Bugle

What Bugle does

Bugle is a Nashville-based volunteer management software company that operates a cloud-based platform purpose-built for nonprofit organizations. The product enables nonprofits to organize volunteer events end-to-end, including event registration, shift scheduling, digital check-in via QR code, GPS, or kiosk mode, digital waiver collection, automated volunteer hour tracking, mass text communications, and embeddable event calendars for nonprofit websites. The platform also includes a volunteer-facing app where individuals can create profiles, discover opportunities, and track their personal volunteer histories, and adds built-in crowdfunding functionality that converts volunteer events into fundraising opportunities with reporting tools. The underlying technology is a standard multi-tenant SaaS architecture delivered via web and mobile app, with third-party integrations through Zapier for CRM data transfer and a partnership with Double the Donation for corporate volunteer grant eligibility.

The business model is freemium with two tiers: a free Community Plan offering unlimited events, admin accounts, volunteers, and mass texts, and a Premium Plan priced at $49.99 per W-2 employee per year that adds Bugle Analytics and automated CRM data transfer via Zapier. Go-to-market is product-led growth with self-service onboarding that allows a new nonprofit to launch an event in approximately six minutes without sales interaction. Customer acquisition relies primarily on SEO-driven content marketing through the Bugle Blog and on embeddable calendars that surface the brand across nonprofit websites. Disclosed customers include Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, The Children Center Utah, Operation Stand Down Tennessee, and We Fortify, with named customer evidence skewed toward large national nonprofits alongside smaller regional organizations.

Bugle is a privately held Tennessee corporation that appears to be founder-owned and bootstrapped, with one disclosed funding event from InvestTN in October 2024. The leadership team includes Ryan Johnson as co-founder and CEO, Dom Green as co-founder and CMO, and Omar Pineda as CTO. The company maintains 1-10 employees, operates primarily in North America (with globally accessible self-serve distribution), and is CCPA-compliant on privacy. There is no evidence of institutional venture investment, acquisitions, or material headcount expansion in the available data.

Name

Bugle

Legal name

Bugle Inc.

Website

https://buglevolunteers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bugle is a Nashville-based SaaS company providing cloud-based volunteer management software to nonprofit organizations. Its platform enables event registration, digital check-in, waiver collection, hour tracking, and integrated crowdfunding, offered through a free Community Plan and a Premium Plan priced per employee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Management Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHACAFAB

Meeting & Event Program Technology (Registration, Apps, Badging)

Travel & Hospitality/Business Travel & Corporate Travel Management/Meetings & Group Travel Management (Corporate)

Keywords

• Volunteer management software
• Nonprofit event management
• Volunteer scheduling software
• Digital waiver solutions
• Nonprofit fundraising tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Freemium Volunteer Management Software: Bugle offers a free Community Plan with unlimited events, volunteers, admin accounts, and mass texts. The Premium Plan ($49.99 per employee per year) adds Bugle Analytics and automated CRM data transfer via Zapier. Revenue comes from premium tier upsells from free users.
2. Premium Plan Subscription: Annual subscription model at $49.99 per W-2 employee per year. Provides access to analytics and automated data transfer to existing CRM systems via Zapier integration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bugle is a purpose-built volunteer management software platform that enables nonprofit organizations to organize volunteer events, manage volunteer registrations, perform digital check-in (QR code, GPS, or kiosk), collect digital waivers, automatically track volunteer hours, embed event calendars on their own websites, and turn community outreach events into crowdfunding opportunities. The platform is offered as a free Community Plan with unlimited events, admin accounts, volunteers, and mass texts, plus a Premium Plan at $49.99 per W-2 employee per year that adds analytics and automated CRM data transfer via Zapier.

