turn on applications to let suitable volunteers know they can apply. Volunteer teams can also be set up, such as a main group and subgroups for those carrying out specific work. Volunteers can also check in and charities can keep track of their attendance and engagement, as well as allocate equipment or training places more easily.

Visit: paamapp.com/

Access Assemble

Created by business support firm Access, this volunteer management system helps charities recruit, manage and retain volunteers. Features include rotas, reports and expenses. It can also be integrated with third party platforms including customer relationship management tools, e-learning and customer service features.

Its starter package is for teams of up to 250 volunteers, while its standard package is for up to 2,000 volunteers. A larger charity package for organisations looking to manage more than 2,000 volunteers is available.

Visit: theaccessgroup.com

Time Counts

While US focused, this volunteer management app can still be used by charities in the UK. Its features include a volunteer hub, management of recruitment, a database of volunteers as well as managing workloads and tracking and reporting on volunteering trends.

Its volunteer hub can be customised with the charity’s colours and content and serves as a port of call for volunteers within the charity to find out about opportunities.

Visit: join.timecounts.app/

Volgistics

This is a useful tool for small charities but also has the capability to expand across multiple sites for larger organisations needing to manage large groups of volunteers.

Features of Volgistics include volunteering recruitment and screening, customisable volunteer forms, a volunteering database and messaging for volunteers.

It also includes a VicNet feature, which gives volunteers online access to a volunteer portal on desktop or through a mobile app. This allows them to schedule work, sign up for opportunities and update their profile, to ensure they can still work for the good cause even if their lifestyle changes.

Visit: volgistics.com

Better Impact

Digital management tool Better Impact includes a suite of volunteering features, alongside other features focused on managing donors and clients.

The standard edition of its volunteering feature includes having unlimited administrators, who can see all volunteers, with pricing based on the number of volunteers.

Meanwhile, its enterprise edition is more suited to larger charities with multiple locations. Sub accounts of volunteer teams can be created through this.

It also assigns statuses for volunteers including applicants, those in the process of applying, those who have been accepted, as well as inactive and archived volunteers.

Visit: betterimpact.co.uk/

Volunteero

This volunteer management tool’s features include support with recruiting, managing and retaining volunteers. It is used by more than 150 charities cross the UK, Europe and the US, including Citizens Advice Scotland, Keech Hospice Care, The Brain Tumour Charity and the British Motor Museum.

Features include custom forms, tracking of applications and managing volunteer submissions and their workload. Another feature allows charities to automate the collection of references.

Visit: volunteero.org

Bloomerang

Another of the wider tool charity management tools, which has a specific set of features for managing volunteers, is Bloomerang.

It is available as an app and features include managing volunteer tasks, recruitment, scheduling work and handling background screening checks.

Its app allows volunteers to sign up for roles that interest them. They can also share messages and Bloomerang also offers charities reporting tools to keep up to date data on their engagement.

It can also be integrated into the digital tool’s donor management functions as well as Google Calendar. It is especially useful for charities using customer relationship management tools through Salesforce, which it can be integrated with.

Visit: boomerang.co

Volunteer Mark

Volunteer Mark is used by 3,000 organisations and 140,000 volunteers and offers charities features around recruitment and management of volunteers and scheduling opportunities.

It has a dashboard for charities to manage their teams and contains an event sign up feature for volunteers to use. It is available as an app and has a range of pricing options. Its free version is for up to 50 volunteers, just a single administrator and offers the chance to schedule three events a month and three positions a year.

Monthly subscriptions offer unlimited options as well as other features such as faster support and text messaging.

Visit: volunteermark.com

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