Implementing volunteer management software can be a game-changer for your nonprofit, saving valuable time, effort, and resources. However, persuading organizational leaders to embrace new initiatives can present challenges. Nonprofits operate with limited funds, requiring each investment to yield maximum impact. Simply suggesting changes won't capture the attention of key decision-makers.
For volunteer managers looking to optimize their programs, it takes care, research, and preparation to pitch volunteer management software successfully. This process involves not only understanding the benefits of volunteer management software but also identifying the specific problems it can solve, researching different software options, demonstrating impact with data, developing a comprehensive business case, and ultimately presenting it to organizational leadership. Each step is crucial in building a strong argument for implementing volunteer management software and showcasing its potential to enhance your organization's volunteer program.
Before diving into how to make a compelling business case for volunteer management software, take a look at our list of the top 10 volunteer management solutions on the market in 2024.
Step One: Understand the Benefits of Volunteer Management Software
The first step to building your volunteer management software business case is understanding its benefits fully. If you can’t articulate how volunteer management software will make your organization better, you won’t be able to convince leadership to adopt it.
It’s important to remember that volunteer management software:
- Streamlines the volunteer management process
- Saves considerable time and effort
- Provides actionable insights into program efficiency and satisfaction
- Optimizes resource allocation
- Frees up paid staff members to focus on complex tasks instead of administration
- Facilitates quick, effective communication with volunteers
- Builds community partnerships
- Boosts volunteer recruitment
- Increases volunteer engagement and retention
- Enhances volunteer fundraising efforts
- Creates a more enjoyable overall volunteer experience
All of these benefits underline the heart of the matter: volunteer management software saves your nonprofit money in the long run.
Step Two: Identify the Problems Your Volunteer Management Software Should Solve
Once you understand the benefits, it’s important to identify how volunteer management software can address your organization’s specific pain points.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Where are there bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your current processes?
- How are you currently handling volunteer registration, sign-up, and training?
- What methods are you using for hour tracking and reporting?
- What feedback do volunteers have on the program?
- Are paid team members being pulled away from mission-focused work to handle repetitive administrative tasks?
- How much money is being allocated to volunteer program staff?
- How effective are current volunteer fundraising initiatives?
- Are there any gaps in your volunteer base?
- Do volunteers feel “in the loop” about programming and organizational activities?
- Is the program struggling with volunteer retention or engagement?
- Will your organization be able to easily scale with the procedures you currently have in place?
- What are your short-term and long-term goals for the volunteer program?
Step Three: Research Your Volunteer Management Software Options
Specificity is key to a successful business case. It is much more effective to sell organizational leadership on a particular volunteer management software than the general idea of one. Research your different volunteer management software options, like VolunteerHub, and decide which solution is the best fit for your nonprofit’s needs.
Prioritize volunteer management software solutions with:
- User-friendly interfaces
- A proven track record helping other nonprofits
- Positive reviews on trusted review sites
- Responsive customer service and support teams
- Integrations with other nonprofit software such as CRM.
- Comprehensive implementation and training programs
- A strong return on investment (ROI)
For example, the average VolunteerHub client saves $21,333 per year by using the software to manage volunteers.
Once you’ve chosen your platform, reach out to their sales team. The platform will be able to further clarify how their software can address your nonprofit’s specific needs and provide a personalized quote.
Many volunteer management software options also offer demos, which will let you conduct a pilot test to enhance your case (or offer a low-risk option if management is open to trying software implementation but not quite ready to commit long-term).
If you’re unsure how the cost of volunteer management software will work with your organization’s budget, you can also use this research phase to look up grant funding. There are plenty of grants that focus on supporting volunteer management efforts, and your volunteer management software business case can be easily adapted to a grant application.
Step Four: Demonstrate Impact with Data
While appealing to emotions is an important rhetorical device, data is key to a compelling volunteer management software business case. Make sure you can back up your arguments with numbers.
Start by thoroughly analyzing your volunteer impact data to demonstrate the value the volunteer program brings to your nonprofit. Outline the way that volunteering supports the nonprofit’s overall mission and will be critical to achieving both its long- and short-term goals. Make it clear that the volunteer program is worth organizational investment.
Then, explore other data points that can bolster your argument, such as:
- ROI from other technology that the organization has already implemented
- Volunteer fundraising data
- Volunteer retention ratios
- Volunteer impact metrics
- Case studies and reviews from other, similar organizations that have already adopted your chosen volunteer management software
- The software’s total implementation cost (including startup fees, training, etc.)
- The software’s total cost of ownership (including monthly and annual fees, maintenance, customization, etc.)
Don’t just rely on past data points; look to the future, too. Calculate a projected ROI and quantify the potential time savings, increase in volunteer donations, and boost in volunteer engagement.
Step Five: Develop Your Case
Once you have gathered all of this information, it’s time to lay out your argument. We recommend a challenge-focused business case that incorporates elements of ROI and customer experience.
