How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Three tools have a free plan that a small charity can actually use: Golden (unlimited volunteers, up to 5 admins), POINT Core and GivePulse Basic. Track It Forward also has a free tier, but only for groups with fewer than 25 volunteers.
- Vendors charge in very different ways. Volgistics charges by stored volunteer records (from $9 a month for 50). Civic Champs charges by annual active volunteers. Golden prices by features and never charges per volunteer.
- VolunteerHub, Civic Champs and VolunteerMatters all add a setup fee on top of the subscription. Golden and POINT say they charge none.
- If your donor data lives in Bloomerang CRM, Bloomerang Volunteer ($119 a month, billed annually) syncs volunteer and donor records in both directions. VolunteerHub sells optional connectors for Raiser's Edge NXT, Salesforce and other CRMs.
- Better Impact is the only well-known option here that publishes no prices at all. Plan on a sales call before you can compare its cost.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Golden | Small charities that want a free start | $0; Professional $100/month (billed annually, $110 billed monthly) | Yes |
 Bloomerang Volunteer | Charities already using Bloomerang CRM | $119/month (billed annually) | No |
 Better Impact (Volunteer Impact) | Large, compliance-heavy programs | See website | Free trial |
 VolunteerHub | Event-driven charities with a donor CRM | $143/month (billed annually) plus setup fee | No |
 Volgistics | Budget-conscious long-running programs | $9/month (up to 50 volunteer records) | Free trial (30 days) |
 POINT | Community groups recruiting new volunteers | Free; Pro $80/month | Yes |
 Civic Champs | Food banks, shelters and Habitat affiliates | $49/month (billed annually) plus one-time setup fee | No |
 GivePulse | Charities mixing volunteering and fundraising | Free; Give Joy $20/month (billed annually) | Yes |
 Track It Forward | Hour tracking on a tight budget | $13.25/month for 100 users (billed monthly) | Yes (groups under 25 volunteers) |
 VolunteerMatters | Mid-size programs wanting guided onboarding | $239/month (paid monthly) plus $499 setup fee | No |
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The best volunteer management software for charities
Starting price$0; Professional $100/month (billed annually, $110 billed monthly)
Free planYes
Golden has the most generous free plan in this group. The Basic tier gives you unlimited volunteers, five admin seats, scheduling, automated notifications, hour tracking with kiosks, and the volunteer portal and mobile app. Golden says you can set up an account in about 15 minutes, and no credit card is needed to start. For a food pantry or animal rescue with one paid coordinator, that may be all the software you need.
The pricing doesn't climb as your volunteer list grows, because Golden charges for features, not headcount. The $100 Professional plan adds unlimited admins, select CRM integrations (Salesforce is the one named) and full reporting.
The catch is where the line between plans falls. Background checks are listed as a paid add-on on Professional. AI fundraising, credentials management, SSO and API access sit only in custom-priced Enterprise. A charity that needs credential tracking for, say, hospital volunteers will end up on a sales call.
What we like- Free plan includes unlimited volunteers and 5 admin users
- No setup fees on any tier
- Volunteer app, kiosks and hour tracking on every plan
Watch out for- CRM integrations start on the paid Professional plan
- Credentials, SSO and API access are Enterprise-only
#2Bloomerang Volunteer
Best for: Charities already using Bloomerang CRM4.3/5 on
G2 (38 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit bloomerang.com
Starting price$119/month (billed annually)
Free planNo
This is the product formerly known as InitLive, now part of the Bloomerang donor management family. The main reason to pick it is the two-way sync with Bloomerang CRM. Volunteer hours and donor history end up in one profile, so a development officer can see that a mid-level donor also works the Saturday warehouse shift.
The feature list on the $119 plan is complete for most charities. You get one-time and recurring shifts, waitlists, schedule conflict detection, Google Calendar sync, reusable forms with e-signatures, group sign-ups, leaderboards and milestone recognition. Volunteers can check in and out from the mobile app, and coordinators can message them one-to-one or in bulk by email and SMS.
The honest weakness is fit. If your donors live in Salesforce, Blackbaud or a spreadsheet, you are paying for an integration you won't use, and other tools on this list cost less for the volunteer side alone. The price shown is billed annually, so expect a yearly commitment.
What we like- Two-way sync between volunteer and donor records
- Built-in background checks and digital waivers
- Email and SMS messaging plus a mobile app for check-in
Watch out for- Annual billing only at the listed price
- Most valuable if you also pay for Bloomerang CRM
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Better Impact sells Volunteer Impact in three packages: Foundation, Growth and Impact. Foundation covers online applications, scheduling, role assignments, hour logging and basic reports. It suits a charity moving off paper sign-in sheets, but it's fairly bare.
