Best Free Volunteer Time Tracking & Management Software for 2027: Top 6 Picks
_mVFFaHUZhS.webp)
Your volunteers showed up, served meals, ran the event and stayed late. But when the grant report is due, you’re digging through paper sign-in sheets, half-filled spreadsheets and text messages to work out how many hours they actually gave. Every hour you can’t prove is impact you can’t report, and value your organization quietly loses. The right volunteer time tracking software fixes that in minutes rather than months. This guide compares six free options so you can pick one this week, not next year.
- Lost hours are lost value: Volunteer time tracking software turns untracked hours into verified, reportable data for funders, boards and grant applications.
- Free to test: Every tool in this list has a free plan or free trial, so you can test it with real volunteers before committing any budget.
- Best for Microsoft 365: Timesheet 365 is the strongest choice for nonprofits already working in Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint.
- Choose by fit, not features: The best volunteer management software depends on how you verify hours, how many volunteers you have and which systems you already use.
What Is Volunteer Time Tracking Software?
Volunteer time tracking software records when, where and on what your volunteers spend their time, then turns those records into approved data you can use. Basic tools simply log hours. Fuller non-profit volunteer management software adds scheduling, sign-ups, supervisor approvals, mobile check-in and exports for grant reporting. The goal is the same either way: one reliable record of volunteer contribution instead of scattered sheets.
Why Accurate Volunteer Hour Tracking Matters
Volunteer time has a real dollar value, and funders increasingly expect you to show it. Independent Sector’s latest Value of Volunteer Time study puts one hour of U.S. volunteer work at $34.79. Many nonprofits use this figure to calculate in-kind contributions for grant applications and annual reports (Independent Sector, 2025). If your organization logs 2,000 volunteer hours a year, that is nearly $70,000 in value you can document, but only if the hours are tracked and approved.
The scale of volunteering makes this even more important. According to AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau, about 75.7 million Americans formally volunteered through organizations and gave almost 5 billion hours of service. At the same time, nonprofits face tighter budgets and leaner teams. Sector research highlights continued pressure on staffing, technology and operations. When staff time is scarce, automated hour tracking frees coordinators to focus on people rather than paperwork.
How to Choose Volunteer Management Software for Nonprofits
Before you book a single demo, decide what problem you are actually solving. Some organizations need simple hour logging. Others need scheduling, recruiting and donor CRM integration in one place. Use this checklist to narrow your shortlist:
- Hour logging and approvals: Volunteers should be able to log time themselves, and coordinators should be able to approve or reject entries so every reported hour is verified.
- Mobile and location check-in: For off-site or field volunteering, look for mobile clock-in with location capture so you have proof of where service happened.
- Reporting and exports: You should be able to pull hours by program, project, event or grant in one click and export to Excel for funders.
- Integrations: Check whether the tool connects to your existing systems, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, your donor CRM or payroll.
- Free plan limits: Free tiers usually cap volunteers, admins or active tasks, so make sure the limits fit your current program size.
- Data ownership and security: Know where volunteer data is stored, who controls it, and whether it meets your privacy obligations.
- Nonprofit discounts: Even when no discount is advertised, ask. Many vendors offer nonprofit pricing on request.
What's the Best Volunteer Management Software for Nonprofits?
- Microsoft 365 organizations: Timesheet 365 fits best because it runs inside Teams and SharePoint.
- Mobile-first teams: Zelos suits teams that coordinate by phone.
- Small charities that need scheduling plus hours: Timecounts keeps both in one simple dashboard.
- Recruiting new volunteers: POINT puts your opportunities in front of people who are looking to help.
- Budget hour logging: Track It Forward focuses purely on logging and verifying hours.
- Quick event sign-ups: SignUpGenius is the simplest way to fill event shifts.
Charities that report to grantors need hours that are approved, auditable and tagged to a program. Prioritize tools with approval workflows, project-level time tracking and clean exports. Timesheet 365 and Track It Forward are the strongest options for this kind of verified, report-ready tracking.
Schools, honor societies and scholarship programs often require verified community-service hours. Students need a simple way to log time from a phone, and supervisors need an easy way to confirm it. Look for tools that offer:
- Self-logging: Students log their own service hours on a phone.
- Verification: A site supervisor or coordinator confirms each entry.
- Summaries: Hour summaries can be exported for school counselors.
- Proof of service: Location or photo proof is available for off-site work.
Track It Forward is popular with schools and clubs. Timesheet 365 works well for schools on Microsoft 365 Education.
Yes. Bloomerang Volunteer, formerly known as InitLive, offers scheduling, mobile check-in and check-out, messaging and hour tracking. Its biggest advantage is its connection with Bloomerang’s donor CRM, which places volunteer activity next to giving history on each supporter’s record. It is a paid product without a free plan, which is why it doesn’t appear in this free list.