Product overview

Bugle is a Nashville-based volunteer management software company offering a purpose-built platform for nonprofit community outreach. The core product is the Bugle volunteer management software, which provides an end-to-end suite for organizing volunteer events, managing registrations, digital check-in, waivers, and analytics. The platform consists of two pricing tiers: the Bugle Community Plan (free with unlimited events, admins, and volunteers) and the Bugle Premium Plan ($49.99/employee/year adding Bugle Analytics for chapter performance insights and automated CRM data transfer via Zapier). Key features include digital check-in tools (QR code, GPS, and kiosk modes), digital waivers, embedded events calendars, volunteer profiles, mass texting, and Bugle Crowdfunding for turning events into fundraisers. The platform also includes a volunteer-facing app where individuals can create accounts to discover and sign up for opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bugle A purpose-built volunteer management software platform that enables nonprofit organizations to organize volunteer events, manage volunteer registrations, capture digital check-in (QR, GPS, or kiosk), collect digital waivers, automatically track volunteer hours, embed event calendars, communicate via mass text and email, and turn community outreach events into crowdfunding opportunities.
• Bugle App A volunteer-facing portal where individuals can create personal profiles, follow nonprofits, discover volunteer opportunities, register for events and shifts, and view personal volunteer hour dashboards. The app also allows event organizers to post events, manage volunteers, and track volunteer hours.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organize volunteer events 50% faster
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Double the DonationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Bugle's integration with Double the Donation's 360MatchPro Volunteer Hub enables nonprofits to qualify for corporate grants associated with employee volunteering. As volunteer shifts are logged through Bugle, volunteers can view their eligibility for employer volunteer incentives and initiate the claims process. During event registration, volunteers access Double the Donation's Employer Search Tool to identify corporate volunteer incentive programs.
• ZapiercoreTechnology or IntegrationBugle Premium plan includes automated data transfer to existing CRM systems via Zapier integration, allowing nonprofits to consolidate volunteer data without manual migration.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Initlive: Initlive provides volunteer scheduling and management software for events and nonprofits, including shift sign-ups, hour tracking, and reporting. It is a direct competitor to Bugle in event-driven volunteer coordination, particularly for large events.
• Helper Helper: Helper Helper is a volunteer tracking platform often used by universities, schools, and nonprofits to log hours, manage events, and report on impact. It directly competes with Bugle on hour tracking, event sign-ups, and impact reporting for community service programs.
• GivePulse: GivePulse is a volunteer management and community engagement platform for nonprofits and universities, offering hour tracking, event management, and impact reporting. It is a direct competitor serving overlapping nonprofit and educational volunteer program use cases.
• SignUpGenius: SignUpGenius provides online sign-up sheets and event scheduling tools widely used by nonprofits for volunteer coordination. It directly competes with Bugle on event sign-up and shift scheduling, though it serves a broader audience including schools and families.
• Better Impact: Better Impact offers volunteer management software for nonprofits and government agencies, including scheduling, hour tracking, and reporting. It directly competes with Bugle in core volunteer management features and serves a similar nonprofit customer base.
• VolunteerMark: VolunteerMark is a volunteer management platform offering event creation, sign-up tracking, and reporting for nonprofits. It competes directly with Bugle in the same SMB nonprofit volunteer management use case.
• VolunteerHub: VolunteerHub is a volunteer management SaaS platform purpose-built for nonprofits, offering event scheduling, hour tracking, and reporting. It directly competes with Bugle in the same product category and customer base, with comparable features like volunteer sign-ups, check-in, and analytics.
• VolunteerLocal (Galaxy Digital): VolunteerLocal provides online volunteer signup, scheduling, and management tools specifically for nonprofit events. It is a direct competitor to Bugle, serving the same nonprofit event-management use case with similar sign-up, scheduling, and hour-tracking functionality.

Emerging players

• Civic Champs: Civic Champs is a volunteer engagement platform for nonprofits providing mobile check-in, hour tracking, and impact measurement. It is an emerging competitor with overlapping functionality to Bugle, particularly around digital check-in and volunteer analytics.

Broad incumbents

• Get Connected (Bonterra): Get Connected is a volunteer engagement platform now part of Bonterra's nonprofit software suite. It competes directly with Bugle in volunteer sign-up and event management, but is part of a broader portfolio of nonprofit CRM and fundraising tools serving larger enterprise nonprofits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bugle-volunteering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bugle