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Nonprofits · head to head

Bloomerang Volunteer vs OpenGrants

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Bloomerang Volunteer

Nonprofits

Volunteer management for nonprofits

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenGrants logo

OpenGrants

Nonprofits

Low-cost grant search across federal, state and private funders, with a paid consultant marketplace alongside

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenGrants has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bloomerang Volunteer bloomerang Volunteer starts at $119 per month and is billed annually, with no monthly billing option shown; OpenGrants coverage of private foundations is thinner and less curated than Candid or Instrumentl, so a prospect list built solely from OpenGrants will miss foundations that never post public opportunity notices.
  • They diverge on capability: Bloomerang Volunteer covers Volunteer database, OpenGrants covers Grant search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bloomerang Volunteer and OpenGrants actually diverge.

Attributes where Bloomerang Volunteer and OpenGrants differ
AttributeBloomerang VolunteerOpenGrants
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bloomerang Volunteer

  • Volunteer database
  • Scheduling
  • Task management
  • Communication
  • Reporting
  • Bloomerang CRM
  • Slack
  • Google Calendar

Only in OpenGrants

  • Grant search
  • Saved searches and alerts
  • Funder profiles
  • Opportunity tracking
  • Consultant marketplace
  • Free tier

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bloomerang Volunteer

  • Recruiting, scheduling and tracking nonprofit volunteersnot OpenGrants
  • Messaging and communicating with volunteer shiftsnot OpenGrants
  • Linking volunteer records to donor records in the same CRMnot OpenGrants

OpenGrants

  • A small nonprofit with no research budget that needs to know whether relevant grants exist before hiring anyonenot Bloomerang Volunteer
  • A startup hunting SBIR, state innovation and economic development funding across multiple agenciesnot Bloomerang Volunteer
  • A freelance grant writer covering several clients who cannot pass on a several-hundred-dollar monthly database costnot Bloomerang Volunteer
  • An organisation wanting to hire a grant writer for one application without running a procurementnot Bloomerang Volunteer

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bloomerang Volunteer

  • Bloomerang Volunteer starts at $119 per month and is billed annually, with no monthly billing option shown
  • It is sold as one product in the Bloomerang Giving Platform, which starts at $242 per month billed annually when combined with fundraising and CRM
  • The published figure is a starting price and the page directs buyers to Get Personalized Pricing rather than listing tiers
  • No free tier or trial pricing is published on the pricing page

OpenGrants

  • Coverage of private foundations is thinner and less curated than Candid or Instrumentl, so a prospect list built solely from OpenGrants will miss foundations that never post public opportunity notices.
  • The index leans on public opportunity feeds, which means it is strongest on government funding and weakest on the relationship-driven private philanthropy that most nonprofits actually rely on.
  • Matching is keyword driven rather than fit-scored, so users receive alerts for opportunities they are ineligible for and must qualify each one by hand.
  • The consultant marketplace is a directory with variable quality rather than a vetted panel, so buyers carry the risk of choosing a weak grant writer themselves.
  • It is a US-focused index, offering little to organisations seeking UK, EU or Canadian funding.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bloomerang Volunteer

On request
  • Standard$75/month
    • Volunteer database
    • Scheduling
    • Reporting
  • Premium$125/month
    • Mobile app
    • Advanced communications
    • Integrations

OpenGrants

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core grant search
    • Limited results and saved searches
    • No card required
  • Subscription$9/month
    • Full search access
    • Saved searches and alerts
    • Funder profiles

Which should you pick?

Choose Bloomerang Volunteer if

  • You need volunteer database.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want scheduling.
Bloomerang Volunteer review

Choose OpenGrants if

  • You need grant search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want saved searches and alerts.
OpenGrants review

Questions people ask

Is Bloomerang Volunteer or OpenGrants better?
Neither clearly leads. Bloomerang Volunteer starts at On request and OpenGrants at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bloomerang Volunteer or OpenGrants?
OpenGrants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Bloomerang Volunteer and Free for OpenGrants.
Does Bloomerang Volunteer or OpenGrants run on more platforms?
Bloomerang Volunteer runs on Web, IOS, Android. OpenGrants runs on Web.
Can I use OpenGrants for free?
Yes. OpenGrants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bloomerang Volunteer starts at On request.
What is Bloomerang Volunteer best used for?
Bloomerang Volunteer is most often used for recruiting, scheduling and tracking nonprofit volunteers, messaging and communicating with volunteer shifts, linking volunteer records to donor records in the same crm. Of those, recruiting, scheduling and tracking nonprofit volunteers and messaging and communicating with volunteer shifts are not what OpenGrants is typically brought in for.
What can Bloomerang Volunteer do that OpenGrants cannot?
Bloomerang Volunteer covers Volunteer database, Scheduling, Task management, Communication. OpenGrants covers Grant search, Saved searches and alerts, Funder profiles, Opportunity tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OpenGrants: How much does it cost?

$9 a month or $99 a year after a seven day trial, with a free tier of core search retained.

OpenGrants: Why is it so much cheaper than Candid?

Because it indexes public and semi-public opportunity feeds with automation rather than employing researchers to code foundation records from tax filings. You trade depth of private foundation intelligence for price.

OpenGrants: Does it cover private foundations?

Partially. It is strongest on federal and state programmes. For systematic private foundation research, Candid remains the reference source.

OpenGrants: Is the consultant marketplace vetted?

It is a directory, not a vetted panel. Check references and past awards yourself.

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