Comparison Table: 6 Free Volunteer Time Tracking Tools
| Tool | Best for | Free option | Paid pricing | Nonprofit discount | Location check-in | Key integrations |
| Timesheet 365 | Microsoft 365 nonprofits | Free trial | Per user/month | Special Discounts upto 30% can avail | Yes | Teams, SharePoint, Excel, Power BI |
| Zelos | Mobile-first teams | Free Standard plan | Pro from $99/mo (annual) | 20% off paid plans | App check-in | Zapier, API |
| Timecounts | Small charities | Free Community plan for nonprofits | Pro $708/yr | 100% Community plan | Check-in | Mailchimp, exports |
| POINT | Recruiting volunteers | Free Core plan for nonprofits | Pro $1,188/yr | 100% Core plan | App check-in | Limited |
| Track It Forward | Hour verification | Limited free plan | Tiered | On request | Mobile app | Exports |
| SignUpGenius | Event sign-ups | Free plan with ads | Pro tiers | Nonprofit offers | Basic | Google, calendars |
6 Best Free Volunteer Time Tracking Software Tools
1. Timesheet 365
Timesheet 365, is a Microsoft 365-native timesheet software that runs directly inside Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. Instead of asking volunteers and coordinators to learn another platform and remember another password, it puts time tracking where your team already works every day. For nonprofits using Microsoft 365, including those on Microsoft’s nonprofit grants, this makes it one of the most practical volunteer time tracking software options available.
Best for: Nonprofits, charities and schools that already use Microsoft 365, Teams and SharePoint.
- Volunteer hour logging: Volunteers enter hours on daily or weekly timesheets, or use a timer for live sessions, so time is captured accurately at the source.
- Approval workflows: Coordinators approve or reject submitted hours, so every hour in your grant report is verified.
- Project and program tracking: Hours can be assigned to programs, events, grants or tasks, which makes funder reporting simple.
- Reports and exports: Dashboards and Excel/CSV exports turn approved hours into in-kind value and grant-ready summaries.
- AI agents for time capture: AI agents suggest and pre-fill time entries, which reduces forgotten or incomplete hours.
- Location tracking: The location where hours are logged is captured, giving you proof of service for off-site and field volunteering.
- Microsoft Teams integration: Volunteers log, submit and approve time without leaving Teams, on desktop or mobile.
- SharePoint integration: All time data is stored in SharePoint within your own Microsoft 365 tenant, not on a third-party server.
Pricing: A free trial is available through apps365.com and Microsoft AppSource.
Pros: It requires no new app for Microsoft 365 users, keeps data under your organization’s control, and offers strong approvals and project-level reporting.
Cons: It delivers the most value only for organizations already using Microsoft 365, and it does not include volunteer recruiting or marketplace features.
Availability: Global, wherever Microsoft 365 is available.
Ready to stop losing volunteer hours?
See how Timesheet 365 tracks, approves and reports every volunteer hour inside Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, with AI time capture and location tracking built in.
2. Zelos
Zelos is a mobile-first volunteer management app built around tasks, shifts and team communication. It is especially popular with organizations whose volunteers coordinate on the go, such as event crews, community response teams and sports clubs. Coordinators can publish tasks, invite volunteers to sign up and communicate with the whole group from one app, while hours are recorded as volunteers complete their shifts.
Best for: Mobile-first volunteer teams, event crews and community groups.
- Task and shift scheduling: Coordinators publish tasks and shifts that volunteers claim directly from their phones, which reduces back-and-forth messaging.
- Shift swapping: Volunteers can swap shifts themselves, so coordinators spend less time filling last-minute gaps.
- Hour tracking: Volunteer hours are recorded against completed tasks, creating a running record for each member.
- Group messaging: Built-in chat and announcements keep everyone informed without separate group texts.
- Custom profiles and forms: Organizations can collect volunteer details, skills and availability in one place.
- Admin oversight: Supervised messaging and admin controls help keep communication professional and safe.
Pricing: Zelos offers a free Standard plan with unlimited members and admins, capped at 25 concurrent active tasks and 10,000 chat messages. Pro plans start at $99 per month billed annually. Registered nonprofits can get 40% off paid plans.
Pros: It has an excellent mobile experience, a generous free plan and fast setup for small and large teams.
Cons: The cap on active tasks can limit busy programs, and its reporting is lighter than dedicated timesheet tools for grant-level detail.
Availability: Global.
3. Timecounts
Timecounts is a volunteer hub that combines shift sign-up, hour tracking and customizable onboarding in one simple dashboard. It was built specifically for small and mid-size nonprofits that want scheduling and hours together without the complexity of an enterprise platform. Volunteers sign up through clean public pages, check in to their shifts and build a verified hour history.
Best for: Small charities that need scheduling and hour tracking in one place.
- Shift scheduling: Coordinators build shifts and roles that volunteers sign up for through branded public pages.
- Hour tracking: Hours are recorded automatically from attended shifts, with manual entries available for extra service.
- Onboarding workflows: Custom onboarding steps collect waivers, documents and training confirmations before volunteers start.
- Volunteer database: All volunteer records, history and contact details live in a single searchable database.
- Messaging: Coordinators send reminders and updates to individuals or groups.
- Reporting: Hour reports can be exported for grant applications and board updates.
