Free Resource: volunteer hours log templates
Logging volunteer hours is essential to measuring the success of your program, but capturing every volunteer hour is easier said than done. The truth is, plenty of volunteer programs just aren’t getting the data they need.
Sound like you? We’re in your corner. We’ll discuss how to track volunteer hours, plus cover the best solutions to do it.
Why Should You Track Volunteer Hours?
If you’re a volunteer leader, tracking your volunteer's hours and volunteer's activity can help you:
- Retain Volunteers: Tracking volunteer hours allows you to understand how many volunteers you have, which ones are participating, and how often. With that information, you can provide more tailored opportunities, better understand their interests and personal connections to your organization, and respond accordingly.
- Make Informed Decisions: Volunteer hour information can help you decide which volunteer initiatives are succeeding and which need a bit more attention.
- Get More Funding and Resources: Your volunteer data is the key to unlocking funding. Data behind volunteer impact can make the case for your volunteer program, resulting in grant opportunities, donations, and more support.
How Do You Record Volunteer Hours?
You can record volunteer hours in a few different ways — usually, nonprofits record by program, by individual volunteer, or by task/project — or a combination of all three:
- By Program: Tracking hours by program allows for easy evaluation of program impact and resource allocation. It’s also useful for grant-funded or time-bound projects.
- By Individual: When each volunteer has their own record of hours worked, nonprofits can better facilitate volunteer recognition and get clear individual impact metrics.
- By Task or Activity: Hours are categorized based on the type of work performed (e.g., administrative, event support, direct service), which can help nonprofits understand where volunteer efforts are most concentrated.
The Best Tools to Track Volunteer Hours
Get Connected
Get Connected is an all-in-one volunteer management software that allows nonprofits to handle all of their volunteer efforts—from tracking hours to recognizing and rewarding volunteers—from one place.
Plus, with Get Connected, nonprofits can do more than just track hours. With all-in-one software, organizations can promote volunteer opportunities, onboard volunteers with he right documentation, engage them with rewards and recognition, and so much more.
Top Get Connected Features:
- Easy Automated Tracking: Nonprofits can save time by tracking volunteer hours in real-time. Plus, they can check, bulk assign, and approve hours, as well as encourage volunteers to self-report.
- Group Hours Tracking: Keep track of volunteer service hours for teams and groups and even unique impact reporting for each.
- Volunteer Mobile App: Encourage volunteers to log hours independently, send push notifications to check-in, check-out, and confirm hours, and give them access to a volunteer profile that reflects all of their impact.
- Volunteer Hours Reporting: Access any data you need with automatic volunteer reporting as well as custom graphics for annual reports and presentations.
VolunteerHub
VolunteerHub is a widely used volunteer management software that allows organizations to track community service hours, schedule shifts, and manage events.
Key Features:
- Volunteer work and hourly reporting
- Event management and volunteer scheduling
- Customizable registration forms
- Integration with donor management systems
- Automated volunteer reminders
SignUpGenius
SignUpGenius is a user-friendly tool that helps nonprofits create sign-up forms and track volunteer commitments, including hours worked.
Key Features:
- Automated email and text reminders
- Hour tracking and reporting tools
- Customizable sign-up forms
- Group communication tools
Track It Forward
Track It Forward is designed to simplify the process of tracking volunteer hours for nonprofits, schools, and community organizations.
Key Features:
- Hour approval workflow
- Reporting tools
- Milestones to track volunteer progress
VolunteerMark
VolunteerMark offers an all-in-one solution for volunteer management, including a time tracker and scheduling and communication tools.
Key Features:
- Volunteer hour tracking and reporting
- Shift scheduling and event management
- Volunteer communication tools (email, SMS)
- Volunteer profiles
Volgistics
Volgistics is a comprehensive volunteer management tool that allows nonprofits to track volunteer hours, manage schedules, and maintain a database of volunteer information.
Key Features:
- Automated volunteer hour tracking
- Detailed volunteer reporting
- Online scheduling with self-sign-up
- Volunteer history and database management
Better Impact
Better Impact offers a volunteer management system that tracks hours, schedules, and volunteer roles.
Key Features:
- Online volunteer hour tracking
- Customizable scheduling tools
- Communication tools
- Reports and analytics
- Volunteer profiles
WhenToHelp
An app that allows nonprofits to manage shifts and track volunteer attendance, WhenToHelp focuses on simplifying volunteer scheduling and hour tracking.
Key Features:
- Hour tracking for shifts and activities
- Automated scheduling
- Email and text reminders for shifts
- Volunteer self-scheduling capabilities
- Reporting on volunteer attendance and hours worked
CERVIS
CERVIS (Community Event Registration & Volunteer Information System) is a powerful volunteer management system that offers hour tracking, event scheduling, and volunteer communication tools.
Key Features:
- Volunteer hour tracking and reporting
- Event registration and scheduling
- Self-service volunteer portal
- Automated reminders and notifications
- Customizable volunteer sign-up forms and surveys
The Best Way to Track Volunteer Hours
Tracking volunteer hours is essential to an organization's success. And while there are plenty of ways to go about it, the best method is through a dedicated volunteer hour tracking software.
With all-in-one volunteer management software like Get Connected, nonprofits can handle all of their volunteer management in one place — from scheduling volunteers and tracking hours to creating individualized impact reports.