Try using this outline to guide your writing:
- Describe organizational pain points.
- Explicitly show how your volunteer management software of choice will solve these issues.
- Back up your arguments with data and specific examples.
- Explain the cost of the software, how it will fit into the budget, and the expected ROI.
- Provide a suggested timeline for implementation.
- Showcase how the software will support the organization’s future growth, further the mission statement, and align with long-term goals.
You may also want to consider these helpful tips as you prepare your presentation:
- Be as specific as possible: Generalizations are not compelling. Support your argument with as many specific data points and examples as possible.
- Involve volunteers: Ask volunteers to describe how volunteer management software will improve their experience. Hearing directly from a volunteer shows leadership that this isn’t just your pet project; the volunteers want to see volunteer management software implemented, too.
- Reach out to stakeholders: If you can get donors and other stakeholders on board with your case, leadership will find your argument even more compelling.
- Use visuals: Visuals are a great way to convey data. Prepare a short PowerPoint or handouts to showcase relevant graphs, images, etc.
- Focus on broader goals: Show how investing in the volunteer program benefits the entire organization, not just the volunteers. Connect volunteerism with your nonprofit’s overall mission and other programming.
- Outline your implementation plan: While it may seem a little early to think about implementation—after all, the software hasn’t been approved yet—it’s important to show leadership that you already have a plan in place for integrating the volunteer management software into your organization’s processes.
- Don’t be afraid to show emotion: Evidence is critical, but it is also important to show that you are genuinely passionate about your program. Showcase your enthusiasm for the organization and your fervent belief that volunteer management software will make a positive impact. Striking a balance between logic and emotion is key to crafting a compelling argument.
- Prepare a written document to complement your presentation: Business cases are traditionally written, so even if you are making your case in a presentation, prepare a thorough, written version of your volunteer management software business case for leadership to review later. You can also use your document to elaborate on lengthier resources, like case studies, that you weren’t able to discuss extensively during your presentation.
Step Six: Present Your Case
Now that your volunteer management software business case is fully prepared, it’s time to present your argument to management. Reach out to the executive director to schedule a meeting. Be upfront about your intentions and ask if they want to include any other leadership members or stakeholders. This approach will allow leadership to do their research and fully prepare for your presentation.
Practice your presentation a few times before the actual meeting to be sure that you can convey your ideas in a polished, self-assured manner. If you’ve followed these steps to build your case, you have nothing to worry about. Trust in the work you’ve done and walk into your presentation with confidence.
Step Seven: Address Obstacles to Volunteer Management Software Implementation
After you present your volunteer management software business case, leadership will almost certainly have questions. Be ready to address their concerns and clarify your position. Leadership fulfills a distinct role in the organization, and they may not have the same hands-on perspective on the volunteer program that you do. Remain sympathetic to their point of view while also advocating for your cause.
Be ready to explain:
- Exactly what your role as a volunteer manager entails
- The current state of the volunteer program
- The role that volunteers play in achieving the organization’s overall mission
- The current cost of managing the volunteer program
- How volunteer management software can fit into the budget
- The cost of volunteer management software relevant to other things that the organization is already paying for
- The benefits of volunteer management software over free solutions, like spreadsheets
- What volunteer management software does that cannot be done by any software the organization currently uses
- The benefits your organization is already seeing from specialized software implementation in other areas, such as donor management and fundraising
Step Eight: Follow Up
Your presentation is only the beginning. After the meeting, follow up with a short email to all participants; reiterate your appreciation for their time and remind them that you are willing to answer any additional questions they may have. If the response to your presentation seemed positive, flesh out your volunteer management software implementation plan so that you can be ready for launch.
VolunteerHub: Your Number One Volunteer Management Software Solution
Making the case for volunteer management software is easy when you choose VolunteerHub. Our comprehensive, easy-to-use platform addresses all of your volunteer management needs, including recruitment, training, scheduling, hour tracking, reporting, recognition, fundraising, and automated communication.
In addition to our volunteer management features, VolunteerHub offers solutions for opportunity management, expanded community partnerships, and branded landing pages. From signing liability waivers to sending thank you emails to drawing actionable insights from volunteer data, VolunteerHub has you covered.
With over 20 years of volunteer management experience, VolunteerHub has thousands of success stories that you can draw on to make your business case. We have worked with every type of nonprofit, from arts organizations to food banks, so we know how to address your organization’s unique needs.
The results speak for themselves! Ask Matthew Herrera, the Experience Manager at West Houston Assistance Ministries: “By implementing VolunteerHub, I save 10-15 per week. We have substantially increased the number of active volunteers in our database. We have increased our number of corporate partners, and through new donors, impacted by the software's ease of use, we have paid for 3 years of VolunteerHub within 9 months. The ROI is huge.”
