WVCN Volunteer Primer

Download the complete Volunteer Primer here: https://tamarackfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/TFA-Volunteer-Tracking-Primer.pdf

 

Key Findings

Based on the unique needs of each WVCN program, the following metrics are recommended:

RIPPLE: Specific tasks that will need to be tracked include virtual Zoom community meetings, an in-person intensive project design workshop, and the actual implementation of the project. Metrics include the number of participants and hours worked, the value of in-kind contributions, and the number of art pieces produced and their impacts.

National Endowment for the Arts: Because this is a federal re-granting program, it has more stringent requirements for reporting on the impacts of each project. Time and materials will need to be tracked and converted into a real dollar value. Metrics include the number of volunteers and hours worked, the value of services rendered, and the value of in-kind contributions.

Artist fellowships: While emerging artists are compensated through the Emerging Artist Fellowship, the mentors who help the young artists over the course of the fellowship typically are not compensated. They volunteer their time, materials, and skillset to serve the early-career artist; these can be quantified to an actual monetary value. Metrics include the value of in-kind contributions (including the hours worked by the mentor and any supplies or venue space donated), the number of mentees, the number of pieces created or sold, and qualitative improvements in work or understanding.

WV Creative Network: With increased activity in the Creative Network membership, WVCN hopes to have a volunteer community coach for each of its six art regions in the state. The coach would organize a low-investment series of meetups among Creative Network members. Metrics include the number of coaches and meeting participants, the number of hours worked, in-kind donations (value of speakers and venue space), and any products resulting from the meetings.serve, and improved data integrity, security, visualization, and reporting.

While many smaller groups use spreadsheets to track volunteer data, including the bulk of surveyed West Virginia organizations, designated volunteer management software (VMS) is likely best for groups who want a less time-consuming and more streamlined, full-featured option. A VMS can provide help with recruitment, onboarding and training, communication, branding, schedule management, volunteer profiles, volunteer selfserve, and improved data integrity, security, visualization, and reporting.

The best practices in running a successful volunteer tracking program include:

• Emphasize the importance of tracking and reporting upfront.

• Help volunteers see themselves as volunteers.

• Simplify, digitize, and centralize tracking information.

• Improve volunteer follow through by defining expectations and showing recognition.

• Prepare volunteer orientation and training, and cross-trail multiple individuals.

• Accommodate those in rural areas or less comfortable with technology.

• Collect feedback on and regularly reevaluate the tracking process through discussions and/or surveys.

About Downstream Strategies

This report was prepared by Downstream Strategies. Downstream Strategies is an environmental and economic development consulting firm focused on strengthening economies, sustaining healthy environments, and building resilient communities across Central Appalachia. As leaders in community development, we offer specialized services in nonprofit management and creative placemaking. At Downstream Strategies, we don’t just check boxes—we build futures.

About Volunteer West Virginia

This report was funded by a Volunteer West Virginia Volunteer Generation Fund grant. Volunteer West Virginia is the lead agency for volunteerism and AmeriCorps in West Virginia and administers $3 million in federal, state, and local funding for volunteer programs across the state each year.

Introduction

The West Virginia Creative Network (formerly known as The Tamarack Foundation for the Arts), based in Charleston, West Virginia, is an arts nonprofit organization whose mission is to nurture a vibrant and prosperous arts community, foster artistic excellence, and bring people together for powerful shared experiences that inspire a creative exchange of ideas.

For the past 20 years, WVCN has focused on a human-centric approach to support economic and cultural development in individuals and communities through various arts-based programming, including mini-grants, artist fellowships, workshops, trainings, events, and other opportunities and resources. For most of the organization’s history, its work focused on funneling artists and their work to the Tamarack Marketplace and giving them access to the rural-to-urban economy pipeline.

In recent years, however, WVCN has shifted its mission toward more localized work through creative placemaking initiatives and supporting artists in their hometowns while lifting struggling communities statewide. This deepened involvement in community development opens the door to opportunities for WVCN to work with volunteers in a significant capacity for the first time.

WVCN is both introducing new programming into its lineup and expanding existing ones: WVCN is rolling out community coaching in six counties, a regranting program in 14 counties, and will continue to bolster the Creative Network, its premier platform for connecting artists with each other and professional opportunities. With these budding initiatives, WVCNanticipates interacting with a minimum of 600 volunteers over the next two years and adding 200 participants to the current pool of 300 members of the Creative Network, bringing the expected total volunteer engagement to approximately 1,100 individuals.

WVCN contracted Downstream Strategies to research best practices utilized by other West Virginia nonprofits and develop this guide for volunteer tracking. Tracking is an element within the broader sphere of volunteer management, which is an umbrella term that encompasses all the components of hosting a volunteer program, including recruiting, engaging, tracking, and supervising volunteers. This guide may touch on other volunteer management topics as they relate to tracking, but it is focused on volunteer tracking specifically. WVCN will be working with multiple groups and individuals across multiple sites, so it will rely on others to put their tracking protocols to use in order to capture all volunteer activity occurring in their programs.

Why Track Volunteers?

Organizations worldwide rely on volunteers to carry out their missions. Volunteers make up a crucial component of the labor pool and bring economic, social, and practical value to organizations and projects that utilize them, though their contributions are often overlooked and “invisible” if not tracked. Measuring volunteer impacts via tracking different metrics is the first step to properly account for the value that volunteers bring to an organization. Nonprofits are mission-driven organizations, and tracking volunteer metrics can help inform whether an organization is progressing toward its mission goals. Accurate and meaningful volunteer metrics demonstrate an organization’s accountability and value to employees and volunteers, clients, community members, stakeholders, and funders. For many organizations, volunteers are critical to achieving project goals and the overall mission. Nonprofits that accurately measure volunteer impacts can better understand the contributions of their volunteers and supporters, identify opportunities for program improvement and growth, improve funding opportunities, and a number of other benefits.

