Assignment Title: 10 Best Church Volunteer Management Software In 2023
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
Date: January 29, 2022
Professor: Dr. Mary Smith
Liberty University
Introduction
In any church, volunteers play a vital role in keeping things running. But when you have many
helpers assisting with various events and activities, managing them can be a headache. It’s hard to keep
track of who’s doing what and even harder to ensure that each project has the right staffing at the right
time. That’s why church volunteer management software is such a fast-growing sector in the SaaS
niche. From food drives to community outreach, these volunteer management tools help keep church
programs running efficiently. In this article, I’ll discuss the top church volunteer management software
tools and show how they can help.
Tool Shortlist
Here’s the list of the best church volunteer management systems I’ll cover in this article.
1. Churchteams
2. Planning Center
3. Church Community Builder
4. ASC Technologies
5. Galaxy Digital
6. Track it Forward
7. SignUp.com
8. iVolunteer
9. VolunteerMark
10.VolunteerHub
Comparison Criteria
What do I look for when I select the best church volunteer management solutions? Here’s a
summary of my evaluation criteria:
1. User Interface (UI): I look for an interface that users both young and old will find easy to
understand
2. Usability: I expect everyone from the pastor down to have no problems getting to grips with
features
3. Integrations: I look for ready-made integrations with related church software and other
productivity tools
4. Value for $: I’m seeking software that will keep volunteer programs on track without making a
big hole in the church budget
Church Volunteer Management Key Features
Here are the features I hope to see in quality church volunteer management software:
1. Creating and storing volunteer profiles: allowing volunteers to register and indicate their
interests, favorite activities, and licenses.
2. Coordinating volunteer schedules: customizable calendars and volunteer self-scheduling tools
to keep everyone engaged and in the loop
3. Volunteer hours tracking & reporting: accurate data showing how volunteer resources are
being allocated and used
4. Volunteer interests & skills matching: making the most of your team by fitting the right people
to each task
5. Online background checks: integration with a quality background screen organization for a
thorough investigation of volunteer’s histories
6. Communications hub: multi-channel connections with volunteers using email, text, and social
media messaging to stay in touch
7. View and fill available shifts: coordinate helpers, cap attendance, and fill in gaps as required
8. Check-in and check-out processes: contactless tracking of volunteer attendance at events and
meetings
9. Group scheduling: working with other ministries and volunteer groups with coordinated
volunteer recruitment and scheduling
10.Reporting: creating a full range of reports to share with the community, demonstrating the
impact of projects
Overviews of the 10 Best Church Volunteer Management Software
Here’s a brief description of each church volunteer management platform to showcase each tool’s
best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the user interface.
1. Churchteams - Best for text-to-church communications tools
Churchteams help you track volunteers and contact them when necessary.
Churchteams provides membership management, communications, and contributions
management for churches and nonprofit organizations of any size. Church leaders can collect custom
member attributes and record attendance, as well as taking pastoral notes and prayer requests. The
check-in features help with managing attendance at classes, events, and worship services. The text-to-
church capability allows volunteers and others to start an interaction with the church, using technology
they are comfortable with. Volunteers can be assigned to one or more groups according to their
preferences. Churchteams is available both on the web and as a mobile app.
2. Planning Center - Best for advanced scheduling over long time periods
Planning Center gives a clear overview of events, volunteers, and activities.
Planning Center is a cloud-based CHMS that supports church leaders in organizing, scheduling, and
managing programs and events. Features include a services module for planning worship events, plus a
resources module that makes it easy to reserve rooms and publish event calendars. Members of the
congregation can see future events displayed on tablets, touchscreens, or TVs in common areas.
Organizers can schedule months ahead using the Matrix feature, while volunteer gaps can be filled
with auto-scheduling. Church members can upload and tag media and files, including songs or videos
required for services. All events, rooms, and resources have their own calendar feeds, which can be
synched with programs such as Outlook, iCal, and Google Calendar.
This tool integrates with ChurchSuite, Essential Worship, Faithlife Proclaim, and Mailchimp.
3. Church Community Builder - Best for simplifying scheduling
Church Community Builder keeps you connected to all your volunteers.
Church Community Builder from Pushpay is a cloud-based solution that helps leaders engage with
their congregation. The software includes features such as contact management, check-in, and
contribution management. Leaders can also follow up with guests, manage online giving, and view
metrics on the built-in dashboards. This platform includes volunteer scheduling to help you organize
teams and empower them to get things done. Schedulers can also receive alerts when volunteers need
to complete a background check before proceeding. The system notifies volunteers of available
positions and sends automatic reminders when they are due to serve. This platform integrates many
related tools, including Active Screening, Aplos, PastorsLine, and Text-em-All.
