How to Build a Volunteer Management Database Power House


Gone are the days of storing volunteers’ data on a spreadsheet. More and more charities are turning to various database system solutions to power their volunteer partnerships. The offerings and options have also increased over the years, with some companies even offering non-profits free licenses so they can harness their product for social good.
But what does it take to build a volunteer management database system to further grow the impact of the volunteer programme? For many non-profits, the task to build a volunteer management database system for your organizations may seem like a daunting one. Having worked on building database systems in a few multi-service organizations I was in, I have come to appreciate the potential of a well-designed system. To help demystify the process, I have listed below some handles (see infographic below) on how you can start thinking about your system and some of the basic potentials of such systems.
To have Emmaus journey alongside with you to kickstart the design process of your volunteer management database system, please do contact us for a conversation on it.


James is the Lead Thrive-Synergist & Founder of Emmaus Strategies; a social enterprise that “fuels good”. It does this through Mental Well-Being programmes for individuals and organizations, as well as Strategic Volunteer Partnerships consultancy and training for non-profits.