6 Top Corporate Volunteering Platforms Compared: Which Is Best for My Business?

Out of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs that are popular with today’s workers, volunteering ranks near the top. On top of making a positive impact for local nonprofits, volunteering can give your employees a shared purpose. A higher purpose at work can improve camaraderie and reduce employee turnover in the long run.

Your company needs a strong corporate volunteering platform that matches your employees’ enthusiasm and creativity. Upon doing just a little bit of research, you’ll probably find that you have no shortage of options. You’ll encounter plenty of sleek-looking desktop apps that promise a lot. 

Delivering on those promises, however, is a different story for many legacy CSR companies. To help you make your decision, we’ll compare Groundswell to some leading corporate volunteering software providers and allow you to make an informed decision.

Table of Contents:

• Key Features of an Effective Corporate Volunteering Platform
• Corporate Volunteering Platform Comparisons: Which Tools Come Out on Top?
  
  • Benevity
  • Groundswell
  • YourCause (Blackbaud)
  • Goodera
  • Bloomerang
  • Submittable
• What Is the Best Corporate Volunteering Platform?
• Groundswell Ushers In a New Era of Corporate Volunteering

Key Features of an Effective Corporate Volunteering Platform

What should your corporate volunteering platform have in order for your team to be successful? 

Every company has different goals and needs; creating a list of priorities and comparing them with CSR software providers is a good first step in narrowing down your options. If you aren’t even sure which features your company’s platform would need, it might be good to consider the following:

• A native mobile app on iOS and Android
• Customizable events, permissions, and employee segmentation capabilities
• Real-time data updates on volunteering event days
• Post-event participant surveys for creating actionable feedback
• Dollars for Doers capability (the company can match volunteer hours with donations, credits, or grants)

A corporate volunteer platform that supports every one of those features while minimizing the administrative burden for your accounting and HR departments will probably be high on your list.

Corporate Volunteering Platform Comparisons: Which Tools Come Out on Top?

Before we go more in-depth with our CSR volunteering software comparisons, it might be helpful to glance at a comparison table. We’re comparing Groundswell’s platform against five well-known, legacy options.

1. Benevity

• What It Is: Comprehensive CSR platform with module for creating, managing, and tracking volunteering events.
• Pros: Team competitions/gamifying volunteering; integrations with HRIS data
• Cons: Limited mobile experience; cluttered interface and dashboards; high price tag; heavy implementation

One of the most notable legacy CSR software companies, Benevity, accommodates multiple program capabilities within its software. However, users cite limited reporting features and volunteering opportunities as downsides.

2. Groundswell

• What It Is: All-in-one CSR platform offering corporate volunteering, gift matching, grantmaking, and more.
• Pros: Easy day-of-event management; robust reporting features; employee segmenting
• Cons: Employee participation rates might increase TOO quickly after purchasing a subscription!

Groundswell understands the importance of having a volunteering module that actually works well with other modules. You can easily create a variety of volunteering events, including skills-based and virtual volunteering opportunities.

3. YourCause (Blackbaud)

• What It Is: CSR platform with separate modules for volunteering, employee gift matching, and data reporting.
• Pros: Volunteering is a distinct product; Dollars for Doers capability
• Cons: Not synced with Guidestar nonprofit profiles; add-on fees for additional features; complicated user interface; no mobile app; high price points

YourCause is now partnered with Blackbaud and offers multiple CSR functions for users. It’s known for its relatively steep learning curve, which can make its software cost-prohibitive for smaller and mid-sized companies.

4. Goodera

• What It Is: CSR platform focused on volunteering capabilities for both companies and nonprofits.
• Pros: Global volunteer network; features for gamifying/competition between teams
• Cons: Software is limited to volunteering; mobile experience ranges from clunky to ineffective

Goodera is one of the newer corporate volunteering platforms and performs relatively well within its focus. However, you should look elsewhere if your company needs a comprehensive, all-in-one platform.

5. Bloomerang

• What It Is: Volunteer and fundraising tool for volunteers and nonprofits.
• Pros: Self-serve features for users; syncing capability with nonprofit donors
• Cons: Complicated dashboards; limited functionality with mobile app

Bloomerang is another CSR platform designed specifically for volunteering events and opportunities. While it offers many self-service features that reduce work for administrators, some users report non-intuitive experiences—especially in Bloomerang’s mobile app.

6. Submittable

• What It Is: A comprehensive CSR platform with an employee volunteering module that allows users to create, manage, and track events.
• Pros: Integration with other CSR modules; customer support
• Cons: Limited ability to segment employees; no access to Guidestar’s nonprofit profiles

Submittable is another legacy company that offers multiple capabilities within its software. However, the lack of a strong mobile option leaves users wanting more automated data reporting.

What Is the Best Corporate Volunteering Platform?

Only you can determine the best corporate volunteering software for your company, but many (if not most) CSR professionals prefer platforms that offer data syncing, robust reporting features, and automated, self-service workflows for users. Your HR and admin staff likely have little time to devote to managing CSR programs, and every automation certainly helps the workload.

Groundswell was built with the mindset that making a difference shouldn’t be out of reach for smaller and mid-sized companies. Plenty of legacy software companies are content to work with global corporations without providing scalable platforms.

We knew it was possible to build a comprehensive, all-in-one CSR software that is affordable and accessible. Volunteering events should be fun, stress-free, and impactful, and that’s what our platform supports.

In today’s era of telecommuting, we also prioritize virtual, skills-based, and other alternative volunteer events so that every employee can get in the game. Lifting up every potential volunteer lifts up everyone else.

Groundswell Ushers In a New Era of Corporate Volunteering

As important as employee volunteering is for most companies’ CSR strategies, it’s just as important for it to work in concert with other programs. Groundswell’s CSR platform empowers your employees to take charge of volunteering, reduces the burden for your administrative staff, and allows users to cross over into other areas of CSR without any hitches.

We’d love to speak with you during your personalized demo!