Growth is where the product earns its reputation with hospitals, hospices and large human-services charities. It adds background check integration, electronic signing, a full online training LMS with tests and certifications, automated shift reminders, mass email and text messaging, and a secure client notetaking module for volunteers who work directly with patients or clients. Impact adds multi-site oversight, location-level permissions, SSO and a JSON REST API for data extraction.
The downside is that you can't price it on your own. Better Impact says pricing depends on volunteer count and features, and every plan leads to a demo request. A free trial is available, so you can try the admin side before you talk to sales.
What we like- Built-in online training with testing and certifications
- ISO 27001 certified processes
- SSO and a REST API on the top tier
Watch out for- No published prices
- Key features like texting and background check integration need the mid-tier plan
#4VolunteerHub
Best for: Event-driven charities with a donor CRM4.0/5 on
G2 (17 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit volunteerhub.com
Starting price$143/month (billed annually) plus setup fee
Free planNo
VolunteerHub is built around branded event landing pages. Volunteers and groups pick an opportunity, register from any device and get reminders. That works well for charities that run lots of one-off events, like build days, galas and park cleanups. Plus starts at $143 a month and Pro at $288, both billed annually with a setup fee. Enterprise is quote-only.
Its standout is the list of CRM integrations. Few volunteer tools connect to Raiser's Edge NXT, Blackbaud CRM, Luminate CRM, Altru, eTapestry and Salesforce, and Zapier and Omatic are included as well. Billing is also fair to people who drop off: a volunteer who hasn't signed up for anything in 12 months is marked inactive and stops counting toward your plan's user limit.
Read the feature grid closely, though. The CRM connectors and the background check partners (Sterling Volunteers, PeopleFacts) are marked optional on every tier, so the starting price is not what a Blackbaud shop will actually pay.
What we like- Optional connectors for Raiser's Edge NXT, Blackbaud CRM, Luminate, Altru, eTapestry and Salesforce
- Inactive volunteers stop counting toward your limit after 12 months
- Initial data import included in setup
Watch out for- Setup fee on every plan
- CRM connectors are optional extras, not standard
Starting price$9/month (up to 50 volunteer records)
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Volgistics has been around for a long time. Hospitals, museums and other places with steady volunteer rosters still run on it because it's cheap and dependable. Pricing depends on how many volunteer records you store: $9 a month for up to 50, $18 for 100, $40 for 1,000 and $79 for 2,000. Archived records don't count toward your limit.
The flexibility is a real plus for charities with tight cash flow. You can pay monthly, and you can change your service level as your roster grows or shrinks. Volgistics suggests paying one month at a time if you expect to drop to a lower tier. The 30-day trial is a full account, and there's also a sample account loaded with demo data.
The base price only covers the core database. The self-service volunteer portal, the on-site time clock and online file storage are all separate modules, and each added system operator raises the monthly fee. Use the vendor's price calculator before you compare it with flat-priced tools.
What we like- Very low entry price that scales gently
- Monthly billing with no forced annual contract
- You can move your service level up or down at any time
Watch out for- Volunteer portal (VicNet), time clock (VicTouch) and document storage (VicDocs) cost extra
- Extra system operators add to the bill
#6POINT
Best for: Community groups recruiting new volunteers4.7/5 on
G2 (84 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit pointapp.org
Starting priceFree; Pro $80/month
Free planYes
POINT's angle is recruitment. Alongside the admin tools, it runs a volunteer app where people in a community browse and join local opportunities, which helps small charities that struggle to find new helpers. POINT says its Core product is free and will stay free.
The upgrade path is short. Pro is listed at $80 a month and Networks (for umbrella groups and volunteer centers) is custom-priced. POINT says there are no setup fees. Background checks are built into the platform at nonprofit rates starting at $12.99 per check, so screening a youth-program volunteer doesn't mean logging in to a separate vendor.
Charities with heavy compliance needs, like hospices, will find less here than in Better Impact or Volgistics. Before you sign, ask POINT whether Pro is billed monthly or annually, because its comparison page doesn't say.
What we like- Core product is free with no setup fee
- Built-in background checks from $12.99 per check
- A volunteer-facing app that helps people discover local opportunities
Watch out for- Pro tier pricing is shown on POINT's comparison pages but contract terms need confirming
- Less depth for complex multi-site compliance
Starting price$49/month (billed annually) plus one-time setup fee
Free planNo
Civic Champs publishes some of the clearest pricing in this guide. You pay based on annual active volunteers: $49 a month for 1 to 49, $74 for 50 to 249, $99 for 250 to 499, and up to $174 for 1,000 to 1,499. Above that, you contact sales. Anyone who hasn't volunteered in the last 12 months doesn't count.
