Care Roster or Volunteer Ledger: which do you need?
Both are Hospice Apps tools for the operational side of a hospice agency. They solve different problems, so the right choice depends on what your team is trying to fix.
The short answer
- Choose Care Roster when the problem is reaching people: contacts, on-call coverage and urgent staff alerts.
- Choose Volunteer Ledger when the problem is running the volunteer program: volunteers, hours, requirements, shifts and reports.
- Choose both when your agency has both problems. The apps sit side by side without overlapping.
Match the problem to the app
Find the sentence that sounds like your office. The app next to it is the one built for that job.
- “We can’t find the pharmacy’s after-hours number.” Care Roster
- “Our volunteer hours live in a spreadsheet.” Volunteer Ledger
- “Nobody is sure who is on call tonight.” Care Roster
- “Volunteer requirements expire before anyone notices.” Volunteer Ledger
- “When the first call goes unanswered, people guess who is next.” Care Roster
- “Open volunteer shifts sit unfilled.” Volunteer Ledger
- “An urgent notice has to reach every staff member.” Care Roster
- “Leadership wants the volunteer numbers for the year.” Volunteer Ledger
Who uses each app
Another quick way to decide: think about who would open the app on an ordinary day.
Care Roster
Everyone on staff who needs to reach someone.
- Nurses and aides out in the field
- On-call staff at night and on weekends
- Intake, front desk and office managers
- Leaders sending an urgent notice to the whole staff
Volunteer Ledger
The people who run and report on the volunteer program.
- Volunteer coordinators and managers
- Leaders who need the program’s numbers
- Staff who review volunteer applications
- Volunteers themselves, when your agency invites them to sign in
Two different jobs, so no overlap.
An agency can easily have both problems at once: a contact list nobody trusts and a volunteer program held together by spreadsheets. The apps are built to sit side by side, so using both never means doing the same work twice.
- Start with the problem that hurts most, then add the other app
- Each app keeps its own records for your agency
- When you use both, one sign-in carries you across
What neither app does
Both apps are deliberately focused. If you need one of these, you need a different kind of tool.
- Charting and patient records. Care plans, visit notes and medications belong in your EMR.
- Clinical or patient messaging. Care Roster’s alerts are operational notices to staff.
- Payroll and staff timekeeping. Volunteer Ledger records volunteer time, not paid hours.
- Patient visit scheduling. Volunteer Ledger schedules volunteer shifts only.
- Billing and claims. Neither app touches revenue or payer work.
Choosing between the two apps
Can we start with one app and add the other later?
Yes. The apps are separate products with separate free trials, so you can start with the problem that matters most and add the other app whenever you are ready.
Do Care Roster and Volunteer Ledger share data?
No. Each app keeps its own records for your agency. When you use both, one sign-in carries you across, so moving between them is quick.
Does Care Roster track volunteer hours?
No. Care Roster is for reaching people: contacts, on-call coverage and urgent staff alerts. Volunteer hours, requirements, shifts and reports belong in Volunteer Ledger.
Can Volunteer Ledger handle staff on-call coverage?
No. Volunteer Ledger schedules volunteer shifts, not staff coverage. Care Roster handles on-call rotations, who is covering right now and who to call next.
The quickest way to decide is to try one.
Each app has its own free trial on its own site. Still unsure? Tell us about your agency and we will point you to the right one.