Contents

• Watch a 71s video about working with the Volunteer Scheduling feature.
• Introduction
• Schedule volunteers
  • Configure volunteer roles
    • Edit volunteer roles
  • Assign volunteers
    • Assign individual volunteers
    • Assign volunteers by group
    • Assign Registered Members (One-Time Events)
    • Assign Recent Volunteers (Recurring Events)
    • Recurring Assignments
    • Assignment Conflict Detection
    • Remove volunteer assignments
  • RSVP Options
    • RSVP by Volunteers
    • RSVP by Leaders or Admins
    • RSVP Status 
    • RSVP Email Replies
  • Invite Volunteers Using a Signup Sheet
    • How it works
    • Create a Signup Sheet
    • Edit and Delete a Signup Sheet
    • Invite Volunteers
    • Preview Your Sheet
    • How Members Respond to Invites
• Email Volunteers
  • Email the Schedule
  • Email Volunteers (general email)
• Set Volunteer Reminders
  • Edit reminders
• Download a volunteer sheet
• The Calendar Tab (For Recurring Events)

This is a paid feature, available starting with the Small Plan.

Watch a 71s video about working with the Volunteer Scheduling feature.

Introduction

The Volunteer Scheduling / Rota feature is available within the Events area and allows you to add roles and volunteers for each one-time or recurring event (including occurrences). These roles are carried over when you copy an event. This feature also allows you to print volunteer sheets, for better event management.

For one-time events, you will find a Volunteers button, at the top right of the event screen.

For recurring events, you will find the Volunteers button at the top right of the screen and the Volunteers option in the menu corresponding to each event instance. 

Schedule volunteers

You can schedule volunteers the same way, whether your event is one-time or recurring. The only difference is that for one-time events, the Volunteer Scheduling feature only has one tab, but for recurring events, you will find two tabs: Occurrence and Calendar.

• The Occurrence tab lets you manage volunteers as a list, per day and role;
• The Calendar tab lets you manage lists of volunteers assigned per day and role but allows you to view several days in one go. 

The feature explanations below are based on the Occurrence tab. The Calendar tab, available exclusively for recurring events, provides access to the same features with the same interface elements.

Configure volunteer roles

When your event is new and has no volunteers scheduled yet, you will need to first configure the roles that you want volunteers to fulfill. Click Configure Roles to do so.

You can now add your roles, assign a leader and the number of volunteers needed for the specific role. Note that the leader can manage RSVP and receives notifications whenever someone rejects an assignment. (You must grant leaders with the Events > Volunteers permission.) 

You can delete a role by clicking the ⊖ sign on its right. You can add more roles using the corresponding Add Role option at the bottom. Click Save to save your role assignments. You can also Reorder the list of roles by dragging the reorder handle on the left side of each role. Click Save to save your role assignments.

If you are working with a recurring event, the roles you configure will be added to all instances of the event.

Edit volunteer roles

Once your roles have been set up, you can edit them by clicking the pencil icon next to them. From here, you can edit the number of needed volunteers per role. For recurring events, this is the only editing option at the moment (for now, roles can’t be changed otherwise for such events).

You can also click the Configure Roles button to fully edit existing roles or add new ones. 

Any changes you make in the main role configuration screen will be reflected across all dates if you are working with a recurring event.

Assign volunteers

Once you are happy with your role configuration, you can assign volunteers to each role. This is done using the Assign button, available for each role. Please remember that your volunteer needs to be added to your list of People (See how) before they are available to select here. 

You can assign volunteers individually or in groups. You can also browse recent volunteers for recurring events or registered members for one-time events.

Assign individual volunteers

To assign individual volunteers to a role, click Assign > Members under the respective role. In the popup, you can search for members and select one or multiple people using the checkbox next to their names. When you are ready, click Add.

Assign volunteers by group

This option lets you assign volunteers based on the groups they are part of. 

1. Go to Assign > Groups,
2. Your ChMeetings groups are listed. You can search for groups and expand each group to select members. You can assign all members as volunteers for the event, or just use the group as a filter to find specific people.

Assign Registered Members (One-Time Events)

For one-time events, there is a Registered Members tab that lists people who have already registered for this event. People registered for other events are not displayed. 