What is a metric? A metric is a system or standard of measurement. Examples of relevant metrics for volunteer tracking include total volunteer hours, number of individual volunteers, and the total value of volunteer hours.

What is a volunteer? A volunteer is generally considered someone who willingly undertakes an activity without pay for the benefit of the community, a cause, and people outside of the volunteer’s immediate family or household, often through or for an organization. While some definitions require a one-hour minimum for volunteer work to “count,” research shows this threshold likely undercounts and dismisses a considerable amount of work. (JHVMP, 2011)

For WVCN, tracking the impacts of volunteers will help the organization measure the effectiveness of its new programs, inform strategic decisions about programming growth, and validate the significance of WVCN’s work with quantifiable effects and evidence.

The work of volunteers is often under-valued and, consequently, underappreciated. By tracking volunteer outputs, we can quantify the impacts they bring to our work and help others—from funders to elected officials to members of the community at large—better appreciate a nonprofit’s work.

While there are many possible volunteer outputs that can be measured, the simplest and most important metrics are the number of volunteers and the number of volunteer hours contributed. Though seemingly simple, these are metrics that most people can readily grasp and that immediately convey the scale of the effort undertaken.

Additionally, once we know how much time has been contributed, we can easily translate that into a monetary value. Independent Sector is a national organization that conducts and shares research on the impact of the nonprofit sector, including volunteerism. Each year Independent Sector calculates the standard monetary value of one volunteer hour for each state. Its figures are considered the industry standard for the value of volunteer time in the U.S.

As of April 2022, the national average is $29.95 per hour, though rates vary by state. In West Virginia, the value is $25.07 per hour. (Independent Sector, 2022)

Other helpful metrics to track include the number of projects/sites, value of in-kind donations and services, and project-specific measures.

Thanks to volunteer tracking, West Virginia’s nonprofit sector is reported to have…

• 411,915 volunteers,
• 36.8 million service hours,
• $888.4 million value volunteer work value,
• $9.3 billion in annual revenue generation,
• $15 billion in assets held, and
• $73 million in annual volunteer donations
(AmeriCorps, 2021; Independent Sector, 2019).

However, West Virginia’s high rates of unreported and informal volunteerism means those figures are likely undervalued. Nationwide, only an estimated 55% of nonprofits actively track volunteer impacts (Finch, 2014).

Secure and maintain funding.

Funding is often a top priority for nonprofits. Many grants require reporting on volunteer hours and impacts, so being armed with that information is indispensable to securing—and keeping—funding. Understanding the monetary value a nonprofit’s volunteers contribute helps provide in-kind match for grants, strengthens proposal applications, improves grant eligibility, and tells funders exactly where their dollars are going. Having data on volunteer work also shows funders that a nonprofit has a support base and buy-in from the local community. Knowing approximately how many hours an activity takes to complete will also help in proposal budget estimates. For instance, thirty volunteers who cumulatively worked 2,000 hours over one year would have recorded $50,140 worth of labor using West Virginia’s hourly volunteer value time of $25.07. That $50,140 puts a number to and substantiates the work volunteers commit can also be used as in-kind matching funds for grants. (Burger, 2019; Independent Sector, 2022; InitLive, 2021)

Demonstrate accountability and transparency.

Accountability and transparency are particularly important when an organization is invested in community partnerships. Some project partners might require an official record of volunteer time and activities, and others, especially when solicited for sponsorship, may shy away from partnering unless the organization can show evidence of valuable volunteer efforts. Stakeholders, donors, community members, and other partners also benefit from a detailed account of where various resources are going and their yield. (Waters, 2020)

Improve and simplify reporting.

In the same vein as demonstrating accountability, reporting is necessary for nonprofits’ donors, board members, and other stakeholders because it lets them know how the organization and any program of interest is performing in terms of engagement, time investment, and impacts. Many designated software programs have premade report templates that automatically quantify and list all volunteer activities for easy reporting.

Identify opportunity costs and return on investment.

While volunteer labor is “free,” many nonprofits still rely on staff members to recruit and train volunteers, track and report their hours, and other tasks. While some of these tasks can eventually be deferred to volunteers themselves, a level of oversight is still required. In addition to any paid trainings or materials an organization provides, the opportunity cost of a staff member allocating their time to volunteer management instead of another activity must be measured to determine if it is outweighed by the value that volunteer work accrues; and, if not, the organization should find ways to improve the program in order to address the discrepancy. Additionally, tracking how many hours a particular project or activity takes (volunteer or otherwise) can provide insight into how many resources to budget toward a similar one in the future. (Waters, 2022; Kelly, 2017; (JHVMP, 2011)

Build and show buy-in.

By tracking and showing volunteer impacts, an organization can demonstrate its value to the surrounding community, thus build support and recognition for its efforts, encourage partnerships, and even spur interest in volunteering.

Identify reliable and specialized volunteers.

Tracking individual volunteer details such as attendance or particular qualifications can help take the guesswork out of volunteer assignments, especially for sensitive or critical tasks that might require finesse in a certain skill or dependability. Additionally, should the time come for an organization to hire staff additional members, it can look to its devoted volunteer pool for candidates.

Protect the organization and its volunteers.

Accurate tracking that includes details like activity and arrival/departure times can provide documentation that substantiates a nonprofit’s or individual’s whereabouts and timeframe in the case of any liability or conduct concerns. Having this extra layer of security can also help inform audits. (Walsh, 2009)

Improve volunteer morale, retention, and recognition.

