If you're responsible for managing volunteers for a nonprofit organization, you know firsthand how valuable volunteers are. You also know just how difficult it can be to recruit and retain them while keeping track of their hours, coordinating events schedules, and keeping on top of volunteer communications.

Volunteer management software is designed to help you with all these tasks and more. We're obviously partial to Civic Champs as a feature-rich and powerful solution for managing volunteers, but there are a number of solutions in this space, including one that's been around since 2009, Get Connected by Galaxy Digital. With a long history and a focus on larger nonprofits like United Way and Habitat for Humanity, Get Connected has a different feature set that may not be the best fit for every organization.

So if you're researching volunteer management software options, or if you are a current Get Connected customer exploring alternatives, this article's for you. We cover the key features of both platforms, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. You'll come away a more informed buyer, with a clear understanding of which product is a better fit for your nonprofit.

About Civic Champs

At Civic Champs, we're on a mission to transform volunteer management and empower nonprofits nationwide. Since becoming a B Corp in 2019, we've been dedicated to providing mobile and web-based management systems that strengthen relationships, streamline operations, and automate key processes. 

We provide a complete set of tools to help you succeed, such as:

• Volunteer management tools for detailed profiles and communication
• Recruitment support for onboarding and categorization
• Scheduling solutions for events and registration
• Coordination features for making event check-in and check-out a breeze
• Reporting capabilities for data-driven insights

Key Features

• Comprehensive Volunteer Profiles. Easily access and manage volunteer information, including personal and emergency contact details, reflection and questionnaire responses, digitized waivers, and detailed notes.
• Efficient Volunteer Onboarding and Grouping. Streamline the onboarding process by adding volunteers to your organization, categorizing them effectively, and gathering necessary information such as questionnaires, waivers, and credentials.
• Seamless Event Creation and Management. Create and manage events with ease, including participant, location, shift, role, and onboarding information. Send registration links for volunteers to sign up online and view event details to track volunteer registration and requirements.
• Flexible Volunteer Check-In and Check-Out. Use multiple convenient options for volunteers to check in and out of events, including setting up a kiosk with a computer or tablet or using the Civic Champs mobile app.
• Volunteer Communication and Engagement. Keep volunteers informed and engaged through messaging features, ensuring they stay up-to-date with the latest information and opportunities.
• Volunteer Activity Tracking. Track and monitor volunteer activities, hours, and donations to gain a clear understanding of their contributions and impact on your organization.
• Data-Driven Insights and Reporting. Access meaningful insights by filtering data from various tables, including volunteer, activity log, event, group, registration, admin, role, and questionnaire. Export data to support grant-writing efforts and calculate return on investment (ROI).
• Customizable Volunteer Grouping. Create custom groups based on specific criteria, such as skills, interests, or availability, to effectively manage and engage volunteers based on your organization's needs.
• Mobile App for Volunteers. Provide volunteers with a dedicated mobile app to easily access event information, sign up for shifts, and manage their profiles, enhancing their overall experience and engagement with your organization.

What Civic Champs Customers Say

Customer reviews on Capterra (4.7/5 stars) mention the following benefits and limitations:

Benefits

• Exceptional customer service, with responsive and attentive support staff
• User-friendly interface that simplifies event creation and volunteer management
• Efficient tracking of volunteer hours and donations, saving time and effort
• Detailed reports that give you easy access to important data
• Smooth transition from manual methods to an electronic system
• Competitive pricing compared to other volunteer management solutions
• Effective communication tools, including messaging features to keep volunteers engaged
• Streamlined volunteer recruitment and registration process
• Customizable features to meet the specific needs of the organization

Limitations

• Older smartphones may experience issues with the mobile app
• Limited integration options for the donation feature, specifically a lack of PayPal support
• Minor improvements needed for exporting reports and app functionality

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About Get Connected by Galaxy Digital

Get Connected by Galaxy Digital is a volunteer management software designed for organizations seeking to maximize their event management, volunteer engagement, and community impact. Their mission is to build stronger communities through simple technology that improves lives by connecting people, organizations, and resources.

Since its inception over a decade ago, Get Connected has grown to be one of the larger solutions in the volunteer management software space.

Get Connected's core features include: a volunteer app, hours tracking, volunteer check-in, scheduling, volunteer waivers, event management, group and team management, and volunteer profiles.

Key Features

• Volunteer App. Empower your volunteers to find opportunities, check in, and track hours with an intuitive mobile app.
• Hours Tracking. Accurately track volunteer hours with automated tools and pre-built reports.
• Volunteer Check-In. Make checking-in a snap with a volunteer check-in kiosk, a mobile app, and automated reminders.
• Scheduling. Fill every shift with tools that manage one-time events, ongoing opportunities, and recurring shifts.
• Volunteer Waivers. Protect your organization by collecting and storing digital liability waivers and e-signatures.
• Event Management. Use custom landing pages to promote cornerstone events, gather RSVPs, and get volunteer sign-ups.
• Groups & Teams. Boost volunteer engagement and impact with streamlined group and team management tools.
• Volunteer Profiles. Give volunteers a custom profile that displays skills & interests, individual impact, and achievements.
• Corporate Partnership Tools. Build and maintain corporate partnerships with automated communication tools, custom landing pages, and real-time tracking of employee impact.

