Managing a volunteer program can be exhausting – but it shouldn’t be. There are numerous tools, social media sites, and other resources available to help you plan great events, communicate effectively, and capture the right data for making things better. Consider the resources below – they will make your life easier.

I find it odd that when I ask companies about their methods for managing employee volunteer programs (EVP), I hear responses like “Well…we use excel.” or “Pen and paper works pretty good for us.” Or worse – they tell me they, “can’t find anything that works with our internal systems, so we’re building something.”

Um…these are big companies. HUGE companies. And their lack of effective EVP management is an epic waste of time and money.

So, not out of the kindness of my heart, but rather the frustration of my mind, I bring you the solutions that will save your soul. (Or at least save you a lot of time and money.)

Corporate Volunteering Management Solutions

Angel Points: This company offers a number of online solutions meant to increase employee engagement in a company’s corporate social responsibility program. Each application is aesthetically attractive and has an accessible layout. Their volunteer management solutions allow you to create web pages for events, focus promotional efforts based on employee interests, build employee profiles and share stories with everyone in the company. The software also includes some measurement capability so you can figure out if you hit your objectives.

VolunteerMatch: The first to enter this new field of online solutions for corporate volunteering, VolunteerMatch also boasts the Web’s largest network for volunteering. As a nice bonus feature, the solutions also include a way to involve customers in the volunteering experience thereby connecting your cause marketing efforts with your corporate volunteering programs. This tool offers the ability to manage, track and measure the programs. It is usable by companies of all sizes.

True Impact: If you’re after good data and metrics, you’ll want to consider using True Impact. We met Farron Levy, the owner, a couple years back and interviewed him on our blog. His web-based software helps companies plan and measure the social, financial, and environmental return on investment (ROI) of their programs and activities. Check out their free trial to learn more.

Ammado: This is an amazing online tool that does just about everything – and in a big way. You can manage your employee volunteer program, include your customers, create profiles, share stories and integrate with popular social media sites like twitter. The most powerful aspect of this tool is the ability to donate directly from any payroll system. What’s more, you can give financially to any nonprofit on the planet, including China (no one else is able to do this yet). This is an important feature that can help companies figure out what their employees are interested in and show clear support by matching the donations of their employees.

And if you’re after something simple and readily available:

VolunteerSpot: Designed for any type of volunteer event, VolunteerSpot’s free software can also be applied to Corporate Volunteering programs. This is an online volunteer signup tool meant to streamline communications, saving both time and energy. (Think “Evite” juiced for volunteering.) You can check out a video explaining it here.

A brand new find:

Volunteasy: This is a recent discovery for me! Volunteasy is an easy-to-use web based solution that is ideal for small to medium sized non-profits. It can be used for employee volunteering programs, but remember, it’s strength is simplicity and accessibility – not complex data management. There’s a free trial so let me know what you think.

A social media platform:

It will be interesting to see how social media platforms affect volunteering. Volunteer Toronto has helped develop Volunteer Connect which is a simple scheduling tool that helps Facebook communities find and organize events. I’m sure there are more out there, so let me know!

Remember, these are just a few of my favorites. I’m looking forward to creating and sharing a comprehensive list of resources, so feel free to leave a link to your favorite online volunteer management tool in the comment section below.

In the meantime, if you’d like to embark on some research of your own, check out Jayne Craven’s blog Coyote Communications. She’s done a great job of providing a long list of links as well as her opinions regarding what a volunteer management software packages, platforms, or products should accomplish (so be sure to visit her site to see all the resources she provides). I’ve combined her links with mine (there was a bit of overlap), but please know that I am not endorsing any of the following products.

1. Andar Web-Based Volunteer Management, from Helix
2. CERVIS (Community Event Registration and Volunteer Management System)
3. Convio Volunteer Management Software
4. Count Me In (for sports league volunteers)
5. CiviCore Volunteer Management
6. DonorPro
7. FundRaiser Software
8. eteambuilder
9. GiftMaker Pro Volunteer Module
10. GiftsFriends&Time, by OneWhoServes, Inc.
11. GiftWorks Volunteers
12. Global Relief Network volunteer management system
13. Golden Futures Foundation 501(c)3 – For School Volunteer Programs
14. Good Done Great Volunteer Management
15. Hello Scheduling
16. Income Manager v.5.1, which has a volunteer management component
17. Ministry Scheduler Pro
18. My Service Log
19. MyVolunteer.com
20. OnCorps Reports, for AmeriCorps and VISTA reporting
21. OrgAction Online Volunteer Database
22. ROVIR, the Retriever of Volunteer Information and Reporting
23. Samaritan Technologies (eCoordinator)
24. School Volunteer
25. ShiftBoard
26. Son of Service (SOS) (free)
27. Sumac http://www.sumac.com/
28. Tapestry, by VisionLink
29. Tools for Organizations/Habitat Scheduling
30. The Registration System (TRS)
31. V-Base, Developed by do-it and YouthNet UK (United Kingdom)
32. V2/Volunteer2/Volunteer Squared/Volunteer Impact
33. VolCentre
34. Volgistics
35. Voltrak
36. Volunteer Event Management (VEM)
37. Volunteer Management System (VMS)
38. Volunteer Reporter (formerly RSVP Reporter)
39. Volunteer Scheduler Pro
40. Volunteer Works
41. Vol – Track
42. VSys One
43. When to Help
44. Wild Apricot
45. YourVolunteers

If you have a volunteer management tool to add to the list, please include it in the comments below.