A log of volunteer metrics can be compiled and presented to volunteers to directly and concretely demonstrate the impact they have. Sharing impacts with volunteers can be incorporated into a volunteer appreciation campaign and simply pulling specific statistics, like how many projects they helped with, how many people were served by them, or how they contributed a unique talent to the overall effort can be a gratifying way for volunteers to receive tangible feedback.

Records of individuals’ logged hours can greatly simplify volunteer recognition, which is vital to maintaining a stable and enthusiastic volunteer base. Volunteers work not for financial gain but for the social and psychological rewards of the act. Having a robust and highly visible database of volunteer impacts will encourage the volunteer effort. (Johns Hopkins Volunteer Management Project, 2011; InitLive, 2021)

Evolving Needs

WVCN is growing its programming and anticipates interactions with approximately 1,100 volunteers and program participants through community coaching, regranting programs, and increasing the Creative Network platform, as described below.

RIPPLE is WVCN’s artist-led community and economic development and space-making pilot program for artists and their communities.

The program is designed to help communities create a shared vision of collaboration for developing public art and supporting working artists at the local level by connecting them with other businesses. Through RIPPLE, the arts are leveraged to bring change in communities through projects addressing needs specific to each town. Participating communities will receive coaching, technical assistance, and mini-grants to design and implement two projects that pay local artists for their services. WVCN selected Elkins, Clarksburg, and Williamson as RIPPLE’s 2022 participants and will identify three additional communities in the fall for the 2023 phase.

Volunteer outputs.

Specific tasks that will need to be tracked include virtual Zoom community meetings, an in-person intensive project design workshop, and the actual implementation and products of the project.

Number of community members serving as local leaders spearheading the project

Number of hours worked by each individual

Number of attendees at each brainstorming session

Number of hours spent at the session per individual

Number of attendees at the 1–2-day intensive design workshop

Number of hours worked per individual per day

Value of in-kind contributions

In-kind services, materials, venue space, and other elements

Project-specific outputs

Public art produced

Pieces displayed or sold

Community-related metrics affected

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) received an American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant to aid in pandemic relief efforts.

WVCN will re-grant these NEA ARP funds to 28 projects across 14 West Virginia counties, many of which are in the southern coalfields region. Recipients will not be exclusive to arts-oriented groups and councils but will include organizations that indirectly support the arts, such as community centers and after-school programs. The grants can be distributed to organizations or individuals and can be used for operational support, including rent and maintenance, or contracting artists to develop programming or design a public art feature. For its service area, WVCN targeted counties that received no or minimal funding from the state’s art departments or NEA in recent years, including those that never hosted an arts council. As a result, WVCN is interested in understanding the on-the-ground impacts the grants will have on these organizations and greater communities.

Volunteer outputs.

Because this is a federal re-granting program, it has more stringent requirements for reporting on the impacts of each project.

Time and materials will need to be tracked and converted into a real dollar value.

Number of volunteers

Number of hours worked by each individual

Number of individuals hired or compensated

Value of services rendered

Number of community members/ individuals engaged as a result of the programming

Value of in-kind contributions

In-kind services, materials, venue space, and other elements

Project-specific outputs

Artist Fellowships, geared toward individuals, help new and accomplished artists alike.

The Emerging Artist Fellowship provides technical training, mentoring, consulting, branding, and a mini-grant to early-career artists to help them build entrepreneurial skills and develop their creative business. Emerging artists are often connected with advanced artist mentors that volunteer their time. Master Artist Fellowships are awarded as lifetime achievements for individuals with technical expertise and devotion to the arts in West Virginia.

Volunteer outputs.

While emerging artists are compensated through the Emerging Artist Fellowship, the mentors who help the young artists over the course of the fellowship typically are not compensated. They volunteer their time, materials, and skillset to serve the early-career artist; these can be quantified to an actual monetary value.

Value of in-kind contributions

Number of hours worked by the mentor, valued at mentor’s standard professional rate

Value of art supplies, space, and other materials donated by the mentor or others

Project-specific outputs

Number of mentees

Number of pieces collaboratively created, pieces sold, etc.

Quantitative improvements in work or understanding

The West Virginia Creative Network is a statewide platform to connect artists with fellow artists and career opportunities.

The Creative Network is currently comprised of about 300 artists, and WVCN anticipates an additional 200 members will join over the next two years. Members hold gatherings, receive two hours of coaching annually, and are promoted in social media campaigns.

Volunteer outputs.

With increased activity in the Creative Network, WVCN hopes to have a volunteer community coach for each of its six art regions in the state.

The coach would organize a low-investment series of meetups among Creative Network members.

Number of volunteer coaches

Number of hours worked by each coach

Number of meetings

Number of special events held at meetings

Value of speakers or workshops

Value of venue space

Number of meeting participants

Time spent per individual per meeting

Project-specific outputs

Any collaboration, piece, or other outcome resulting from the meetings

Participatory Action Research is a joint initiative between WVCN and West Virginia University (WVU) to identify and examine qualities in the arts within the state through asset mapping, listening sessions, and surveys. Through this research, WVCN and WVU will develop procedures and materials to procure funding for programs centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts.

Insight From West Virginia Nonprofits

While WVCN is relatively new to tracking volunteers, plenty of West Virginia–based nonprofits have been tracking and managing volunteers for years. Instead of reinventing the wheel, WVCN looked to fellow organizations in the state to learn about their volunteer tracking processes, pitfalls, and best practices.

