Skip to main content

With so many different volunteer management solutions available, figuring out which one is right for your church is tough. You know you want to keep church programs running efficiently, from food drives to community outreach, and maintain accurate volunteer records but need to figure out which tool is best for the job. I've got you! In this post, I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experience as an assistant youth pastor for a megachurch and using exposure to diverse tools, with my picks of the best church volunteer management software.

What is church volunteer management software?

Church volunteer management software is a specialized tool used as a database for volunteer information that facilitates scheduling and enhances communication between administrators and volunteers. Among the features that make this possible are volunteer database management, scheduling tools, communication features, and tracking of volunteer hours.

The software plays a crucial role in optimizing the deployment of volunteers and ensuring that the right people are engaged in the right tasks – resulting in a more coordinated and effective volunteer program within the church.

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.

Best for church management integration

  • Free trial available
  • Pricing upon request

Realm by ACS Technologies is a cloud-based church management software platform that offers integrated tools and services for ministries, administration, and pastoral care. It is recognized for church management integration as it provides real-time dashboards, reports, and integrated background checks and stewardship tools to help churches accomplish their mission.

I chose Realm after evaluating its capabilities to create and customize volunteer roles, schedule volunteers, and manage volunteer attendance. What makes Realm distinct is its comprehensive integration with other church management tools, including real-time dashboards, communication features, and background check services.

Features include account segments for more detailed reporting of transactions as well as tools for administrative tasks, like volunteer management, background checks, event management, and reporting. Realm also offers mobile apps for better congregation connectivity.

Integrations include Verified First, Nelco, Constant Contact, Growth Method, Go Method, Vanco, and more.

Best for combined volunteer and event management

  • No free trial
Visit Website
Rating: 4/5

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.

VolunteerHub integrates with many business platforms including Altru and eTapestry.

A volunteer management system you can learn in minutes

  • 30-day free trial is available for all users

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.

Best for volunteer self-tracking

  • Free trial is available

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.

Best for advanced scheduling over long time periods

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $14/month/up to 75 group members

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.

A better alternative to messy spreadsheets

  • 30-day free trial is available for all users
  • From $20/user/month

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.

Best for automating recurring volunteer schedules

  • Free to use for 1 schedule and 20 volunteers. Paid plans start at $6/month for up to 100 volunteers.

Church CREW is a church volunteer management software that utilizes artificial intelligence to manage congregation members involved in church activities. Its uniqueness lies in its ability to generate balanced schedules, facilitate volunteer-initiated swapping, and assist leaders in finding substitutes automatically.

What sets Church CREW apart is its use of AI to generate volunteer schedules, a feature not commonly found in other church management tools. It also offers a comprehensive suite of features such as alerts, automated scheduling, availability and calendar management, reminders, and SMS messaging. These features make it a comprehensive tool for managing volunteers in a church setting.

Integrations include most popular email platforms.

A complete solution for volunteer management

  • No free trial
  • Customized pricing according to individual needs

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.

Best for text-to-church communications tools

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.

This tool integrates with a number of applications, including Google Maps.

Best for free online signup sheets

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.

Best for making the most of individual talents

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.

Realm integrates with solutions such as Givelify, Extend, and the Journey Project.

The 11 Best Church Volunteer Management Software Summary

Tools Price
Realm Pricing upon request
VolunteerHub No price details
VolunteerMark No price details
Track It Forward No price details
Planning Center From $14/month/up to 75 group members
iVolunteer From $20/user/month
Church CREW Free to use for 1 schedule and 20 volunteers. Paid plans start at $6/month for up to 100 volunteers.
Galaxy Digital Customized pricing according to individual needs
Churchteams No price details
Signup Zone No price details
ACS Realm No price details
Preview Image - <h2 class="c-block__title b-summary-table__title c-listicle__title h3" > Compare Software Specs Side by Side</h2>

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

Compare Software

Other Options

Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list.

  1. ACS Realm

    Best for making the most of individual talents

  2. Church Community Builder

    Best for simplifying scheduling

  3. SignUpGenius

    Eliminates ‘reply-all’ emails and paper signup sheets

  4. Timecounts

    Best for a software solution that scales with your program

  5. VolunteerLocal

    Best for streamlined scheduling, event registration, and communication

  6. YourVolunteers

    100% free volunteer scheduling

  7. WhenToHelp

    Eliminates volunteer scheduling headaches

  8. Roster Volunteers

    Quick and easy volunteer scheduling

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

Related Read: Online Church Management Software

What do you think about this list?

Do you agree with my choices for the best church volunteer management software? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Remember to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news and information.

You might also like to check out our post on Church Management Software. For alternatives that won’t bust your budget, try our picks of Free Church Management Software. There’s always something interesting to read, so be sure to come back to The Lead Pastor often!

Related List of Tools:

Also Worth Checking Out:

By Alexandria Schmidt

Lexie was born into a family of pastors and other church leaders. She was trained by her grandfather and worked as an assistant youth pastor in a megachurch in her twenties. Now she runs a peer support group and is the Technical Consultant for her current church, MCC Illiana. While she is no longer pastoring, she is staying active in other parts of the ministry.