Overview

POINT serves both sides of volunteering: organizations can organize opportunities and volunteers can find and join them. Recruitment can run through website widgets, a hosted volunteer hub, social media integrations, and email invitations. The platform also organizes volunteer profiles, administrators, programs, groups, cohosts, and documents.

Founded in 2013 and based in Powell, Ohio, POINT runs on Android, iOS, and the web. Its pricing FAQ says it is available to nonprofits in the U.S. and Ukraine, defining eligible nonprofit accounts as charitable community 501(c)(3) organizations.

Key features

Volunteer intake and scheduling

Organizations can use custom applications, waivers, background checks, progress tracking, and admin approvals to structure onboarding. These capabilities are listed under Pro, not Free, so organizations with formal screening or consent workflows should budget for the upgrade. POINT says Checkr conducts background checks and POINT receives only the check status, not reports or their contents.

Volunteers can register for shifts and groups, including youth and guest registrations. Ongoing opportunities are supported, while recurring opportunities are a Pro feature. That distinction matters for organizations that rely on repeating schedules rather than one-off signups.

Hours and communication

Hours can be recorded automatically, manually, or through self-check-in kiosks. Kiosks and custom reports are Pro features, though time tracking and reporting are included in Free; organizations needing tailored reporting or on-site self-check-in will need to pay. POINT also supports SMS, email, automated confirmations and reminders, push notifications, and calendar integrations. SMS add-on bundles are included with Pro, rather than being described as part of the base plan.

The integrations page names Kindful, Okta, Checkr, PayPal, Venmo, Givebutter, Donorbox, DonorPerfect, Donately, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. POINT says it uses administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect personal information and does not sell volunteer personal information.

Pricing

POINT has a free plan, paid plans, and a 14-day trial. The free tier is unusually broad for organizations starting out: it allows unlimited volunteers and admins and includes signups and scheduling, event, contact and group management, messaging and reminders, time tracking and reporting, website widgets and integrations, plus the volunteer portal and mobile app. It does not include application management, program management, kiosks, waiver management, or custom reports, so it is less suitable for organizations that need controlled intake or richer reporting.

Pro (annual) costs 99.00 USD per month, billed annually; Pro (monthly) costs 140.00 USD per month, billed monthly. Both add application and program management, check-in kiosks and QR codes, recurring opportunities, waivers, document storage, custom reports, background check integration, and SMS add-on bundles. Annual billing lowers the monthly price, but commits the organization to an annual term. Pro fits teams that have outgrown basic signups and need formal applications, screening, or more capable tracking.

Teams (annual) costs 199.00 USD per month, billed annually; Teams (monthly) costs 299.00 USD per month, billed monthly. Both include Pro features plus role-based access controls, admin task management, program segmentation, and branded communication. The tier is for organizations coordinating across administrators or segmented programs; smaller groups may not need its added controls and communication features.

Network offers multi-organization oversight, cross-organization impact tracking, centralized reporting, network-wide admin communication, and an aggregated opportunity feed, with custom pricing. It is aimed at organizations coordinating across multiple organizations rather than a single nonprofit.

Support scales with the plans: Free includes 20-minute onboarding, office hours and webinars, and chat support; Pro includes one-hour onboarding and priority chat; Teams includes multi-session onboarding, team training, and priority support. That makes the paid plans more appealing when rollout and staff training require dedicated help.

Platforms

POINT is available on Android, iOS, and the web, giving volunteers mobile access as well as browser-based use. This combination suits organizations whose volunteers sign up or check details away from a desktop.

Who it's for

POINT is a strong fit for eligible nonprofits that need volunteer signups, scheduling, messaging, and hour tracking in a single system, especially when programs or onboarding processes are becoming more involved. A small organization with straightforward needs can start on Free. Those requiring applications, waivers, kiosks, or tailored reports should compare the operational benefit of Pro against its $99.00 USD per month annual commitment. POINT is not for organizations outside the stated U.S. and Ukraine nonprofit availability.

Pros and cons

Pros: Free supports unlimited volunteers and admins while covering signups, scheduling, messaging, and hours, which gives small organizations room to coordinate without a per-volunteer cap.
Pros: Multiple hour-entry methods and a broad set of communication channels support both self-service check-in and ongoing volunteer reminders.
Cons: Applications, waivers, kiosks, and custom reports require Pro, making the free plan a poor fit for formal intake or organizations that depend on those tools.
Cons: The gap between Pro annual and monthly pricing is substantial, and Teams costs more still; organizations should weigh added controls and support against their actual coordination needs.

Alternatives

VolunteerMark is another freemium option, with a free plan capped at 50 volunteers and one administrator, so it may suit a smaller group that can work within those limits. Vome offers a free Recruit plan with one application form and one onboarding sequence; it is worth considering when a bounded intake workflow is the priority.

SignUp.com has a free Basic plan with one primary organizer, one custom participant question, and one group page, making it an alternative for simple signups. Volunteer Scheduler Pro is a paid alternative with a free trial and flexible scheduling tools for teams focused on volunteer scheduling.

Church Volunteering offers a free plan for one team and up to 10 volunteers, which may suit a small church team with basic roster needs. Volgistics starts at 9.00 USD per month for 50 volunteer records, with optional modules and additional records or operators affecting the total, making it an alternative for organizations that prefer a paid, record-based starting plan.

VolunteerLocal charges 200.00 USD per event for its Discover Plan, with two admin seats and 10,000 SMS per year in the U.S. and Canada; it may be a better fit for single-event coordination. Charity Republic offers a 25.00 USD per month plan for fewer than 250 volunteers, including setup and training, which may suit organizations seeking a paid starting plan with those services.

For broader comparisons, see Volunteer Scheduling Software, Nonprofit Volunteer Management Software, Event Volunteer Management Software, and Church Background Check Software.

Verdict

Choose POINT if your nonprofit wants volunteer recruitment, scheduling, communications, and hour tracking together, and especially if the free plan covers your basic workflow. Its main drawback is the price of moving beyond that core: applications, waivers, kiosks, and custom reports start at 99.00 USD per month billed annually. Organizations that need those features should assess whether Pro’s wider workflow offsets that commitment; those with simple signups may be better served by Free.

	POINT	Shift
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$99/mo	$39/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Android, iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Paid from	99 /mo	39 /mo
Self-service signup	—	Yes

POINT vs Shift

POINT

Shift