Human resources are a crucial aspect of any organization. It’s the same for nonprofits. While carrying out our charitable services to humanity, you also need to manage your team, recruit and onboard new volunteers, organize payroll, and collaborate with your team on fundraising events and project management.
Nonprofit organizations need to streamline their human resource tasks with ease so they can focus on giving the best to their humanitarian cause. The answer? HR software!
What is HR Software for Nonprofits?
HR software for nonprofits is any specialized digital tool for efficiently managing the organization’s day-to-day human resources tasks and overall HR goals. Such tools are platforms where managers can easily handle their HR tasks and manage their teams while automating some processes.
How Can HR Software Help Nonprofit Organizations?
HR software for nonprofits enables you to efficiently organize each employee and volunteer information, track time, automate payroll and benefits, and manage training programs.
These platforms make finding and screening applicants easy and less time-consuming because these HR tasks are often automated to an extent. They also often come with self-service portals where employees can apply for leave, etc.
Most HR solutions are cloud-based, so you can easily access the platforms from any web server securely. You can also tailor your service according to your organization’s needs, so you only pay for what you use.
SEE ALSO: Best CRM Software for Nonprofits
Best HR Software for Nonprofits & Charities
- Breezy HR
- Bamboo HR
- PartnerHR
- Zoho People
- ADP Workforce
- Paycor
- APS Payroll
- MatcHR
- Workable
So, having known how HR solutions benefit your nonprofit organization, the big question is, which should you go for?
There are so many HR solutions out there, but to help you make a well-informed decision, we’ve reviewed the 9 top HR solutions to consider for your nonprofit.
1. BreezyHR![]()
BreezyHR is a cloud-based HR software well-suited for nonprofit organizations, and they have a few church organizations on their websites. At its core, BreezyHR is an easy-to-use recruiting and applicant tracking system.
HR managers can use the Bootstrap feature to search for top talents across various job boards.
You can use the software for the entire pre-hire process. However, you need to upgrade to the BreezyHR Business Edition to do video interviews on the platform. This is actually their most well-known service, and it comes with background screening and automated reference checking, among other functionalities.
BreezyHR is best used with other HR software such that while it handles the pre-hire stage, the other handle new hires’ training and employee engagement.
Features
- Email, SMS, and Scheduling to allow candidates to receive content at a time best suited for them
- Candidate management allows you to tailor the hiring stages in each pipeline to fit the roles’ requirements.
- Team collaboration – get your team involved in the hiring process
- Reporting and analytics help you stay compliant with EEOC, OFCCP, and GDPR reporting.
- Source Reports offers actionable intel and can sync with different BI tools.
- Source candidates from different databases through the Chrome Extension or searchable candidate database
Pricing
- Free plan — basic features that aren’t useful for efficient hiring
- Startup plan – costs $143/month
- Growth plan – costs $249/month
- Business plan $399/month
Cons
- Glitches come up often
- Customer support isn’t that great
- Some critical data are no longer visible when you expand the tabs
- Non-intuitive system
- Technical problems
- Automation is rather complex compared to other HR software.
2. BambooHR![]()
BambooHR is a popular HR solution that small and growing nonprofit organizations can leverage. Its Human Resource Information System (HRIS) includes an applicant tracking system, time tracking, payroll processing, benefits administration, employee engagement, workforce data analytics, and other automation that help manage every part of the employee lifecycle.
With BambooHR, your nonprofit can streamline its recruiting, onboarding, data collection, payroll, compensation, and people management processes.
Although the platform isn’t built specifically as software for nonprofits, they have multiple case studies on their website for charities.
Features
- Built-in reporting tools help nonprofits centralize all employee information and manage workforce data.
- The integrated applicant tracking system allows you to track hiring assessments for each candidate, send notifications throughout the process, and work with others in making hiring decisions.
- Time tracking features include work hour tracking, time-off requests, and paid leave to ensure accurate payroll.
- Employee satisfaction surveys keep you abreast of your team members’ thoughts and needs.
Pricing
You’d have to contact BambooHR since the company doesn’t publicize pricing details.
Cons
- BambooHR does not automate timekeeping and payroll features
- No scheduling
- Existing staff can book time off even when you make it unavailable
- Can’t undo erroneous transactions when booking time off
- Made primarily for nonprofit organizations based in the US in terms of time zone, etc.