Pricing: Timecounts’ Pro plan costs $708 per year. Eligible nonprofits in the U.S. and Canada can get its Community plan 100% free.
Pros: It is very easy for volunteers to use, combines scheduling and hours, and gives qualifying nonprofits a genuinely free plan.
Cons: Advanced integrations are limited, and the free Community plan is available only to eligible organizations in the U.S. and Canada.
Availability: U.S. and Canada.
4. POINT
POINT is a public volunteer opportunity app paired with a nonprofit dashboard for events, hours, documents and check-ins. Its biggest strength is reach. Nonprofits list opportunities in a consumer app where people actively look for ways to help, so it doubles as a recruiting channel. Once volunteers sign up, organizations can manage attendance and track hours from the same dashboard.
Best for: Recruiting new volunteers and growing community engagement.
- Opportunity listings: Nonprofits post events in POINT’s public app, where local volunteers discover and join them.
- Volunteer sign-up: Volunteers register in a few taps, which lowers the barrier for first-time helpers.
- Check-in and hour tracking: Attendance is recorded at events and converted into tracked hours.
- Impact profiles: Volunteers build personal profiles showing their service history, which encourages repeat volunteering.
- Document storage: Waivers and documents can be collected and stored with volunteer records.
- Corporate connections: POINT links nonprofits with company volunteering programs looking for opportunities.
Pricing: POINT’s Pro plan costs $1,188 per year billed annually, about $99 per month. Qualifying nonprofits can access the Core plan 100% free.
Pros: It brings in new volunteers, is friendly for younger and first-time volunteers, and includes a free Core plan for nonprofits.
Cons: It is weaker for internal approval workflows and detailed timesheets, and it is mainly useful in U.S. markets.
Availability: U.S. and Ukraine.
5. Track It Forward
Track It Forward focuses on one job: logging and verifying volunteer hours. That focus makes it a favorite of schools, clubs, honor societies and service-hour programs that care more about accurate hour records than scheduling or recruiting. Volunteers and students log their own time, and supervisors confirm each entry before it counts.
Best for: Hour verification, including high school and student service hours.
- Self-logged hours: Volunteers submit hours from a phone or the web right after their service.
- Supervisor approval: Each entry can be verified by a supervisor, which makes hour totals trustworthy for schools and funders.
- Custom fields: Organizations can add categories, locations and questions to match their reporting needs.
- Mobile app: Volunteers log and review their hours anywhere using the mobile app.
- Hour reports: Coordinators export summaries by volunteer, category or date range.
- Event check-in: Basic event tools let organizations record attendance alongside logged hours.
Pricing: Track It Forward offers a limited free plan for small groups, with paid tiers that scale by volunteer count. Nonprofit pricing is available on request.
Pros: Its time tracking is simple and focused, and it is especially strong for verifying service hours.
Cons: Scheduling and communication tools are limited, and growing programs outgrow the free tier quickly.
Availability: Global, with most users in the U.S.
6. SignUpGenius
SignUpGenius is the well-known online sign-up sheet used by schools, churches, sports leagues and community groups. Most volunteers have already used it, so there is almost no learning curve. It works best for event-based volunteering, where the main challenge is filling shifts and sending reminders rather than running detailed timesheets.
Best for: Simple event and shift sign-ups.
- Online sign-up sheets: Coordinators create sign-up pages for shifts, slots and items in minutes.
- Automatic reminders: Volunteers get email and text reminders, which reduces no-shows.
- Basic check-in: Coordinators can mark attendance at events to keep a simple participation record.
- Calendar sync: Volunteers can add commitments to Google and other calendars.
- Payment collection: Paid tiers allow fees or donations to be collected during sign-up.
- Group management: Contact lists and groups make it easy to invite the same volunteers again.
Pricing: SignUpGenius offers a free plan with ads. Paid Pro tiers add features and remove ads, and nonprofit and school offers are available.
Pros: Volunteers already know it, it is fast to launch, and the free plan is genuinely usable.
Cons: It is not a true timesheet or approval system, and the free plan shows ads to volunteers.
Availability: Global, with most users in the U.S.
Join Our Creative Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there free volunteer time tracking software?
Yes. Zelos, Timecounts, POINT, Track It Forward and SignUpGenius all offer free plans, and Timesheet 365 offers a free trial. Free plans usually cap volunteers, tasks or features.
How do nonprofits calculate the value of volunteer hours?
Most U.S. nonprofits multiply approved volunteer hours by Independent Sector’s hourly rate, currently $34.79. The result is reported as in-kind contribution value in grants and annual reports.
Can volunteer hours be tracked inside Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Timesheet 365 lets volunteers log time and coordinators approve it directly in Teams, with all data stored in SharePoint.
How do high school students track community service hours?
Students log hours in an app such as Track It Forward or Timesheet 365, and a supervisor verifies each entry. Counselors can then use exported summaries for graduation or award requirements.
Does volunteer management software integrate with donor CRMs?
Many tools do, either natively or through exports and Zapier. Bloomerang Volunteer, for example, syncs volunteer activity directly with the Bloomerang donor CRM.
