How to Track Volunteer Data on a Spreadsheet

Ok, ok…I know. The word “spreadsheet” for most people sends them running for the hills.

But hear me out.

While there are some great tools on the market that will help you track all the volunteer data you want (and then some), that’s not the best solution for everyone.

Some companies just don’t the budget to afford sophisticated tools. At least, not yet.

You can however, use excel or a Good spreadsheet. And they’re free.

Let’s look at some same date to give you a better idea of how this can help you organize your volunteering initiatives.

Let’s say it’s the end of 2016 and you’re taking a look back at how your company did in its philanthropy efforts.

You did a great job collecting information.

Now, what can you learn from this data?

If the data is organized by highest turnout rate to lowest, you can see that:

• 3 out of 5 days in the top 5 land on a Friday.
• The top 5 volunteer days were above 60% turnout rate.
• Nonprofit B seems to be popular with your employees and can handle a large group size
• 2 out of the 3 Fridays in the top 5 were from 3:00pm-5:00pm.

From this data, you can then optimize your volunteering activities to get the most out of them. For example, you may determine that Friday from 3:00pm — 5:00pm is the best day/time combination to volunteer for your company. And Nonprofit B is a place your team enjoys volunteering at.

While not a slick piece of technology, using a spreadsheet to track your company’s volunteering time is perfect if you’re on a shoe-string budget.