Assign Recent Volunteers (Recurring Events)

If you are working with a recurring event, you will see a Recent tab: This tab displays members who have recently volunteered for an occurrence of the event you are working with. Volunteers from other events are not displayed. 

Recurring Assignments

You can configure recurring assignments once you assign someone to a role during a recurring event. When assigning someone recurringly, they are assigned to the role they are listed under. This feature does not work for one-time events. 

To configure a recurring assignment, please follow the steps below:

1. In the Volunteers window, find the person for whom you want to configure recurring assignments. If they are not assigned to the desired role and date, then please assign them first. 
2. Click the options button next to the desired person, then click Set Recurrence. 
   
3. In the Set Volunteer Schedule window, configure the following: 
   1. End Date: Set the date and which the recurrence ends.
   2. All Events: Check this option if you want to assign someone to all occurrences of the event you’re working with. ChMeetings will automatically select all event occurrences. 
   3. Specific Dates: Check this option to assign someone to specific occurrences of the event you’re working with. No selection is made automatically and you can select desired dates.
   4. Every Other Event: Check this option to assign someone to every other occurrence of the event you’re working with. ChMeetings will automatically select every other occurrence. 
   5. Select days in the event to assign the volunteer: The calendar tool in this section lets you select desired dates to assign someone to. No matter the selection above, you can freely adjust the dates.

Here is a demo of this process:

Once you configure recurring assignments, the selected person is assigned to their role on all selected dates. To switch roles, remove them from their current role and assign them to the new one on the desired change date, then set recurrence for the new role.

Assignment Conflict Detection

While assigning volunteers, you can rest assured that you will not be assigning the same person to two events at the same time, for example. ChMeetings detects if someone is already assigned to volunteer the following scenarios: 

1. If someone is already assigned to a different role in the same event or in a different event. 
2. If the person you want to assign has signed up as a volunteer using the Signup Sheet. This applies if they have signed up to a different role in the same event or in a different event that takes place at the same time.
   
   
   
    
3. If the member you want to assign as a volunteer has blocked out the date of your event. This means that they are unavailable to volunteer on that date. Learn more about how this works for members and for admins.
   
   

Remove volunteer assignments

You can use the same process to add all of the volunteers you need. To Remove a Volunteer, click the Options menu next to them and choose Remove. 

If you are working with a recurring event, there will be a date at the top right of your volunteer assignment screen. Click the arrows to navigate the dates and assign volunteers to each date. Your roles will be predefined per day - you can edit the number of volunteers needed and assign volunteers separately, for each date. For the moment you cannot add or remove roles for specific instances of a recurring event.

RSVP Options

RSVP by Volunteers

There are two ways for volunteers to RSVP for your events after having been assigned:

1. Via Email: Volunteer schedule emails will include an option to RSVP.
2. Via their ChMeetings Account, if the volunteers are also registered members, with active ChMeetings accounts. The RSVP options are available by going to the Volunteer Schedule section. Here is where there is a list of events to which members are added as volunteers, and where they can easily Accept or Reject participation.

RSVP by Leaders or Admins

Leaders or Admins can manage RSVP on behalf of Volunteers, from within the Volunteers section of an event. Clicking the Options menu allows you to update the status RSVP Status as either Accepted or Rejected.

RSVP Status 

Leaders and Admins can view the RSVP status of each volunteer from within the event’s Volunteers section. Here, every volunteer is assigned a color, which is displayed on the left side of their list item, as follows:

• Green - Accepted,
• Red - Rejected,
• Yellow - No response.

RSVP Email Replies

If RSVP-d volunteers reply to the email they receive when you assign them, then those replies go to the assigned role leader. When configuring volunteer roles, you must assign a leader for each role, for them to receive these replies. Otherwise, volunteer email replies will go to the Reply-To email address that you configured under Settings > Account Settings > Email Settings. If you have not configured this address, please do so; otherwise the replies will not reach your church. .

Invite Volunteers Using a Signup Sheet

Besides assigning volunteers, you can also create a signup sheet through which to invite people to choose the day and role in which they would like to participate. You can find the option at the top right of the Volunteers section.