The unlimited admin policy matters more than it sounds. Food banks and Habitat affiliates often have many site leads who each need a login, and per-seat pricing gets expensive fast. Civic Champs charges nothing extra for them and includes support on top of its knowledge base. The site has pages for animal welfare, hunger relief, arts and youth programs, which tells you who it's built for.
Plans are billed annually with a one-time setup fee, though quarterly and three-year terms are offered. A tiny charity can get Golden or POINT free, so Civic Champs makes most sense once you want hands-on support.
What we like- You pay only for volunteers active in the past year
- Unlimited admins on every plan
- Mobile app and kiosk check-ins included
Watch out for- One-time setup fee
- Above 1,500 active volunteers you need a quote
Starting priceFree; Give Joy $20/month (billed annually)
Free planYes
GivePulse calls itself a community engagement platform, not just a scheduler. On the nonprofit side, the free Basic plan gets you started. Give Joy, at $20 a month billed annually, adds unlimited volunteers, surveys, private events, fundraising and ticketing, volunteer applications and waivers, and custom fields.
That bundle is useful for small charities that hold a few ticketed events a year and don't want a separate tool for them. Higher tiers, Give Together at $100 and Give More at $170 a month, add more admins and subgroups for organizations with several chapters or programs.
The tradeoff is focus. GivePulse also sells to higher education and corporate social responsibility teams, and some of the interface and docs reflect that. Give Joy's limit of two admins and one subgroup will pinch quickly if several staff coordinate volunteers.
What we like- Unlimited volunteers even on the $20 plan
- Fundraising, ticketing, surveys and waivers on one platform
- 20% discount for annual billing
Watch out for- Only 2 admins and 1 subgroup on Give Joy
- Much of the product is aimed at universities and corporate programs
Starting price$13.25/month for 100 users (billed monthly)
Free planYes (groups under 25 volunteers)
Track It Forward does one job well: logging and verifying volunteer hours. Basic costs $13.25 a month for 100 users billed monthly, and annual billing saves 20%. It covers time tracking, an event calendar, reports, a mobile app, milestones and email. Grassroots groups with fewer than 25 volunteers can use a free plan with basic tracking.
It's a sensible pick for a charity that mostly needs proof of hours for grant reports, or for volunteers who need certified service hours. Premium ($25) adds hour approval, multiple administrators, custom profile fields and digital event sign-in sheets. Advanced ($37) adds text messages, file uploads, a check-in kiosk and offline mode.
Don't expect deep recruitment funnels, background check workflows or a donor CRM sync. Note that hour approval only appears at Premium, and most charities will want it so volunteers can't log unverified time.
What we like- Very low price for 100 users with 20% off annual billing
- Free trial without a credit card
- Check-in kiosk and offline mode on the Advanced plan
Watch out for- Basic plan has no hour approval and only one administrator
- More of a tracker than a full recruitment system
#10VolunteerMatters
Best for: Mid-size programs wanting guided onboarding3.3/5 on
G2 (4 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit volunteermatters.com
Starting price$239/month (paid monthly) plus $499 setup fee
Free planNo
VolunteerMatters aims at charities that have outgrown spreadsheets and want guided onboarding instead of figuring out the setup alone. The Growing plan is $239 a month paid monthly, plus a $499 setup fee. A yearly option is also offered. It includes a mobile-friendly volunteer portal, attendance and time tracking, and volunteer project management.
The plan is sized for programs with dozens of volunteers that expect to grow. It starts at 2 admins and 250 volunteers, and you can add more of either, up to a 1,000-volunteer cap. Past that, VolunteerMatters moves you to its Professional plan.
Cost is the hurdle. At $239 a month before add-ons, it costs more than Golden, Civic Champs or GivePulse at similar volunteer counts. You're paying for a more hands-on vendor relationship, so test that during the demo by asking who your onboarding contact will be.
What we like- Covers the full cycle from application to recognition
- Month-to-month billing available
- Mobile-friendly volunteer portal with attendance tracking
Watch out for- Growing plan includes just 2 admins and 250 volunteers, capped at 1,000
- Higher entry cost than most tools here
How we chose
We started with the tools charity coordinators mention most often in public reviews on G2 and Capterra and in nonprofit discussions on Reddit. Then we added smaller vendors with clear pricing and a nonprofit focus. Every price, plan limit and free tier above comes from the vendor's own pricing page or official help docs, checked in October 2026. Where a vendor doesn't publish prices, we wrote See website instead of guessing.
