Best Referral Management Software for Charities in 2026
A practical comparison of the leading referral management platforms for UK charities, with features, pricing models, and recommendations.
Choosing the right referral management software can transform how your charity connects people with support. The wrong choice — or no choice at all — leaves referrals stuck in email inboxes, outcomes untracked, and people waiting longer than they should.
TL;DR: The best referral software for charities combines structured forms, real-time tracking, partner management, and outcome reporting. Plinth leads for UK charities with its integrated partner CRM, AI service directory, and purpose-built workflows. Alternatives like Elemental and Refernet exist, but most lack the charity-specific features that make referrals work in practice.
What you'll learn: What to look for in referral software, how the leading platforms compare, and how to make the right choice for your organisation.
Who this is for: Service managers, partnership leads, and charity directors managing referral pathways.
Why Charities Need Dedicated Referral Software
Most charities still manage referrals through email, phone calls, and spreadsheets. A 2024 NCVO survey found that 58% of charities with active referral partnerships relied primarily on email for referral communication. This approach creates serious problems at scale.
Lost referrals: Emails get buried, phone messages go unreturned, and there is no system to flag when a referral has not been acknowledged. Research by the Social Enterprise UK network found that an estimated 15–20% of email-based referrals between voluntary organisations received no response within 5 working days.
No visibility: Without a tracking system, the referring organisation has no way to know whether their referral was received, accepted, or resulted in support. This makes it impossible to close the loop with the person who was referred.
Poor reporting: When funders and commissioners ask "how many referrals did you make, and what happened?", charities using email must manually trawl through inboxes to piece together an answer. Over 70% of local authority commissioners surveyed by the LGA in 2024 said they expected digital referral tracking from funded services.
Inconsistent information: Without structured forms, referrals arrive with varying levels of detail. Staff waste time chasing missing information before they can act.
Dedicated referral software solves all four problems from day one.
What to Look For
Not all referral platforms are created equal. Here are the features that matter most for UK charities.
Must-Have Features
Structured referral forms: Configurable forms that capture the right information for each referral type, including consent, needs assessment, and relevant background.
Status tracking: Real-time visibility of where each referral is in the process — sent, received, accepted, in progress, completed, or declined.
Partner management: A directory of your referral partners with their criteria, capacity, and contact details. Plinth's Partner CRM provides this as a built-in feature.
Notifications and reminders: Automated alerts when a referral is received, when action is overdue, or when an outcome is reported.
Outcome recording: The ability to record what happened after a referral was accepted — did the person engage? What support was provided? What was the result?
Reporting dashboards: Network-level analytics showing referral volumes, response times, acceptance rates, and outcomes by partner, service type, and time period.
Nice-to-Have Features
AI service matching: Intelligent matching of a person's needs to the most appropriate service, even when staff are unfamiliar with every partner in the network. Plinth's AI Service Directory does this automatically.
Consent management: Built-in consent capture and tracking, ensuring referrals comply with UK GDPR from the start.
Two-way communication: Secure messaging between referrer and receiver within the platform, replacing back-and-forth emails.
API and integrations: The ability to connect with your existing case management system, CRM, or reporting tools.
Self-referral portals: Allow individuals to refer themselves to services through a public-facing form, which is then managed through the same system.
Platform Comparison
| Feature | Plinth | Elemental | Refernet | Generic CRM (e.g. Salesforce) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured referral forms | Yes, configurable | Yes | Yes | Requires custom build |
| Real-time status tracking | Yes | Yes | Limited | Requires custom build |
| Partner CRM | Built-in | No | Basic | Requires custom build |
| AI service matching | Yes | No | No | No |
| Outcome recording | Yes | Yes | Limited | Requires custom build |
| Reporting dashboards | Yes, network-level | Yes | Basic | Requires custom build |
| Consent management | Built-in | Partial | Partial | Requires custom build |
| Self-referral portal | Yes | No | Yes | Requires custom build |
| UK GDPR compliance | Purpose-built | Yes | Yes | Depends on configuration |
| Pricing model | Per-organisation subscription | Per-organisation | Per-network licence | Per-user, often expensive |
| Charity-specific design | Yes | Partly | Yes | No |
| Case management integration | Native | No | No | Native (but complex) |
The Contenders
Plinth
Plinth is a purpose-built platform for UK charities that combines referral management with case management, partner CRM, and an AI-powered service directory.
Strengths: End-to-end referral workflow from creation to outcome. The Partner CRM keeps all partner information, agreements, and referral history in one place. The AI Service Directory suggests the right service for each person's needs, even across large networks. Native case management means referrals connect directly to case records.
Best for: Charities that want a single platform for case management and referrals, organisations building or participating in local referral networks, and services funded by commissioners who require outcome reporting.
Pricing: Per-organisation subscription; no per-user fees that penalise growing teams.
Elemental
Elemental is a social prescribing and referral platform used by some NHS-linked services and VCSE organisations.
Strengths: Strong social prescribing workflow; good reporting for NHS-commissioned services. Used by a number of Primary Care Networks.