Methods

This guide was informed by a combination of literature reviews, survey results, and discussions with representatives from select organizations. WVCN produced a list of West Virginia organizations that were either also recipients of the Volunteer WV grant or were known to host volunteer programs. Because the logistics of tracking volunteers is transferable across industries, participating organizations were not restricted to arts-based groups. Survey. Downstream Strategies created a survey of largely open-ended questions in SurveyMonkey and distributed it to each organization on WVCN’s list. Questions included basic organizational and tracking-specific information. See the full survey in Appendix A. Roundtable. Downstream Strategies and WVCN hosted two roundtables for separate groups of organizations. Talking points closely followed the survey questions, but discussion was encouraged to flow naturally. Participants for either the survey or roundtables included: Health 360/Healthy Minds Alliance, Habitat for Humanity of the Eastern Panhandle, the West Virginia Community Development Hub (the Hub), Active Southern West Virginia, Ascend West Virginia, Individual Stewards Placement, Pantry Plus More, Inc., Grow Ohio Valley, Southern Appalachian Labor School, West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition, and the Northern Appalachian Coal Mining Heritage Association.

Findings

Below outlines the overall findings from the organizations that completed the survey or participated in discussions.

For most organizations, the individuals responsible for tracking are…

Project leads
Volunteer or public relations managers
Office managers
AmeriCorps VISTA
Everyone (tracking duties split among staff)
Volunteers themselves (data then managed by staff)

The most common methods of tracking are…

Mix of online and paper forms
Sign-in sheets and volunteer logs
Spreadsheets
Designated software

Most organizations provided a paper-based option for signing in and tracking hours in order to accommodate less technology-inclined volunteers as well as those without access to the internet. However, virtually all of them designated someone to digitize paper forms in order to consolidate and streamline data.

The most common software used for tracking are…

Microsoft Excel
Google Sheets
Airtable
Galaxy Digital’s Get Connected

Also mentioned…

Base Camp
SignUpGenius
Eventbrite
Red Cap
Workshop Wizard (proprietary)
VolunteerHub

Spreadsheets (either through Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets) were overwhelmingly the most common choice of tracking software, particularly among smaller programs and groups. However, many were in the process of transitioning to a designated software program.

Habitat for Humanity is currently revamping their volunteer program and shifting to VolunteerHub. The Community Development Hub hosts AmeriCorps VISTAs, who submit a monthly report in a spreadsheet, and the Hub’s volunteer manager inputs the data into Airtable. Individuals also used Galaxy Digital’s Get Connected independently, but reported it may not be simple to use for some.

The West Virginia Community Development Hub establishes a collaborative and interactive monthly calendar on Google Calendar for all activities in participating communities, which communicates information between staff and volunteers and helps strengthen a sense of belonging between members and communities served.

Active Southern West Virginia uses a Workshop Wizard, which is provided by the West Virginia Office of Health and Science Research. This program efficiently tracks personal and contact information about volunteers and participants, ensures privacy and data protection, facilitates physician engagement and referrals.

Health360 is currently working with a consultant to develop their own site. Member files and time tracking systems are being modeled after America Learns, and its application portal will be based on the national AmeriCorps website.

The most commonly tracked metrics include…

Volunteer personal information (contact details, availability, etc.)

Number of volunteers

Number of hours worked

Number of individuals engaged by volunteers

Volunteer activities

Site- or project-specific metrics (like those required by certain projects)

Value of in-kind donations/services

Also mentioned…

Skillsets and interests

Retention

Programming desires

Trainings and certifications

Attendance

Reimbursements

Number of volunteers recruited

Some nonprofits receive frequent donations of goods and materials. For instance, Habitat for Humanity provides a form to businesses that donate building materials, on which the businesses write the retail value or industry standard prices (which they can then use as a tax write-off). Habitat for Humanity also has online donation portals toward different building components, such as a door or window, that individuals can contribute monetarily to.

The most common purposes tracking metrics are used for are…

Help secure in-kind match for grants

Report impact to partners, donors, and other stakeholders

Share impacts with volunteers

Improve effectiveness of programming

Marketing and outreach content

As part of the organization’s annual reporting statistics

The most commonly encountered challenges include…

Getting volunteers to see themselves as volunteers

Transportation needs and long commuting distance

Tracking informal volunteer activity

Limited technical skills

Tracking being a time consuming process put on one person

Disorganized process

Limited communication modes (e.g., only snail mail, paper forms, or telephone)

Metrics to Track

Organizations embarking on a volunteer tracking journey should first evaluate their projects and mission goals to determine which metrics to track. While it may be tempting to start off with ambitious plans for eight different metrics, quality and accurate data for one, two, or three metrics will go a much longer way than sparse and unreliable data for many. Start by tracking metrics that reflect what the organization wants to accomplish or convey using the collected data; consider customizing and pairing metrics together that will tell a more meaningful story. (Tenniville, 2020) That being said, below is a list of metrics that could be tracked, depending on the project.

Volunteer hours. For most organizations and projects, this will be the single most important and practical metric to track. Keeping a log of the total number of hours (and their monetary value, discussed more below) over time will also demonstrate to funders and community members the commitment and direct impact volunteers have had toward organizational and project goals. Each logged hour should also have the volunteer name, contact information, and activity associated with it. While most designated volunteer software programs have integrated volunteer hour accounting, sample time sheets that can be completed manually are in Appendix B. Value of volunteer time.

The value of volunteer time is calculated by multiplying the total number of volunteer hours by the current hourly value of volunteer time, using either the national value (currently $29.95 per hour) or the state value ($25.07 per hour)(Independent Sector, 2022). For specialized volunteer work or in-kind professional services, use the going rate for those services if available.

Number of volunteers and number of volunteers per site/project. Knowing the total number of individual volunteers will help inform the effectiveness of the organization’s overall engagement and reception in volunteer recruitment strategies, especially over time. Organizations can also efficiently allocate volunteer resources equally when they know how many people are available at any given time or the distribution of volunteers at multiple projects or project sites.

