The short answer: VolunteerHub (from $143/mo billed annually) and Bloomerang Volunteer (from $119/mo billed annually) are the best dedicated shift schedulers for most nonprofits. Galaxy Digital fits volunteer centers that run a public opportunity marketplace, Rosterfy (from about $7,000/yr) fits mass events and federations, and SignUpGenius is free for simple sign-up sheets. If your volunteers are also members, program participants or donors, Communal includes volunteer shifts and hour tracking in its $75/mo base price with no contract.
Communal is our product, so read that recommendation with that in mind. Every price below is the vendor's published figure or a sourced listing as of 2026-08-19.
What to look for
- Shift scheduling. Opportunities with shifts, capacity, waitlists, recurring shifts and role restrictions. This is the core of a volunteer tool.
- Hour tracking. Self-serve clock in and out, admin override, and an export you can hand to a funder.
- Communication. Shift reminders by email (and text, if you need it) without a separate mailing tool.
- Waivers and compliance. Digital waivers at signup; background-check integrations if your program requires them.
- Where volunteers live. A standalone volunteer database, a donor CRM with a volunteer module, or one operational system that also holds memberships, programs and donations. This choice drives cost more than any feature.
- Pricing model. Per organization, per record, per active volunteer, or free with a tip or transaction fee.
- Contract. Monthly, annual with a set-up fee, or none.
The 10 tools
VolunteerHub
- Best for: Nonprofits that mostly need shift-based scheduling and check-in, with some volunteer fundraising
- Starting price: From $143/mo (annual)
- Pricing model: Annual license by tier. Plus from $143/mo and Pro from $288/mo, both billed annually with a set-up fee; Enterprise by quote. Priced per organization, not per volunteer. Pro and Enterprise add kiosk check-in, advanced waivers, custom reporting and volunteer fundraising.
- Contract: Annual
- Watch out for:
- Annual commitment plus set-up fees and no free trial
- Volunteer-only: no membership, program registration, facilities or POS
Verified 2026-08-19. See VolunteerHub alternatives.
Bloomerang Volunteer
- Best for: Nonprofits already on, or moving to, Bloomerang CRM that run shift-heavy volunteer events
- Starting price: From $119/mo (annual)
- Pricing model: Annual license by records. Standalone from $119/mo billed annually, or bundled in The Giving Platform (Fundraising + CRM + Volunteer) from $242/mo billed annually. Pricing scales by records in the database; unlimited users. Formerly InitLive.
- Contract: Annual
- Watch out for:
- Heavily event and shift focused, with limited bulk editing and email personalization per reviewers
- No free trial, and full value needs the Bloomerang CRM bundle
Verified 2026-08-19.
Get Connected by Galaxy Digital
- Best for: Volunteer centers and community hubs that need a public opportunity marketplace with agency management
- Starting price: From $39/mo
- Pricing model: Quote, annual. The vendor has no public pricing page; Capterra and GetApp list $39/mo flat with tiered feature access, and third-party sources describe quote-based annual contracts scaled by deployment size. Better Impact acquired Galaxy Digital in March 2026 and says no immediate pricing changes.
- Contract: Annual (per third-party sources); not disclosed by vendor
- Watch out for:
- Learning curve and time-consuming onboarding; weaker filtering and reporting, and offsite hours are hard to track
- Ownership transition to Better Impact; volunteer-only
Verified 2026-08-19. See Galaxy Digital alternatives.
Rosterfy
- Best for: Large events, sports bodies and enterprise volunteer programs that need workforce-scale scheduling, training and compliance
- Starting price: From ~$7,000/yr
- Pricing model: Annual quote by active volunteers. The vendor pricing page is quote-only with packages scaled by active volunteers (up to 100 through 5,000+), admins, region and add-ons; Capterra lists a Standard plan from $7,000/yr. Paid onboarding tiers apply.
