7 min read

What Common Problems Does Volunteer Management Software Solve?

Eric Burger July 22, 2025

14:30

Has your organization been considering volunteer management software, but you are unsure whether it presents a strong value proposition? Or have you recently purchased a software solution, but you don’t know how to use it?

Either way, this article is for you. Volunteer management software is a valuable tool for any nonprofit, but if you are new to your platform, it can be difficult to turn promised benefits into action. In this article, you will find a practical overview of common volunteer management problems and suggestions for how you can leverage volunteer management software to solve them.

Volunteer Management: The Basics

Volunteer management is a complex process. Not only do volunteer managers have to build and sustain an organization’s volunteer program, but they also have to supervise each volunteer, all of whom are at different parts of the volunteer lifecycle.

Volunteer management encompasses a wide variety of responsibilities, such as:

Recruiting new individuals for the volunteer program.
Onboarding and training those recruits.
Pairing volunteers with the right roles.
Handling the volunteer component of event planning, program management, and fundraising campaigns.
Ensuring all volunteer positions are filled.
Organizing volunteer appreciation initiatives and social events.
Boosting volunteer engagement and retention.
Segmenting volunteers and tracking relevant data.
Managing resources and maximizing ROI.
Conducting regular volunteer surveys.
Analyzing and acting on data.
Collaborating with other organizational leaders.
Assisting with fundraising campaigns.
Resolving volunteer conflicts and concerns.
Building partnerships with community organizations, corporate sponsors, and local government.
Serving as an ambassador for the volunteer program and the organization as a whole.
Aligning the volunteer program’s actions with the broader organizational mission and goals.

There are a lot of volunteer management tasks to keep track of, but when you prioritize your volunteers, every aspect of your organization benefits. A strong volunteer program directly results in increased community engagement, better resource allocation, stronger beneficiary outcomes, and more effective fundraising campaigns.

Common Volunteer Management Problems

Because they have so many responsibilities, volunteer coordinators often face some serious challenges. Volunteer management problems can crop up in even the most organized nonprofits, whether due to resources being stretched too thin, a manager taking on more responsibility than they can handle, or inefficiencies hidden within established processes.

Here is an overview of common volunteer management problems that many nonprofits, just like yours, experience:

You are struggling to find the right volunteers.

Volunteer recruitment is a significant investment of time and energy, but it can be difficult to find individuals with the right skills and mindset, let alone convince them to join your organization.

You lose recruits during the onboarding and training process.

The recruitment process doesn’t stop once someone decides to join your organization; you have to see them through to the finish line. Recruits are more likely to fall off during lengthy and complex onboarding processes, and those who make it through may not feel adequately prepared to participate.

Your data is disorganized and outdated.

When your volunteer database is disorganized or out-of-date, it is more difficult to track impact, segment volunteers, contact individuals, and identify areas of improvement. If you have been relying on manual spreadsheets, it’s time for a change.

Scheduling errors and difficult check-in systems make it harder to mobilize your volunteer base.

If you don’t have an effective scheduling system, it is harder to fill open positions, and you increase the likelihood that volunteers will miss or forget shifts. Plus, confusion and bottlenecks in the registration and check-in process can make it harder for volunteers to work with your organization.

Poor communication is negatively impacting engagement and retention.

Communication is critical to a strong volunteer program. You need to keep your volunteers in the loop about new service opportunities, professional development workshops, program impact, fundraising campaigns, and other major organizational news. However, if you are contacting the wrong segments, under- or over-communicating, or struggling to convey a clear message, volunteers are much more likely to disengage and even turn over.

Your volunteers don’t feel appreciated.

Volunteers donate their time and energy without any formal compensation, so it’s critical to show them how much they matter. However, with so many vital tasks on a volunteer manager’s plate, thank you notes, appreciation initiatives, and reward systems can easily fall to the wayside. Even small gestures can go a long way towards engaging and retaining a volunteer!

You are lacking meaningful insights into your operations.

Gathering and analyzing data is critical to optimizing your volunteer program and meeting grant requirements. However, disorganized databases, limited reporting options, and outdated data points can make it difficult to glean meaningful insights. For your program to improve and grow, you have to be able to leverage data.

Volunteer management problems are limiting your ability to grow.

If you don’t have strong volunteer management processes in place, your nonprofit won’t be able to grow. Inefficiencies can take valuable resources away from growth efforts, and they can even make it impossible to scale.

You find it difficult to stay on top of important guidelines.

Nonprofits, especially those that work with vulnerable populations like children, have to adhere to strict guidelines to create a safe, positive environment for volunteers, staff, supporters, and beneficiaries. Background checks and liability waivers cannot be missed, but they are also difficult to keep track of.

Your organization has low visibility within your community.

Your nonprofit can’t make an impact if no one knows about it! Many volunteer programs struggle to engage the broader community in their efforts. A strong marketing strategy is key to attracting volunteers, donors, and community partners, enhancing your reputation, and finding beneficiaries who could use your help.

You don’t know how to make the most of limited resources.

Nonprofits often operate on shoestring budgets, so it’s critical to maximize your return-on-investment. Every resource, including time, money, and energy, should be carefully allocated. Volunteer managers also need to pay careful attention to various funding strategies, such as donation campaigns and grant applications.