Limitations: Less flexible for non-social-prescribing referral types. No built-in partner CRM or AI service matching. Limited case management features.
Best for: Organisations focused primarily on social prescribing within NHS pathways.
Refernet
Refernet provides referral management for local networks of voluntary organisations.
Strengths: Network-focused design; supports multi-agency referral pathways. Self-referral portal available.
Limitations: Basic reporting; limited outcome tracking; no AI features. Can feel dated compared with modern platforms.
Best for: Established local networks with simple referral needs and modest budgets.
Generic CRM Platforms (Salesforce, Dynamics, etc.)
Some charities attempt to build referral management on top of generic CRM platforms.
Strengths: Highly customisable if you have the technical resource. Strong ecosystem of third-party integrations.
Limitations: Significant custom development required — typically costing tens of thousands of pounds. Per-user pricing is expensive for multi-partner networks. No charity-specific referral features out of the box. A 2023 Charity Digital study found that 41% of charities that adopted enterprise CRM platforms reported the total cost of ownership was higher than expected.
Best for: Large organisations with dedicated IT teams and existing CRM investments.
Spreadsheets and Email
Still the most common "system" for charity referrals — and the most problematic.
Strengths: Zero software cost; familiar to everyone.
Limitations: No tracking, no accountability, no reporting, no audit trail. Breaks at scale. See Referral Tracking Software vs Email for a full comparison.
Best for: Very small organisations with fewer than 10 referrals per month and no reporting requirements.
How to Choose
Start with Your Needs
Before evaluating platforms, define what you actually need.
Referral volume: How many referrals do you make and receive per month? At fewer than 20 per month, a lightweight tool may suffice. Above 50, you need proper tracking and reporting.
Network size: How many partner organisations are involved? A bilateral partnership can work with shared templates. A network of 10+ partners needs a platform.
Reporting requirements: What do your funders and commissioners expect? If they want referral outcomes data, you need a platform that captures it systematically.
Existing systems: Do you already use a case management system? A platform that integrates with it — or replaces it — will save time and reduce data entry. Plinth's native case management means no integration is needed.
Run a Practical Test
Do not choose based on feature lists alone. Test each platform with a real referral scenario.
Create a referral: How easy is it to fill in and submit? Does the form capture what your partners need?
Track the referral: Can you see the status in real time? Do notifications work as expected?
Report on outcomes: Can you pull a report showing referral volumes, response times, and results?
Partner experience: What does it look like for the receiving organisation? If it is difficult for them, they will not use it.
Consider Total Cost
Software cost is only part of the picture. Factor in staff time spent on manual processes, the cost of lost referrals, and the value of better outcomes data for funding bids.
A Charity Finance Group analysis estimated that the administrative cost of managing referrals manually was approximately £12–18 per referral when accounting for staff time, follow-up, and reporting. Digital platforms typically reduce this to £3–5 per referral.
The cheapest option is rarely the one with the lowest licence fee.
Implementation Tips
Start small: Pilot with one referral pathway and 2–3 partners before rolling out across the network.
Invest in onboarding: Every partner organisation needs training. Budget time for this — adoption is the biggest determinant of success.
Agree standards first: Define response timeframes, minimum data requirements, and outcome categories before going live.
Appoint a network coordinator: Someone needs to own the network — chasing overdue referrals, onboarding new partners, and producing reports.
Iterate based on data: Use your reporting dashboards to identify bottlenecks and improve the system continuously.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to implement referral software?
For a platform like Plinth, most organisations are live within 2–4 weeks. This includes configuring referral forms, adding partners, and training staff. More complex implementations with multiple partner organisations may take 6–8 weeks.
Can we use referral software alongside our existing case management system?
Yes, though a platform that combines both — like Plinth — eliminates duplication. If you need to keep your existing system, look for platforms with API integrations or export capabilities.
What if our partners do not want to use the same platform?
This is common. Start with willing partners and demonstrate the benefits. Most organisations adopt quickly once they see the time savings. For partners who cannot join the platform, some systems allow you to send referrals that generate an email notification while still tracking the referral internally.
Is referral software secure enough for sensitive data?
Purpose-built platforms like Plinth are designed with UK GDPR compliance, encryption, role-based access controls, and audit trails. They are significantly more secure than email attachments or shared spreadsheets.
How do we measure return on investment?
Track time saved on referral administration, reduction in lost referrals, improvement in response times, and the quality of outcomes data available for funding applications. Most organisations see clear ROI within 3–6 months.
Recommended Next Pages
The Complete Guide to Referral Networks for Charities – Understand how referral networks work and how to build one.
How AI Service Directories Help People Find the Right Support – See how AI can match people to services automatically.
Referral Tracking Software vs Email: Why Charities Are Switching – A detailed comparison of digital and manual referral management.
How to Build a Local Service Directory for Your Community – Create the directory that powers your referral network.
Last updated: February 2026
For more information about referral management with Plinth, contact our team or schedule a demo.