Project-specific outputs (e.g., services delivered, individuals served). The actual outputs resulting from volunteer work are likely to have the most meaningful reception for volunteers, community members, and other stakeholders. These encompass the product of any volunteer activity, such as houses built, trees planted, public art created, families helped, students mentored, knowledge gained (acquired via pre- and post-activity assessments), and other results of volunteer labor and volunteer-supported programs. Undoubtedly, what is actually measured will vary widely depending on the nature of the activity, but tracking progress toward a tangible goal will help shape the desired narrative for a project.

Anecdotes and testimonials from individuals engaged through volunteer efforts. Similar to projectspecific outputs, acquiring feedback from those volunteers have served can be very impactful. These can be gathered in freeform responses, surveys, or some other mode that allows individuals to articulate their experiences. Ensure that feedback evaluations request permission from those surveyed to use their observations, comments, and quotes in promotional materials, fundraising campaigns, and grant efforts.

Volunteer information. Basic participant information like contact details (e.g., name, phone number, email address, mailing address, and emergency contact) should always be collected to minimize communication issues and maintain an open and direct line of contact with volunteers. Multiple metrics can actually be rolled into “Volunteer information” if the onboarding process for volunteers is designed strategically:

Volunteer source. The source of volunteers (such as certain agencies, businesses, or special interest groups) can be valuable when seeking new volunteers or understanding the demographics the program attracts.

Skillsets, interests, experience, and qualifications. Some individuals are better suited to certain project types than others. Having a record of a volunteer’s interests, what they’re good at, what trainings or professional/educational experience they have, and other factors unique to them can be mutually beneficial, as it helps the organization make appropriate assignments while improving volunteer morale and retention by matching them with relevant projects and tasks.

Project assignments. If an organization has multiple projects occurring simultaneously, keeping a tab of which individuals are assigned to which project(s) will facilitate scheduling, organization, and communication.

Retention rates. Knowing volunteer retention rates can help organizations understand the trends of their volunteer programs over time—whether they are growing, waning, stable, or stagnant. For instance, if retention rates are low, volunteer managers should reevaluate their programming to identify improvement opportunities, which may include volunteer feedback surveys.

Monetary donations by volunteers. Donations made to organizations should be separated by giver category. Research shows a volunteer donates ten times as much as a non-volunteer; so, these monetary donations combined with the value of service time help demonstrate the total worth of volunteer contributions (VolunteerMatch, 2009). Tracking the demographics of donors can also streamline fundraising efforts by identifying those who give most frequently or generously. In-kind donations.

In-kind donations can range from actual material donations like lumber or craft supplies, to professional services such as mentorship, consultation, or construction. For Habitat for Humanity, if materials are donated through a company, the company fills out a form with the product value; the nonprofit also has a portal on their website in which individuals can contribute monetarily toward specific items like doors and windows. In-kind donations can also take the form of donated land (the assessed value), rent-free venue space, pro bono graphic design, and other non-cash gifts.

In addition to tracking day-to-day volunteerism, organizations recommend making a special effort to collect metrics for events, which include added activities, engagements, and data to track.

The above is not a comprehensive list of all trackable metrics, but it does give an idea of the data collection possible. Which metrics an organization tracks can evolve over time, and it is important to periodically assess if the chosen metrics are answering organizational questions and advancing goals. (Burger, 2021; Frankfurt, 2018; United Way, 2015; Tennille, 2020; Waters, 2022; VolunteerMatch, 2009)

Methods of Tracking

The actual method of tracking a metric will depend both on the metric itself and the mode of tracking. Basic metrics include volunteer information, number of volunteers, and number of hours worked (per volunteer and per activity). Organizations may have a check-in kiosk, sign-in/sign-out sheets, a web-based hours log, a mobile app, or other options. When an organization uses exclusively spreadsheets, all the information collected would need to be digitized, organized, and analyzed by the volunteer manager. Modern solutions, such as designated software programs, are increasingly the go-to platform for nonprofit volunteer managers.

Volunteer tracking software

While simply using spreadsheets is popular due to their familiarity and easy access, they lack the features a designated volunteer management software (VMS) has. While currently only about half of nonprofits nationwide use a VMS, more and more organizations are migrating to them. Spreadsheets may be suitable for volunteer programs with a minimal number of volunteers, but they tend to become time consuming and unwieldy as the program grows. They also do not fulfill some of the most vital functions of volunteer management, especially those beyond simply tracking. (Better Impact, 2022) Ultimately, a VMS can yield more accurate results more quickly, effectively manage a large amount of data, simplify tracking, and make reporting a breeze (Waters, 2022). Even starting out with a VMS in place may be preferred, as staff and volunteers would not need to be trained twice for different systems, and no information would need to be transferred over. Additionally, because most VMS are used primarily by the nonprofit and charity sector, program costs are typically not prohibitive. (Better Impact, 2022; Burger, 2019) Most VMS have many features, though not all will be relevant for every organization. Some functions a VMS can perform include:

• Recruitment: Through simple and self-guided online application forms, automatic welcome emails, and other actions, a VMS can make the volunteer recruitment process streamlined.

• Onboarding and training: Many VMS allow organizations to create their own training modules and orientations, so new volunteers can access all helpful resources in one place. Screenings such as background checks and other prerequisites can also be conducted in certain programs.

• Communications: A variety of communication activities can be performed or simplified through VMS, such as emailing, texting, group discussions, polls, mailing labels, document libraries, and others.

• Branding: Organizations can incorporate their design preferences, such as color scheme, fonts, logos, graphics, and other elements into the VMS, which can vastly enhance the impression of the organization and the overall experience of using the VMS.

• Volunteer profiles: Organizations can store all relevant information about each volunteer, such as contact details, hours, project assignments, qualifications, skill sets, availability, and other items.