We didn't run hands-on tests. We compared documented features (scheduling, hour tracking, background checks, waivers, messaging), integrations with donor CRMs, billing terms such as setup fees and annual contracts, and how each pricing model fits charities with 25, 250 or 2,500 volunteers. Tools built mainly for political campaigns, sports leagues or one-off sign-up sheets were left out.
Match the pricing model to how your roster behaves
Look at how your volunteer numbers change over a year before comparing sticker prices. If you have a big seasonal surge, like a holiday toy drive, models that count only active volunteers (Civic Champs, and VolunteerHub's inactive rule) or don't count volunteers at all (Golden, GivePulse) protect you. Steady programs with a stable roster often do best on Volgistics' record-based tiers.
Count your admins, not just your volunteers
Per-admin limits catch many charities off guard. GivePulse Give Joy allows 2 admins, VolunteerMatters Growing starts at 2, Golden's free plan allows 5, and Track It Forward Basic allows one. Civic Champs and Golden Professional include unlimited admins. If every site lead or program manager needs a login, this can matter more than the base price.
Add up the first-year cost
Add the setup fee to twelve months of subscription and any add-ons you'll need. For VolunteerHub, that means pricing the CRM connector and background check partner, not just the $143 starting rate. For Volgistics, it means adding VicNet if volunteers will sign up for shifts themselves.
Decide where volunteer data should live
If major-gift officers need to see volunteer hours, CRM sync is a must. Bloomerang Volunteer is the natural choice for Bloomerang users, VolunteerHub covers the Blackbaud family and Salesforce, and Golden's Professional plan includes select CRM integrations. Ask every vendor how you can export your data if you leave, and in what file format.
Check screening and compliance needs early
Charities serving children, older adults or patients usually need background checks, signed waivers and training records. Better Impact's Growth plan bundles training with certifications. POINT and Bloomerang have checks built in. Golden and VolunteerHub handle them as add-ons or optional partner integrations.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free volunteer management software that works for a real charity?
Yes. Golden's free plan includes unlimited volunteers, 5 admins, scheduling and hour tracking. POINT Core and GivePulse Basic are also free. Track It Forward's free tier is limited to groups with fewer than 25 volunteers, so it fits only very small programs.
How much should a small charity expect to pay?
For 50 to 250 volunteers, published prices run from free to roughly $75 a month: Volgistics at $9 to $30 depending on records, Civic Champs at $49 or $74, GivePulse at $20 and Track It Forward at $13.25. Tools with deeper CRM integration, like Bloomerang Volunteer and VolunteerHub, start between $119 and $143 a month before setup fees.
Do I need software that connects to my donor CRM?
Only if staff will actually use the combined data. Charities that turn volunteers into donors, or report total supporter engagement to their board, get real value from a sync. A small food pantry that mainly needs shift coverage can skip it and save money.
Are annual contracts standard?
Many vendors bill annually: Bloomerang Volunteer, VolunteerHub and Civic Champs all quote annual pricing. Volgistics, Track It Forward and VolunteerMatters offer monthly billing, and Golden's Professional plan costs $110 a month if you pay monthly instead of yearly.
Can volunteers sign up and log hours from their phones?
Most tools here support it. Golden, Bloomerang Volunteer and Civic Champs offer mobile apps with check-in, and Track It Forward includes a mobile app on every paid plan. With Volgistics, the self-service portal is the separately priced VicNet module.
How long does setup take?
Free, self-serve tools like Golden say you can be running in about 15 minutes. Vendors that charge setup fees, like VolunteerHub, Civic Champs and VolunteerMatters, typically include data import and onboarding help, which takes longer but saves the coordinator work. Ask for a realistic go-live date in writing during the sales process.
Sources we checked (14)
- https://goldenvolunteer.com/pricing/
- https://bloomerang.com/pricing
- https://www.betterimpact.com/pricing
- https://www.betterimpact.com/volunteer-impact-free-trial
- https://volunteerhub.com/pricing
- https://www.volgistics.com/help/payment-information/price-list/
- https://www.volgistics.com/payment-options.htm
- https://pointapp.org/point-vs-volunteerhub/
- https://pointapp.org/nonprofit-features/background-checks/
- https://www.civicchamps.com/pricing
- https://learn.givepulse.com/pricing
- https://www.trackitforward.com/pricing
- https://www.volunteermatters.com/pricing
- https://www.capterra.com/p/144845/InitLive/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.