Most volunteer hours die in a binder. A sign-in sheet gets filled in from memory, a spreadsheet gets updated when someone remembers, and at grant time the program manager reconstructs six months of effort from emails. ClockOut replaces that with a time clock volunteers tap on the way in, and records you can export the day a funder asks.
Where volunteer hours get lost
- The sign-in sheet. Paper at the door works until it is misplaced, skipped during a rush, or filled in generously from memory.
- The reconstruction. Grant reports and in-kind match calculations need defensible numbers, not estimates assembled the week the report is due.
- The no-show scramble. A volunteer who never saw the schedule is not a flake, but the shift still goes uncovered either way.
- Staff time in a separate system.Paid staff hours and volunteer hours end up in different tools, so nobody can see a program’s full labor picture.
What ClockOut does for volunteer programs
One-tap clock-in for volunteers and staff
Everyone opens ClockOut in a phone browser and taps clock in. No app-store download, no training session. Each entry records the time and the GPS location, so the hours attached to a program site are hours that happened there.
Kiosk sign-in for events and drop-in shifts
For food banks, thrift stores, and event days, put a tablet at the door in kiosk mode. Each person signs in and out with a 4-digit PIN. It is the paper sheet, minus the part where someone retypes it later.
Shift schedules volunteers actually see
Publish the week and every volunteer sees their shifts on their phone. Post open shifts and let people claim them, approve swaps when plans change, and use shift confirmation to see who has acknowledged an assignment before the day arrives. Recurring schedules cover the programs that run the same way every week.
Hours reports a funder will accept
Hours are stored per person with timestamps and locations, and export to CSV for any date range. Grant match calculations, board reports, and volunteer recognition all pull from the same record instead of three competing spreadsheets.
The same system for paid staff
Staff clock the same way, with overtime alerts, timesheet approvals, and payroll-ready exports. See the employee scheduling app side of ClockOut for the full staffing workflow.
ClockOut vs the usual setup
| ClockOut | Paper sign-in | Spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timestamped, GPS-stamped hours | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Kiosk sign-in at the door | ✓ | Paper | ✗ |
| Published shift schedule | ✓ | ✗ | Manual |
| Open shifts volunteers can claim | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CSV export for grant reports | ✓ | Retype it | Fragile |
| Staff and volunteers in one system | ✓ | ✗ | Sometimes |
| Cost for a 10-person program | $30 / mo | $0 + hours of admin | $0 + hours of admin |
Set up a volunteer program in an afternoon
- 01
Create the organization
Sign up at useclockout.com, free for up to 2 users, no card needed.
- 02
Add people and sites
Invite volunteers and staff, and add each program location. A kiosk tablet at a busy site takes a few minutes to set up.
- 03
Publish the schedule
Create shifts for programs and events, post open slots, and let confirmations tell you who has seen their assignment.
- 04
Export when asked
When the grant report or board meeting comes, export the date range to CSV and paste in numbers you can defend.
FAQ
How does pricing work for volunteers?
Every active person in ClockOut counts as a user, whether they are staff or a volunteer. The free plan covers 2 users; Starter is $3 per user per month. Deactivate seasonal volunteers when a program ends and they stop counting toward the bill.
Can volunteers track their own hours for school or court requirements?
Volunteers see their own hours in the app, and a coordinator can export a per-person CSV for any date range to accompany a verification letter. ClockOut does not generate signed third-party verification forms itself.
Do volunteers need to install an app?
No. ClockOut runs in any modern phone browser and can be added to the home screen. Sites with drop-in volunteers usually run a shared kiosk tablet with PIN sign-in instead.
Is this volunteer management software?
Not in the CRM sense. ClockOut handles scheduling and hour tracking. Applications, onboarding paperwork, donor data, and communications belong in a volunteer CRM; ClockOut replaces the sign-in sheet and the hours spreadsheet next to it.
Can we track hours by program or grant?
On Starter and Pro, job codes let people pick what they are working on at clock-in, and hours report by job code. Many nonprofits use one job code per program or grant to split hours in exports.