• Volunteer portal: Likely one of the most practical and convenient functions in a VMS is a volunteer portal, which enables volunteers to check-in to a project, task, or location, log their own hours, and sign up for scheduled shifts or specific tasks. This functionality greatly reduces the labor required for staff.

* Schedule management: Organizations can create, view, and easily edit events, recurring tasks, and other activities in need of volunteers. Individuals can be incorporated into the schedule and vacant shifts can be identified and assigned.

• Data integrity, visualization, and reporting: Because VMS typically have integrated databases that relate data, all relevant information can be efficiently, accurately, and aesthetically displayed. This can help with stakeholder engagement, volunteer hour reporting, and other project- or organizationoriented goals. In spreadsheets, this type of data manipulation and flexibility relies on more advanced methods like pivot tables, and one simple formula error can have cascading effects across the entire dataset.

There are many VMS programs available today. In order to narrow down the options and choose the most fitting program for an organization, the volunteer management team should compile a list of relevant considerations, such as:

Functions and goals: Consider the organization’s primary volunteer goals and frequent tasks. Do
these line up with what the VMS offers? Consider dividing functions into “must haves,” “nice to have,”
and “not necessary,” and evaluate VMS options with these in mind. For example, an organization might
need schedule management and tracking options but not built-in rewards or volunteer profiles.

• Budget: What is the annual or monthly subscription cost? Or the one-time purchase fee? Do add-on
services have additional costs?

• Demos, trials, and usability: Does the VMS offer demonstrations (either through videos or one-onone tutorials)? Are free or reduced-price trial versions available? How user-friendly is the program?

• Support: Especially if there is no information technology professional at the organization, the
helpfulness, responsiveness, and modes (email, phone call, video, etc.) of support are important to
choosing a VMS. Are training modules, help documents, or configuration assistance available?

• Data security: Volunteer information stored in a VMS is often very sensitive and personal data.
Ensure the VMS has the appropriate security measures essential to protecting volunteer information.

• Scalability: The size and activity of volunteer programs can shift over time. How will the VMS
accommodate changing conditions? Is it easy to add or remove volunteers, programs, and
administrators? Will the same VMS work with a small or large volunteer database?

The following pages provide brief overviews of some of the more popular and frequently mentioned VMS among surveyed West Virginia organizations. Many of them have similar features, so organizations should go to each company’s website for a complete understanding of offerings. Additionally, the website VolunteerSoftwareComparisons.com also provides side-by-side comparisons of different popular VMS with average ratings from several top review sites. (Better Impact, 2022)

Airtable

Airtable is among the most popular software programs used by surveyed West Virginia nonprofits. Airtable is a hybrid platform that combines characteristics of spreadsheets and databases and allows users to create custom applications tailored to organizational needs. While many similar programs require some knowledge of computer coding, Airtable is a low- to no-code platform suitable for all skill levels. With database features, various types of information can be linked together then displayed and analyzed in different ways. Unlike spreadsheets, Airtable fields (the equivalent of spreadsheet columns) can be customized to hold multimedia information, such as photos, PDF attachments, checkboxes, dates, and more (e.g., volunteer name, email address, phone number, trainings completed, and pictures can each be columns within a “volunteer contacts” table). Airtable can manage tracking data as well as serve other functions for nonprofits. Airtable provides a wide array of premade templates for different purposes which organizations can start to use immediately, or groups can define their own records and curate their database to serve their needs. (Airtable, 2022) An Airtable volunteer management template can be viewed here: airtable.com/templates/volunteermanagement/exp3QiGWoO8rb5Mi4 Prices range from free to $20 per month per seat, depending on payment schedule. An enterprise level is also available. airtable.com/pricing

VolunteerHub

As part of its standard software suite, VolunteerHub provides an automatic volunteer tracking platform in which volunteers or volunteer coordinators can enter hours per task or event and also determine attendance. The VMS also has the capability to run and analyze reports and comes preloaded with a variety of reporting options, allowing organizations to review activity, attendance, trends, return on investment, and other data. Duplicate records can muddy the waters when counting hours and impacts; VolunteerHub incorporates an intelligent deduplication tool that aims to simplify volunteer records, produce fewer errors, save time and money, and remove guesswork. Automated communication is another useful tool in the program. Volunteer organizers can create custom emails that volunteers receive at defined intervals, such as event reminders or a thank you note. Sometimes, the immediacy of text messaging is needed, and VolunteerHub allows organizations to bypass email inboxes and deliver time-sensitive information directly to volunteers’ phones. In addition to tracking features, the VMS also provides a range of management tools, like scheduling, recruitment, automatic rewards and recognition, waiver tracking, and others. If an organization is already utilizing customer relationship management (CRM) programs, VolunteerHub also integrates with Salesforce and Blackbaud. (VolunteerHub, 2022) Prices range from $150 per month, $289 per month, or an enterprise edition, and additional features such as cloud file storage, kiosks, advanced volunteer reporting and others are available for additional fees. volunteerhub.com/pricing/

Galaxy Digital’s Get Connected

Get Connected is Galaxy Digital’s standalone VMS. It is highly customizable and encompasses all aspects of volunteer management, from tracking, scheduling, and recruitment to recognition and reporting. Like other VMS, Get Connected provides automatic mass emailing and text messaging, volunteer tracking, scheduling, and easy reporting. In addition to hours, Get Connected also tracks impacts, such as total monetary value and outputs. The volunteer calendar allows volunteers to review upcoming opportunities and sign up; when volunteers report for an event, Get Connected’s check-in kiosk easily logs both preregistered and walk-up volunteers’ hours and automatically attributes them to the individual/group and activity. Volunteers registered in Get Connected can create a volunteer profile, which includes photos, documents, skills, preferences, opportunity responses, hours, and impact values. Get Connected also has an integrated volunteer rewards and recognition program in which the organization can get participation benchmarks, and the VMS will automatically award custom badges. Get Connected provides other functions, such as event landing pages, online donation portals, waiver and document management, and many others. While some West Virginia organization representatives cautioned that it is not the most user-friendly program, Get Connected’s responsive support and customer service are well regarded. (Galaxy Digital, 2022) While the price is not readily available on Galaxy Digital’s website, organizations can contact the firm directly to receive a quote. Capterra reports a flat rate of $199 per month. capterra.com/p/145964/Get-Connected/#pricing