- Contract: Annual (per Capterra); vendor does not disclose term
- Watch out for:
- High entry price with setup fees and no public price list
- Reviewers call it difficult to learn; the mobile app is rated lower than desktop (3.7/5 on GetApp)
Verified 2026-08-19. See Rosterfy alternatives.
SignUpGenius
- Best for: Volunteer coordinators and small groups who need quick sign-up sheets and occasional payment collection
- Starting price: Free; from $11.99/mo
- Pricing model: Free tier with ads; Silver $11.99/mo, Gold $29.99/mo, Platinum $59.99/mo, Enterprise by quote (reported around $1,299/yr). Collecting money costs 5% plus $0.50 per transaction.
- Contract: Monthly or annual; no long-term commitment
- Watch out for:
- Sign-up sheet model, not a volunteer database: no member records, hour tracking, bookings or POS
- 5% + $0.50 per transaction is steep for dues or program fees
Verified 2026-08-19. See SignUpGenius alternatives.
Communal
- Best for: Community associations, recreation and community centers, clubs and leagues whose volunteers are also members, parents or donors
- Starting price: $75/mo
- Pricing model: Flat, by member band. $75/mo covers up to 250 members and includes volunteer management, the member CRM, donor management and POS software. Programs and events +$50/mo; facility booking from +$50/mo. Card processing set in your agreement, often around 2%, with weekly deposits to your own Stripe account.
- Contract: None. Month to month, prorated, 30-day free trial with no credit card, free scoped data migration.
- Watch out for:
- No SMS or texting, so shift reminders are email only
- No certification tracking yet, and no public opportunity marketplace across organizations
Verified 2026-08-19. Volunteers get opportunities, shifts, clock in and out, attendance, recurring and role-restricted shifts, waivers, blocked volunteers, and a volunteer price automatically applied to program registrations. See the volunteer management feature page.
Neon CRM
- Best for: Growing nonprofits that want donors, members, events and volunteers in one CRM with unlimited records
- Starting price: From $99/mo
- Pricing model: Tiered subscription with unlimited records. Essentials at $99/mo is fundraising only; volunteer management, events, open API and the online store arrive on Impact at $209/mo. Neon Pay processing is 2.99% + $0.30 per card transaction.
- Contract: Annual (typical); not confirmed on vendor page
- Watch out for:
- Volunteer management requires the $209/mo tier or higher
- No free trial, no facility booking
Verified 2026-08-19. See Neon CRM alternatives.
Bloomerang CRM (and Kindful)
- Best for: Small and mid-size US nonprofits focused on donor retention who want volunteer and event modules from the same vendor
- Starting price: From $125/mo (annual)
- Pricing model: Per record, annual billing. Bloomerang CRM from $125/mo, Bloomerang Volunteer from $119/mo, Giving Platform bundle from $242/mo, all billed annually. Kindful is now part of Bloomerang. Processing widely reported at 2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction.
- Contract: Annual
- Watch out for:
- Separate products and record-based tiers make the full stack expensive
- Membership management is basic; no facility booking
Verified 2026-08-19. See Bloomerang alternatives.
Keela
- Best for: Small to mid-size fundraising-led nonprofits in Canada, the US, Australia or New Zealand that want a donor CRM with email automation
- Starting price: From $134/mo (annual)
- Pricing model: Per contact, tiered. $134/mo billed annually ($160/mo monthly) for up to 1,000 contacts, rising to $379/mo annual at 10,000 contacts. Every plan includes donor and volunteer management, unlimited email, automatic CRA and IRS receipts and membership management. No platform fee; Stripe or PayPal processing (Keela cites 2.2% + $0.30).
- Contract: Monthly or annual
- Watch out for:
- Volunteer management is forms and tagging, not shift scheduling or hours tracking
- Per-contact pricing climbs with list size
Verified 2026-08-19. See Keela alternatives.