3. PartnerHR![]()
If you’re looking for HR software custom-built for nonprofits, PartnerHR is just it.
PartnerHR is a cloud-based HR software that allows nonprofit organizations to manage all users’ data and company documents securely in one place.
The software allows nonprofit executives and human resources staff to access reports. They can also develop people by viewing the skills the team already has and requires and offer training modules to keep existing employees up to speed.
Most users consider PartnerHR easy to use, so you might have very little difficulty training and managing new hires and volunteers.
Features
- The PartnerHR self-service allows employees and volunteers to request time off and see what skills they need to acquire for the onboarding process.
- Event management technology makes planning campaigns and charity works fairly easy for nonprofits.
- Membership Management and Volunteer Management enable you to manage existing employees and volunteers separately.
- Reporting and statistics give nonprofit executives actionable insight into workers’ satisfaction, goals, future events, donations, etc.
- Member database allows employees, volunteers, and recruiters to store resumes, certificates, contact information, and other relevant data.
Pricing
PartnerHR pricing isn’t shared publicly, so you’d need to contact the company.
Cons
- It only runs on the web (no mobile app version)
- Does not include certain vital features such as payroll, time & attendance management.
URL: https://www.partnerhrm.com
4. Zoho People![]()
Zoho People is an HR software solution that offers core HR services. Although it’s basically for healthcare, media, IT, education, and finance industries, Zoho People is also suited for nonprofit organizations.
Zoho People is one technology to consider if you’re looking for cloud-based software that offers a self-service portal, reporting, analytics, document storage, and attendance/time tracking all in one system. It offers myriad services and modules that make HR processes for nonprofits highly efficient and automated.
Zoho’s ease of use is also one aspect users never stop commending.
Features
- The self-service gives employees the autonomy to apply for leave, submit approvals, and maintain their own records.
- Attendance tracking helps you visualize when each user reports and how much time they spend working. Reporting and analytics give you actionable intel to help you make well-informed decisions for future events.
- All-in-one document repository to keep all employee information and volunteer contact details..
- Performance management gives insight into how each team performs and how to improve your nonprofit organization’s overall performance.
- Easily customized to suit your nonprofit’s bespoke structure.
Pricing
- 15-day free trial with no credit card required Free for up to 5 employees
- ESSENTIAL – $1/employee/month
- PROFESSIONAL – $2/employee/month
- PREMIUM – $3/employee/month
- ENTERPRISE – $5/employee/month
Cons
- Insufficient documentation
- API is limited to 200 records per request
- Poor technical support
URL: https://www.zoho.com/people/
5. ADP Workforce![]()
ADP is a company name known for HR software among many software vendors. Their tools are well-suited for virtually all kinds of businesses requiring HR management, including non-profit organizations.
ADP Workforce is particularly geared towards large, multi-tiered corporations such as government and healthcare organizations.
However, nonprofits with diverse human resources needs, including payroll, performance tracking, attendance, and time tracking, would also find the ADP workforce very useful.
Features
- Payroll management
- Tax filing
- Time and attendance tracking
- Performance tracking
- Recruiting and hiring
- Analytics
Pricing
You’d have to contact their sales team for a custom quote.
Cons
- Too many upgrades
- The software is built on a legacy structure, leading to high maintenance costs and reduced security
- Challenging to learn and use
- Not ideal for startup nonprofits
- Custom reports are complicated for new users.
URL: https://www.workforcenow.adp.com/
6. Paycor![]()
Paycor is a cloud-based HR software specifically built for leaders who desire to make a difference. Its Human Capital Management is a modernization of everything that has to do with HR processes, including recruitment, onboarding, and training, up to how you pay and keep them happy.
But one thing ideally sets Paycor apart as an HR software solution: its focus on business leaders. Therefore, the company partners with organizations’ executives to get deep insight into their needs.
That includes time tracking, time savings, powerful analytics, actionable insights, efficient payroll services, self-service, and more. And Paycor goes all the way to providing people management technology that solves everything.
Paycor ideally makes great software for nonprofits because it focuses on leaders who want to make a difference in how they lead. And every nonprofit requires such an environment where the employees and volunteers are constantly motivated to do more.
Features
- Talent management – Paycor helps to hire managers to strengthen their organizations through top talent acquisition and retention.
