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Updated August 2026
Tracking volunteer hours sounds tedious, but it powers your grant reports, board updates, and thank-yous. Here's how to do it simply — without living in a spreadsheet.
The number does real work for a small nonprofit:
Pick simple rules: count time spent on the work — a shift, prep, a remote task. Skip travel unless a funder requires it. Write the rule down so everyone logs the same way.
One method, not five. A sign-in sheet, a shared form, or volunteer software. The best one is the one people actually use.
The easiest hours to track are the ones you record on the spot. Check people in and the time logs itself.
For work done off-site, let volunteers submit their own hours, then approve them. It saves you chasing people down.
A quick review catches typos and keeps the totals trustworthy for funders.
Add hours by program and by person, so board and grant reports take minutes, not an afternoon.
A paper sign-in sheet is cheap but means retyping everything later. A shared Google Form is free but you still total by hand. A spreadsheet is flexible but gets error-prone as it grows. Volunteer software totals hours for you, but costs a little to set up. Match the method to your size — and don't over-build for a tiny program.
For grant and board reports, volunteer time is often valued at a standard rate. Independent Sector estimates the national value of a volunteer hour at roughly $34 (the figure updates each year). Multiply your total hours by that rate to show in-kind value — many grants accept it toward a match. Keep your totals by program and date so you can answer "how many hours did this program get?" in seconds.
The Ember tool for thisEmber Volunteers logs attendance at each shift, lets volunteers submit remote hours for a quick approval, and totals everything by program — with in-kind value calculated for your reports.
Add up the time each volunteer spends on the work. Record hours at the shift where you can, let volunteers log remote work, then total by program for reports.
Independent Sector estimates the national value of volunteer time at roughly $34 an hour, and the figure updates each year. Funders often accept this rate for an in-kind match.
Volunteer time is commonly reported as in-kind support for grants and board reports, valued at a standard rate. It generally isn't tax-deductible for the volunteer, though — check the specifics.
A shared sign-in form plus a spreadsheet works for a small program. As it grows, a free volunteer tool that totals hours automatically saves the manual math.
Ember brings your programs, grants, volunteers, and donors into one place — built only for nonprofits, with a free plan and no credit card.
No credit card · No trial clock · Unlimited users included
Sources: Independent Sector — Value of Volunteer Time. Verified August 2026; the rate updates annually — check the source for the current figure.