What Galaxy Digital Customers Say

Customer reviews on Capterra (4.4/5 stars) highlight the following strengths and limitations of Get Connected:

Strengths

• Clean and user-friendly interface for volunteers seeking opportunities
• Mobile-friendly format improves the ability to connect volunteers with opportunities efficiently
• Users are impressed with the website's ease of use and attractive design
• Customizable public webpage integrates seamlessly with an organization's existing website
• Centralized location for volunteer data and locations
• Calendar feature is useful for scheduling and tracking volunteers

Limitations

• Some features are not intuitive or user-friendly, especially for older volunteers
• Inconsistent or delayed response times from support staff
• Difficulty retrieving specific data due to the complexity of filter options
• Limited creative liberty in the email blast feature, requiring the use of additional tools like Constant Contact
• Inconsistent customer support response times and lack of personalized support
• Steep learning curve for site managers and administrators
• May require a dedicated staff member to manage the platform effectively
• Not well-suited for organizations with unique or diverse volunteer programs
• Fundraising features are limited and may not meet the needs of all organizations

One customer praised Get Connected, saying, "Overall, our experience has been good; definitely better than what we had previously."

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However, another user expressed frustration with the platform's limitations, stating, "...you need a full-time person to manage this platform. It is not something that will run seamlessly in the background. It is basically a database. So you need to have a dedicated person that is pretty tech savvy that is able to spend AT LEAST 20 hours a week managing your platform."

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While many users like Get Connected's central platform and adjustable features, some organizations might find it hard to learn and not fully flexible for their specific needs.

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Pricing and Value Comparison

The biggest difference between pricing for Civic Champs vs. Get Connected is that Get Connected does not transparently list pricing, and Civic Champs does. This means you can’t get an estimate of how much Get Connected will cost your nonprofit without going through a sales demo to get a custom quote. In fact, you can’t even get information on what factors go into Get Connected pricing without a sales demo.

If you are like the 81% of software buyers who prefer to get pricing information on your own, that’s a big reason to consider Civic Champs over Get Connected. With Civic Champs not only is pricing publicly available on our website, there’s only one factor to consider if you want to know how much it will cost your nonprofit. With Civic Champs you pay only for active volunteers and our volunteer microdonation feature could even offset the entire cost of the software!

Using Civic Champ's award-winning micro-donations feature, your organization can automate small donation requests of your volunteers at the right time with the right message.

When is Get Connected by Galaxy Digital the right fit for your nonprofit?

Get Connected by Galaxy Digital could be a good fit for your volunteer management software system if any of the following fit your nonprofit:

• Your organization has multiple programs with volunteer needs, each operating in a different geographic location and in a different way. Get Connected allows each program the autonomy to manage its own volunteers while sharing one portal to post opportunities and recruit volunteers.
• You have a dedicated staff member who can spend at least 20 hours a week managing the platform. Customers say Get Connected requires a significant time investment to learn and manage effectively.
• Your nonprofit primarily focuses on one-off events rather than ongoing volunteer opportunities. Some users have reported that Get Connected is better suited for managing individual events than complex, recurring volunteer needs.

When is Civic Champs the right fit for your nonprofit?

If any of the following describe your nonprofit, Civic Champs is likely to be a great fit:

• Ease of use is critical. If your volunteers tend to be older or less tech-savvy, Civic Champs' intuitive, modern interface will delight them and make it easy for them to focus on their volunteer work rather than the software.
• Your volunteers love their mobile devices. Civic Champs' companion mobile app is rated very highly for ease of use among volunteer software apps, and the microdonations feature helps turn volunteers into donors.
• You need integrations with donor management, CRM, and other solutions. Civic Champs' integrations with Blackbaud Raiser's Edge and Little Green Light, among other partners, help get your nonprofit's software systems working in harmony.
• Your staff needs time-sensitive customer service. Civic Champs is rated highly by customers both for quality of customer service as well as timeliness of response.
• Your nonprofit values price transparency. Unlike Get Connected, which requires a demo to get pricing information, Civic Champs openly shares its pricing on its website. This makes it easy for nonprofits to understand costs upfront.
• You have a diverse volunteer program with various types of opportunities. Civic Champs is designed to be flexible and adaptable to a wide range of volunteer programs, from simple one-time events to complex ongoing opportunities.

Wrapping up

If you are early in selecting a volunteer management platform, you’ve got a lot to consider. This article covers the major differences between Civic Champs and Get Connected by Galaxy Digital, but if you are still doing research, you should check out these other articles:

• Our comprehensive list of the best volunteer management solutions
• Our companion article on the best volunteer management apps

If you’ve decided that Civic Champs might be a fit and would like to learn more, the best place to start is to take a look at our features to make sure we have your needs covered! Then watch our video demo to learn more. 

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As CEO of Civic Champs, I lead our team of passionate change leaders to create technology solutions to create a seamless and rewarding volunteering experience for both volunteers and service organizations.