4. ASC Technologies Realm - Best for making the most of individual talents
Realm shows your upcoming events that may need support from volunteers.
Realm from ASC Technologies manages your church volunteer database, including volunteers, staff,
and members of the congregation. The software keeps track of attendance, monitors giving, and helps
leaders communicate with members. Realm integrates with your church website to manage check-in
and allow updating of personal profiles.
The software has features to help ministers discover the talents of individual volunteers. This
information can then be used to assign people to the tasks that suit them best. If necessary, unique roles
can be created to leverage the skills of particular volunteers.
5. Galaxy Digital - A complete solution for volunteer management
Galaxy Digital keeps you abreast of volunteer activity.
Designed to be mobile-first, Galaxy Digital helps nonprofit organizations automate, streamline and
grow their volunteer programs. The Get Connected functionality tracks volunteer hours and reports on
the impact of their work. Volunteer managers can quickly approve time submissions. Helpers can also be
managed in large or small groups, with time allocated to different projects as required. The work of 'plus
one' volunteers can also be tracked easily. This all-in-one app is social-media friendly, encouraging
volunteers to share their work with friends. Volunteer resumes are built automatically, ready for
download at any time.
6. Track It Forward - Best for volunteer self-tracking
Track it Forward offers multiple options for adding volunteers.
With the help of Track It Forward, you can easily track the time committed by volunteers and
coordinators. Approvals can be delegated to multiple people, with alerts sent when hours are pending
confirmation. For large groups, hours can be approved in bulk. Volunteers can log their hours instantly,
either using the website or through the mobile app. They can also sign up for future activities using the
calendar function. Where possible, information is pre-filled to make logging time as simple as possible.
7. SignUp.com - Best for free online signup sheets
Sign Up handles registrations for any event or meeting.
SignUp.com offers volunteer scheduling software for streamlining scheduling, event planning, and
fundraising. Ministers can manage volunteer records and send invitations by email or SMS. They can also
receive confirmation notifications instantly. This app can be used to manage signups for any event,
using features such as engagement analytics, data synchronization, custom workflows, and calendar
management. Church leaders can use the mobile app to view or edit volunteer details, assign tasks and
generate reports. The software integrates with WePay for online payments, allowing organizations to
collect fees and contributions.
8. iVolunteer - A better alternative to messy spreadsheets
iVolunteer offers improved volunteer management with a familiar visual interface.
iVolunteer allows helpers to sign up for events quickly and easily. Designed to replace paper signup
sheets, this user-friendly software eliminates confusion and duplication of staffing, while also protecting
privacy. You can record attendance in real-time via the web or use manual sign-in reports. It's easy to
modify the home page, header, and instructions for each event. Administrators can be kept up to date
with email notifications of signups and cancellations.
9. VolunteerMark - A volunteer management system you can learn in minutes
VolunteerMark gives you quick insights into when helpers are available.
VolunteerMark is a cloud-based system for managing interactions with volunteers. It assists with
scheduling, attendance tracking, reporting, and communications. Ministers can share volunteer
opportunities to recruit helpers, as well as send emails and text messages to keep everyone in the loop.
VolunteerMark is designed to be easy to use, and even novice users can get up to speed quickly.
Additional features include supporting multiple administrators, data migration, custom fields, and tags.
The software connects to social media to make sharing simple.
The software integrates with applications such as Stripe, LinkedIn, Facebook, and SendGrid.
10. VolunteerHub - Best for combined volunteer and event management
VolunteerHub works on a wide range of devices.
VolunteerHub is designed to make organizing ministry outreach events simple. The software
facilities all aspects of volunteer management, ensuring that all projects and events are staffed
optimally. Church leaders can view and print rosters, update event details, and email helpers from
anywhere. The software encompasses both volunteer management and event administration. As a
result, managers can regulate the number of volunteers assisting at each event, search for appropriate
helpers and register them as needed. Waitlists can be created for full events, with emails sent as spaces
become available.
Other Options
Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list.
1. Timecounts - Best for a software solution that scales with your program
2. Roster Volunteers - Quick and easy volunteer scheduling
3. SignUpGenius - Eliminates ‘reply-all’ emails and paper signup sheets
4. Signup Zone - Management of rosters, signups, and rotas
5. VolunteerLocal - Best for streamlined scheduling, event registration, and communication
6. WhenToHelp - Eliminates volunteer scheduling headaches
7. YourVolunteers - 100% free volunteer scheduling
