When a friend mentioned  the online system his employer has started using to schedule shift work, my first thought was how useful a web-based tool like that could be for a non-profit volunteer coordinator. Sure enough, there’s a version of WhenToWork.com that's specially designed for scheduling volunteers — WhenToHelp.com — and it’s free for qualified charities.

Any organization that schedules volunteers can try out WhenToHelp Lite free for thirty days, and any United States 501(C)3 organizations and Canadian Registered Charities who schedule unpaid volunteers can apply for extended use of the service.  The Lite version is limited to 250 volunteers and 100 shifts per week, but that should give plenty of leeway for many small non-profits.

There are some limitations on the features included in WhenToHelp Lite — there’s no tech support and you can’t restrict volunteer options, for example. If that’s a deal-breaker for you, upgrading to a full-featured account starts at $15/month for 1-10 volunteers.

What I find attractive about a specialized tool like WhenToHelp.com — as opposed to trying to organize a large number of volunteers by phone or exchange of email, for example — is how easily your volunteers can show you exactly when they’re available and what their scheduling preferences are. The color-coded calendars let you see at a glance whether you will have the volunteers needed to cover your scheduled event or programs. Worth a look, and perhaps the 30-day trial, to see if it might suit your needs!

Other low-cost online tools for volunteer scheduling and management?
Here are 5 more options you might want to consider:

ChurchDirector.com’s free basic account allows for a single team, up to a maximum of 10 total users (team members);  upgrades start at $5.95/month.

Famundo.com offers unlimited free online calendars to all community organizations;  file storage for sharing documents is included.

MyCharityManager.com is a feature-rich free web tool that lets you track volunteers, events, and donations all in one place.

MyVolunteer.com starts at $4.95/month, and they’re currently offering a time-limited special where you can get 3 months service free.

VolunteerSpot.com is a new arrival in web-based software for volunteer scheduling and communication: free.

Does your organization use an affordable online tool to organize your own volunteers?
Please share your links and your experience in the comments!