- Compensation planning helps you automate pay increases, bonuses, and rewards.
- Provides payroll management that keeps all worker and volunteer information in one place so you don’t have to manually update data across multiple places.
- Pulse surveys give employees the feeling that their voices are heard
- Learning opportunities and career management provide employees with tremendous resources that keep them motivated.
Pricing
- Plans cost from $99 to $199 per month for organizations below 50 members
- Custom price for organizations above 50 members
Cons
- Paycor’s HRIS features are not as robust as its competitors.
- Not customizable
- Cannot create electronic workflows for setting up or terminating access when multiple roles such as HR, IT, and payroll are all involved in the process.
- Some of its advanced features are rather complex for non-financially inclined users to operate.
- Customer support can sometimes be slow.
7. APS Payroll![]()
APS Payroll offers intuitive tools to simplify payroll and human resource management.
The cloud-based HR software is designed to simplify workforce management tasks, process payroll in hours rather than days, automate workflows to be more strategic, and elevate the entire employee lifecycle all in one place.
Ideal for small and mid-sized businesses, APS Payroll is one excellent software for nonprofits to build a strong team.
Features
- Built-in error checking feature that scans each payroll for issues.
- Hourly payroll for nonprofits whose employees are paid by the hour.
- Financial services include payroll tax compliance, payments, and filings for federal, state, and local taxes.
- A fully integrated cloud-based software comprising recruiting, HR management, time tracking, tax compliance, self-service, performance management, and employee attendance, among others
Pricing
APS Payroll has three pricing levels, all with a base fee of $50 per month. Payroll Solution plan attracts an additional $5/ employee/month and Payroll+Attendance attracts $8/employee/month.
For Payroll+HR+Attendance, you must contact the sales team for a custom quote.
Cons
- No workers’ compensation functionality
- The reporting output format isn’t entirely user-friendly. Customization can be challenging, and sometimes there is missing information required.
- The self-service portal isn’t great for the HRM to look things up quickly.
8. MatcHR![]()
A nonprofit organization’s employees with a charity and humanitarian empowerment mindset is a plus.
As the name suggests, MatcHR matches businesses with the right fit talents through predefined personality characteristics, psychometric tests, and the company’s culture. Undoubtedly, this is one HR software nonprofits would want to leverage.
Their interface is pretty much easy to use and can test candidates on the spot, so you save time.
Features
- Their characteristic psychometric tests follow the Cambridge Psychometric Centre, and their algorithm works to support managers in finding the best-fit candidate.
- Easy-to-use intuitive interface that helps to find suitable candidates fast
Pricing
- Basic – 10 assessments; $129/assessment
- Pro – 50 assessments; $99/assessment
- Business – 120 assessments; $79/assessment
Cons
- A candidate can be selected because they fit your requirements, but you should really think before hiring.
9. Workday![]()
Workday HCM (Human Capital Management) offers a multiplicity of resources many HR managers would need, including human resource management, workforce planning, time tracking, attendance, payroll, compensation, and benefits in a central location.
The web-based software can seem challenging to use during the onboarding process, but it soon kicks in and becomes fairly easy as you get used to it.
Mid-sized nonprofit organizations can leverage this HR software as other global for profit businesses in diverse industries.
Workday has a mobile app.
Features
- Integrated talent searching allows HR teams to source skilled hands from different databases.
- Self-service portal for managing time-off and absences
- Tracks employee time
- Policy automation
- Manage full-time and temporary employees
- Configurable workflow
- Portable across Android and iOS devices
Pricing
Workday does not share pricing information publicly. Contact the team for their available plans.
Cons
- The software tries to accomplish everything HR and is inefficient in some functions.
- Integration isn’t excellent, and configuring the system becomes painful.
- Reporting tools can do with some improvement.
- Too many functions that it becomes hard to tell what you need.
URL: https://www.workday.com/en-us/products/human-capital-management/human-resource-management.html
Final Words
Each of the best HR systems listed here comes with its strengths and weaknesses. Most times, it’s better to use more than one so that each complements the other to give you a well-rounded HR management solution.
If you’re looking for purpose-built HR software for nonprofits, PartnerHR makes sense anytime, any day. You can complement its services with ADP Payroll or BreezyHR to crank up payroll and recruiting.
In summary, it all boils down to what you’re looking for in your HR software.
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