Do you recognize any of these pain points? If so, it may be time to consider volunteer management software.

What is Volunteer Management Software?

Volunteer management software is a platform that can help your nonprofit streamline its volunteer management processes. While your organization may already use programs like Microsoft Office or Google Drive for collaboration and task management, volunteer management software is specifically designed to meet the nonprofit sector’s unique needs.

Volunteer management software offers a variety of benefits, including:

Optimized resource allocation to save your organization time, energy, and money.
Improved volunteer experiences that boost engagement and satisfaction levels while reducing turnover.
Increased efficiency to eliminate bottlenecks and redundancies.
Better data management and reporting to deliver actionable insights.
More effective fundraising campaigns that engage the community and encourage volunteer-to-donor conversion.
Consistent communication that delivers the right messages to the right people.
Scalable features that can support your organization’s growth.

So, when it comes to addressing volunteer management problems, the right software can be your secret weapon.

How to Leverage Software to Solve Your Volunteer Management Problems

Volunteer management software is a powerful tool—if you know how to wield it.

Here is a set of relevant use cases, showcasing how software can solve common volunteer management problems:

Target your recruitment efforts. Leverage customized landing pages, automated communication, and organized databases to find the enthusiastic, dedicated individuals your volunteer program needs.
Streamline the onboarding and training process. Minimize fall-off with digital forms, automated approvals, and online training modules.
Keep your volunteer database up-to-date. Swap messy spreadsheets for an organized, centralized database so that you always have the information you need, when you need it.
Simplify event registration and check-in with self-service options. Make getting involved easy with self-service scheduling, registration, and check-in that volunteers can complete on their mobile devices. The easier it is to sign up for shifts, the more engaged your volunteers will be!
Keep your volunteers in the loop with effective communication. Use automated email and text features to send reminder texts, newsletters, and recruitment messaging. You can also take advantage of user groups to make sure the right message gets to the right person, without overwhelming your volunteers with unnecessary communication.
Show your volunteers how much they matter with rewards and recognition systems. Volunteer management platforms can provide a variety of appreciation features, making it easy to track and recognize individual contributions. From automated thank you notes to points-based reward systems to formal awards, your volunteers will know that they are a vital part of your organization!
Get actionable insights into your program. Generate easy-to-understand, real-time reports on hours, participation, and demographics. The best software solutions provide practical insights that you can leverage to improve your program.
Scale with ease. Volunteer management software can help you build efficient, scalable processes that pave the way for increased organizational growth. These features will scale with your nonprofit, making it as easy to manage a team of 100 as it is to manage a team of 10.
Maintain compliance. Volunteer management software can keep track of liability waivers, background checks, and volunteer credentials to maintain the highest levels of security and compliance.
Effectively market your nonprofit. Integrated website listings, email, and social media tools make it easy to market your nonprofit to volunteers, donors, beneficiaries, supporters, and corporate partners.
Maximize ROI and fundraising campaigns. Volunteer management software streamlines processes, prevents turnover, and increases volunteer-to-donor conversion, saving your program valuable time, money, and energy. While volunteer management software requires some upfront investment, its strong ROI makes it more than worth it.

These are just a few ways that software can transform your organization’s approach to volunteer management. The best software solutions offer features that can be used throughout every step of the volunteer lifecycle, from recruitment to fundraising, offering a comprehensive, all-in-one solution to all of your volunteer management problems.

Choosing the Right Software Solution for Your Volunteer Management Problems

Volunteer management software can optimize your volunteer management strategy, but how do you find the right platform for your needs?

Start by asking yourself a few questions:

What are your organizational pain points? For example, are you struggling with recruitment, or is retention the biggest problem?
Are there any inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or redundancies in your current procedures?
What feedback have you received from volunteers about ways your program could improve?
What is your budget?
What does your implementation timeline look like?
What goals do you have for your volunteer program?
How does your volunteer program fit into your organization’s mission and long-term vision?

Having a clear understanding of how you plan to use volunteer management software, the most important features, and logistics like budget and timeline will be invaluable during your volunteer management software search.

As you compare and contrast different software solutions, keep an eye out for the key features that distinguish a good platform from a great one:

Intuitive, user-friendly interfaces
Customizable landing pages
Features that address every aspect of the volunteer lifecycle
Personalization options that can meet your organization’s current needs and adapt to future changes
Advanced databases, including customizable user groups, robust analytics, enhanced data security, and meaningful reporting
Self-service scheduling, registration, and check-in options to boost engagement and give volunteers more ownership over their involvement
Automated workflows for key tasks, including communication, hour tracking, and recognition
Integration with the other platforms that your organization already uses, like Blackbaud CRM, Salesforce, and Sterling Volunteers
Event and opportunity management features to keep all of your programs running smoothly
Secure payment processing for volunteer fundraising
Impactful recognition features, like points-based reward systems, thank you notes, and leaderboards
Helpful, responsive customer service that will support your organization beyond the initial implementation phase
A proven track record of success, backed up by verified reviewers and compelling case studies

Learn More About VolunteerHub

With over two decades of experience, VolunteerHub is the premier volunteer management software on the market. Our comprehensive, user-friendly platform has helped thousands of organizations manage billions of volunteer hours, and we can take your nonprofit to the next level.

Share this