The above three are just a sample of available VMS or related software; screenshot examples are available in Appendix C. Many more options are available at all price points. Some of these include:

• BetterImpact

• Volunteer Scheduler Pro

• SignUpGenius

• Boomerang

• Memberplanet

• Red Cap

• Base Camp

Best Practices

Volunteering and volunteer tracking can take many forms, and there is no one correct way to go about it. However, certain best practices can help make volunteer tracking more effective and help avoid common pitfalls for organizations just starting out. These are informed by research as well as recommendations from West Virginia organizations with many years of experience in tracking volunteers.

Prioritize and simplify tracking information and processes.

Volunteers are lending their time and
talents free of charge to the host organization, so the organization should ensure they make the tracking process—often an unexpected part of the “job” for the volunteer—as simple and as least time-consuming as possible. Tracking should not be a burden on volunteers.

As one West Virginia nonprofit employee noted, “If it’s not simple, it’s not worth it.”

One of the easiest ways to simplify tracking is to limit the number and complexity of desired metrics. The organization should prioritize metrics that will be most advantageous and meaningful to track. These metrics may include required measures in reports to funders, or they may represent the overall goals of the organization or a particular program. Regardless of the purpose, isolating one, two, or three metrics to track well rather than seven metrics to track poorly will go a long way in collecting valuable data the nonprofit can use, especially when just starting out. Simple tracking of minimal metrics is particularly important when relying on multiple staff members or volunteers to carry it out. With fewer directions to explain and follow, there is less of a chance that trackers will run into issues or become discouraged with the task. Another important factor in simple tracking is the method used. Trial different software program options and select the one that balances straightforwardness with desired features, and ensure everyone with tracking responsibilities can use it comfortably.

Emphasize the importance of tracking and reporting upfront.

Tracking and reporting is often considered an afterthought by volunteers and volunteer managers alike. However, without tracking volunteers, their work becomes invisible and cannot be counted toward anything, including grant applications or annual reports. It is vital to frame the entire volunteer experience around tracking what is done in accordance with what the organization requires. Emphasizing the importance of tracking can also help volunteers feel more committed to their tasks.

For instance, knowing that their work will tell Congress (or any funder) that a program is worth the investment, is making valuable contributions to the organization’s mission, and should be continued will encourage volunteers to take tracking and self-reporting seriously.

Help volunteers see themselves as volunteers.

One challenge that consistently appeared in discussions with West Virginia nonprofits is tracking informal volunteer activity, which largely comes down to volunteers not seeing themselves as volunteers and, therefore, not logging their time. Many people have preconceptions about what a volunteer is and is not. Volunteerism is typically broken into two types: direct (i.e., done for a cause or individuals outside the household) and organizational (i.e., done for or through an organization). An individual may see their time spent helping at a food bank as bona fide volunteering, but mentoring someone on a skillset as just a favor. West Virginia has very high informal volunteer rates, such as helping a neighbor. This hospitable mindset, while welcome in a civic sense and is just as helpful in a formal volunteer setting, often leads to volunteers underreporting their time and talents. Therefore, the organization they are volunteering for does not capture the full impact of the volunteer’s
contributions. Much like emphasizing the importance of tracking itself, many volunteers need to hear that what they are doing is volunteering and should be reported as such.

Improve volunteer follow through and accountability by defining expectations.

Many individuals like the idea of volunteering and are eager to sign up for the chance to help their community; however, when the day of the event comes, few of the initial would-be participants actually show up in many scenarios. While volunteers are valuable in any capacity, from casual and intermittent to reliable and frequent, what is expected of them by the host organization should be clearly outlined. To reinforce accountability in volunteers, many West Virginia organizations require interested individuals to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or a contract (not legally binding) that delineates what is expected of the volunteer but also what the volunteer would like to achieve. In order to be accommodating and encouraging rather than intimidating, these documents should be tailored to the individual and incorporate what they hope to accomplish during their service. It may be tempting to pigeonhole a volunteer into a specific, regimented activity that needs done in the organization, but follow through and retainment are more likely when the volunteer feels they are supported and allowed to do something they enjoy.

Have a volunteer orientation and tracking training process ready.

An orientation is a chance to frame volunteering within the organization’s overall mission, show how a volunteer’s work fits in, and reiterate how keeping tabs on completed work is imperative to reach the program’s or organization’s goals. Explain the details of the volunteers’ tracking responsibilities rather than assume they are implicit. Walk volunteers through what a correctly completed report entails and how to submit it. If using software, ensure everyone with tracking duties is comfortable with the platform. If using paper, establish a collection and recording system beforehand and discuss it with volunteers. Make sure all training is as simple and digestible as possible. Ideally, the host organization should have a brief and straightforward how-to sheet and/or file available that volunteers can reference at any time in order to answer their questions or follow along with.

Cross-train multiple individuals to track.