Zeffy
- Best for: Small US or Canadian nonprofits that want free donation forms, ticketing and basic memberships, and only need occasional volunteer signups
- Starting price: $0 (donor tips)
- Pricing model: Free. No subscription, platform fee or processing fee to the nonprofit; donors see an optional tip to Zeffy at checkout. US and Canadian nonprofits only.
- Contract: None
- Watch out for:
- Volunteer signups use the event form type; no shift scheduling or hours tracking (Zeffy itself recommends POINT or SignUpGenius)
- Optional tip ask in front of every donor; read-only public API
Verified 2026-08-19. See Zeffy alternatives.
Comparison table
| Vendor | Starting price | Pricing model | Contract | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VolunteerHub | From $143/mo (annual) | Annual license by tier | Annual | Shift scheduling and check-in |
| Bloomerang Volunteer | From $119/mo (annual) | Annual license by records | Annual | Bloomerang CRM users with shift-heavy events |
| Galaxy Digital | From $39/mo | Quote; annual | Annual (third-party sources) | Volunteer centers with a public marketplace |
| Rosterfy | From ~$7,000/yr | Annual quote by active volunteers | Annual | Mass events and enterprise programs |
| SignUpGenius | Free; from $11.99/mo | Free tier; 5% + $0.50 on payments | Monthly or annual | Quick sign-up sheets |
| Communal | $75/mo | Flat, by member band; volunteers included | None | Member organizations, rec and community centers |
| Neon CRM | From $99/mo | Tiered subscription; unlimited records | Annual (typical) | Donor CRM with volunteers on Impact ($209/mo) |
| Bloomerang CRM | From $125/mo (annual) | Per record, annual billing | Annual | Donor retention with optional volunteer module |
| Keela | From $134/mo (annual) | Per contact, tiered | Monthly or annual | Canadian and US donor CRM; volunteer forms only |
| Zeffy | $0 (donor tips) | Free; donor tips | None | Free forms; volunteer signups as events |
Recommendation by organization type
Volunteer-led community groups and small charities
If volunteers are your whole operation and you have under a few hundred of them, the honest question is whether you need more than SignUpGenius or a spreadsheet. You do once you need self-serve shifts, hour tracking and reminders. At that point Communal ($75/mo, no contract) is the cheapest tool on this list that does all three, and it also gives you memberships, donation forms with tax receipts and POS for free in the same price. Bloomerang Volunteer at $119/mo billed annually is the next step up if you want a dedicated product.
Fundraising-led nonprofits
If most of your work is donors and volunteers are a program alongside, stay close to your CRM. Neon CRM's Impact tier ($209/mo) folds volunteers into unlimited-record donor management. Bloomerang Volunteer ($119/mo) plus Bloomerang CRM ($125/mo) gives you the tightest volunteer-to-donor loop. Keela is the budget pick for Canadian charities, but its volunteer features stop at forms and tagging, so pair it with something else if you run shifts.
Recreation centers, community associations and clubs
Your volunteers are also your coaches, parents, renters and members. A standalone volunteer tool means keeping a second database in sync. Communal keeps volunteers in the same record as memberships, program registrations, facility bookings and donations, ties opportunities to programs, and auto-applies a volunteer price at registration. VolunteerHub is the better pick if you need kiosk check-in for large drop-in events and do not need the rest.
Volunteer centers, federations and mass events
Galaxy Digital is built for the public opportunity marketplace and agency management that volunteer centers need. Rosterfy, from about $7,000/yr, is the only tool here designed for workforce-scale scheduling, training and compliance at a marathon or a games. Neither is the right answer for a small nonprofit.
How we compared
Every figure on this page comes from a shared registry we maintain for all comparison pages on this site, with each vendor's pricing page and review-site listings checked on 2026-08-19. Where a vendor publishes no pricing we say so and cite the best available listing with its caveat. Watch-outs come from vendor documentation and aggregated reviewer comments, not from our own testing. Communal is our product; we have tried to describe its gaps (no texting, no certification tracking) as plainly as everyone else's.
