How to find a VMS system that actually meets your needs

Hint: it all comes down to one key element

If you are a CVA, you may have seen (or even answered) a question posed in the CVA Facebook forum by our intrepid colleague, Liza Dyer.

Liza took a census. She wanted to know how her peers organize their volunteer data and asked them to post an emoji to express how they feel about their current system.

This simple question generated tons of responses – 51 comments in total – and a string of emojis that ran the gamut from hearts and smileys to frowns and weepy faces.

I’m not surprised. Finding the right volunteer management system (VMS) matters when you’re tracking volunteers, coordinating with development, and (ideally) measuring your program’s impact. It’s the difference between spending minutes entering data and running reports from one source, or taking hours to manipulate a spreadsheet for relevant information.

There are a lot of VMS choices out there, probably something for every program, depending on your size and budget.

The question is: how do you select the right one?

Abbey Earich…