Some survey respondents noted that their biggest challenge was having only one person trained in and responsible for tracking. Whether staff members, volunteers themselves, or a mix of the two, the burden of tracking and training should not be placed on one individual, if possible. Tracking can be straightforward but time consuming, and having multiple people know the tracking process means there will be no lapse or confusion amid staff/volunteer turnover. Those responsible for training and tracking should develop a brief how-to manual that outlines each step in the process (from in the field to database entry) and can be conveniently distributed and explained to newcomers. Trainers should also regularly reevaluate and update the manual to ensure it is consistent with current methods in use.

Make and maintain connections.

West Virginia nonprofits emphasized the need to cultivate and continue relationships with host sites, organizations, and other partnerships, particularly due to the communal nature of both volunteering and the state climate. Collaboration generates new volunteer, funding, and even professional opportunities for participating organizations.

Communicate clearly and promptly. Always respect a volunteer’s time by making communication as streamlined and straightforward as possible. Efficient communication should be balanced with coordination and a sense of community among volunteers and staff. Some of the ways organizations maintain an open line of communication include:

• A community calendar that helps coordinate volunteer groups for specific events

• A social media group that facilitates instant and informal information sharing

• A regularly scheduled meeting that can be either in-person or virtual

• Email blasts that make subscribers aware of upcoming events, needed volunteer functions, and other critical information

Digitize and centralize tracking information.

Today, there are many ways to efficiently collect, store, analyze, and present information digitally. To host even somewhat substantial volunteer and tracking programs, all relevant data, even if originally in paper format, should be transferred to the digital space for ease of calculations and future reference. This digitization can be simply entering all data into a spreadsheet or adding it to the software program in use. Regardless, it is highly recommended to consolidate all tracking data into a single, centralized database. The nonprofits surveyed also emphasized the importance of backing up digital data to avoid losing years’ worth of valuable material. Many volunteer management and database programs already have automatic backups integrated. Spreadsheets may need additional, manual attention. Platforms that exist in the cloud, like Google Sheets, provide automatic backups which can be assigned to specific folders. There are a variety of free and paid programs available that handle file backup and restoration processes, as well.

Leave room for paper options or assign someone to help accommodate those in more rural areas or less comfortable with technology.

Although all tracking data should ultimately be digitized, paper forms should be used when needed. Being flexible with digital forms is particularly important in much of rural West Virginia, as evidenced by organization feedback. Reliable internet that may be required for some programs may not be available at certain rural project sites, so the next best option may be to have paper equivalents on hand. Additionally, some demographics of volunteers may not be comfortable using technology, so either using paper forms or assigning a point person to collect digital information in lieu of paper forms would be acceptable options.

Recognize and appreciate volunteers.

Recognizing volunteers’ service not only improves retention rates and morale, but increases eagerness to track, especially when impacts are shared. Regardless, it is important to ensure volunteers feel heard and appreciated. This does not need to be elaborate, but some options West Virginia nonprofits use include:

• Giving the volunteers a small token or gear related to the organization/project

• Giving gifts or gift cards for holidays and other events

• Hosting a community-building event, such as a luncheon, bowling, or a service opportunity at a food pantry

• Highlighting individuals in social media posts

• Sharing meaningful impact data and testimonials from individuals served

• Hosting a volunteer graduation ceremony one someone has completed their service term or another capstone

Many accessible mini-grants provide modest amounts that can be put toward volunteer appreciation gifts. Additionally, creative use of line items in grants (such as marketing or printing) can be a workaround to designated mini-grants.

Be flexible.

Many local organizations held that, when it comes to volunteer programs and tracking impacts, one-size-fits-all does not work. The program, volunteer interactions, and tracking methods should be adapted to the needs, desires, goals, and capabilities of the organization, staff, and volunteers.

Takeaways For WVCN

What and how an organization tracks will greatly depend on their goals and capacity. Because WVCN is just starting and and focusing on tracking only, Downstream Strategies recommends a handful of specific metrics best suited for each WVCN program, as discussed on page 7. While some metrics will differ based on the program activities and project outputs, those that should be consistently tracked across all programs (though with some program-specific variation) include: the number of individual volunteers, the number of hours worked by each individual, the value of each worked hour, the value of in-kind donations (both material and immaterial), and any project outputs (such as art pieces created, number of meetings, community members assisted, etc.).

Most nonprofits, in West Virginia and beyond, started with spreadsheets and are transitioning to VMS. Although this is the general trend, a designated VMS may not be necessary for WVCN; however, a more scaleddown program that facilitates tracking and the maintenance of a database of hours and profiles will likely be beneficial. Many VMS have all the bells and whistles for a developed volunteer management program, so WVCN must determine whether the full-featured VMS are worth the price tag if only a fraction of the available functions will be used.

However, there are quite a few programs that exist between spreadsheets and a full VMS that WVCN could explore. For example, one of the more modestly priced software is Airtable, which starts at $20 per seat, per month. Because WVCN will likely defer tracking duties to people on the ground at each program/project site, sharing access to Airtable for better data entry and coordination should be considered. Airtable can hold different types of data for multiple projects, which would make managing the information gathered for each WVCN program more seamless.

All insights shared on the best practices for volunteer tracking can likely be employed by WVCN. Below is a checklist that can be used to mark some of the milestones for developing a tracking program.

Checklist

• Determine the goal(s) you want to achieve through tracking.
• Decide which metrics to track (limit to two or three at first).
• Decide which software program(s) to use (if not spreadsheets).
• Set up and test the entire process, from volunteer sign-up to data entry and reporting.
• Design a cheat sheet/how-to manual of directions for tracking.
• Determine who in the organization or which volunteer(s) will be responsible for tracking.
• Train multiple individuals to track.
• Ensure tracking is easy to do through trial runs and feedback.
• Explain the importance of tracking upfront.
• Create paper form equivalents of required tracking data. 

• Have a digitization process in place. Have a data backup plan in place. 

References

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