Related reading: volunteer scheduling software, volunteer hour tracking software, and our roundups of Rosterfy, VolunteerHub, Galaxy Digital and SignUpGenius alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
It depends on what else you run. For shift scheduling on its own, VolunteerHub (from $143/mo billed annually) and Bloomerang Volunteer (from $119/mo billed annually) are the standard picks. For a public opportunity marketplace, Galaxy Digital (from $39/mo on review-site listings, quote-based in practice). For mass events, Rosterfy (from about $7,000/yr). For simple sign-up sheets, SignUpGenius (free, paid from $11.99/mo). If your volunteers are also members, program participants or donors, Communal includes volunteer shifts and hour tracking in its $75/mo base price.
VolunteerHub is the most complete shift scheduler with check-in kiosks on Pro and up, but it needs an annual commitment plus a set-up fee. Bloomerang Volunteer (from $119/mo) makes sense if you are on or moving to Bloomerang CRM (Kindful is now part of Bloomerang). Galaxy Digital fits volunteer centers that need a public opportunity marketplace. SignUpGenius is free and fine for occasional sign-up sheets, but it is not a volunteer database. Small nonprofits that also manage members or programs should look at Communal, where volunteers sit in the same record as everything else.
A spreadsheet works until you need volunteers to sign themselves up, get reminders, clock their own hours, or you need a grant report of hours by program. At that point you are re-keying data every week. Free options to graduate to are SignUpGenius (sign-up sheets only) or Zeffy (event-style signups, no hour tracking). If you need self-serve shifts and hour tracking, the cheapest paid options are Communal at $75/mo (with memberships, donations and POS included) and Bloomerang Volunteer at $119/mo billed annually.
SignUpGenius (monthly or annual, no long-term commitment), Zeffy (free, no contract) and Communal (no contract, month to month, 30-day free trial). Keela bills monthly or annually. VolunteerHub, Bloomerang Volunteer, Bloomerang CRM, Galaxy Digital (per third-party sources) and Rosterfy bill annually. Neon CRM's contract is described as typically annual but is not confirmed on the vendor page.
Sometimes. Neon CRM includes volunteer management on its Impact tier ($209/mo) and up. Bloomerang sells Bloomerang Volunteer as a separate $119/mo product with scheduling, check-in and a mobile app. Keela includes volunteer management on every plan, but it is forms and tagging rather than shift scheduling or hours tracking. Zeffy has no volunteer module and recommends SignUpGenius or POINT for that. If volunteer shifts and hours are central, a dedicated tool or Communal will do more than the CRM bolt-on.
Yes. Volunteers clock in and out of shifts, admins can override hours, and attendance is recorded per shift. Opportunities can be tied to programs, shifts can be role-restricted and recurring, reminders go out automatically, and volunteers who meet your rules get a volunteer price applied to program registrations. Certification tracking is not yet available. Volunteer management is included in the $75/mo base price, and everything exports to CSV or XLSX for grant reports.
Written by
Matt Elliott
We help community organizations, recreation centers, and nonprofits streamline their operations with software built for how they actually work.
Related Guides
Volunteer Hour Tracking Software
How to track volunteer hours accurately without spreadsheets. What features matter for grant reporting, recognition programs, and keeping volunteers engaged.
Volunteer Hours Spreadsheet vs Software: When to Switch
A practical comparison of tracking volunteer hours in a spreadsheet versus volunteer management software, with a decision table and the signs your log has outgrown the sheet.
Volunteer Rewards Programs: Beyond the Thank-You Note
How to reward volunteers with automatic discounts, tiered benefits, and recognition that actually improves retention.
Volunteer Scheduling Software Guide
How to schedule volunteers without endless email chains. Self-service sign-ups, automatic reminders, and reducing no-shows for community organizations.