How it works

You create a signup sheet to list people whom you would like to invite to your event, including for a specific date or role. People receive an invitation email and can respond via email or from within their member accounts. When responding, they can select which date or role they want. Once someone responds to an invite, they are assigned as a volunteer to your event, according to their selection.

Create a Signup Sheet

To create a signup sheet:

1. Click Signup Sheets in the Volunteering section.
    

   
    

2. Click Create a New Signup Sheet.
   
   
   
    
3. In the New Signup Sheet window, configure the following:
   1. Choose a Title for your sheet.
   2. Select the Roles for which you want to allow signups via this sheet. The available roles are those created for the specific event you are working with. 
   3. Select Occurrences: If the event you are working with is recurring, you can also select the Occurrences to which you can restrict the sheet. 
   4. Under Settings, configure the following:
      • Enable volunteers to view others signed up on the same sheet on the same day: If enabled, this setting lets people see who else has signed up on the same day.
      • Enable signup for more than one role; If enabled, this setting lets people sign up for more than one volunteer role.
      • Enable signup for filled roles: If enabled, this setting lets people sign up for a role even if it has been filled.
   5. Configure the Invitation Message: You can edit the message subject and body, and use merge fields to customize the information for the specific people receiving the invite. You can choose whether to send the invitation via email or push notification.
   6. Click Create to create the signup sheet.
      
      

As soon as your sheet is created, you will see it listed along with specific options. To create a new sheet, click Create a New Signup Sheet, at the bottom right of the window.

Edit and Delete a Signup Sheet

To edit a signup sheet, click Edit next to the sheet in question.

You can make changes to your sheet or delete it using the Delete button on the bottom left.

Invite Volunteers

To invite volunteers to an event:

1. Click Invite Volunteers under the sheet you want.
   
   
   
    
2. Click Add Members.
3. Select the people you want to invite, then click Add.
   
   
   
    
4. Once making your selection, you can review your list of invitees, then click Send Invitations.
   
   
   
    
5. Once you send your invites, you will find them listed under the Invited section of the sheet. 
   
   
    
6. From the Invited section, you can review your list of invitees, resend or delete invitations.
   
   

Preview Your Sheet

Click Preview Sheet to view submitted signups per day and role. 

In the Preview section, you can also assign yourself to a day and role, without having to switch to the Member View.

 

How Members Respond to Invites

Members can respond to a volunteering invite as follows:

• By clicking the link provided in the invite email.
• From within their account, by going to Volunteering > Invitations. 

Signup sheets are accessible to registered and unregistered members, so anyone can sign up as a volunteer, regardless of whether they have an account. 

People can date when or the role within which they want to participate. For a one-time event, only roles can be selected, since the date is already set. For a recurring event, both dates and roles are available to select. These options are the default, but each sheet can be restricted to specific roles, occurrences, or both. 
 

Members can choose to retract their acceptance to volunteer for an event at any time after having accepted an invite. 
 

Email Volunteers

Once you have assigned volunteers to your event, you have the option to email them. This can be done by clicking the envelope icon   at the top right of the Volunteers window. 

From here, there are two options: 

1. Email the Schedule allows you to send volunteers their event schedule via email.
2. Email Volunteers allows you to send a regular email to all or specific volunteers.

Let’s look at these two options in detail, below. 

Email the Schedule

Once you select the Email the Schedule option, you are presented with the corresponding window, where you can select the event occurrence and/or roles for which to email volunteers their schedule. To do so, just follow the steps below:

• If your event is recurring, first choose whether to send the schedule for all occurrences, or to specific ones. You can choose the occurrences you want by switching the toggle to the ON position.  If you are working with a one-time event, this selection is not needed, so the option is not visible.
• Next, you can choose to email the schedule to the volunteers fulfilling specific roles, by activating the toggle corresponding to each role.
• You can then edit the email’s subject and body, then send it out when you are ready.
   

Email Volunteers (general email)

The Email Volunteers option lets you send any email communication to event volunteers. You can choose to send it to All or Specific Volunteers, where you can also include people who are not listed as volunteers for the event (these records are listed with black text, while already assigned people are listed in blue).  

All you need to do next is edit the subject and body, attach any required files (up to 20 MB, add CC or BCC, save a template, choose the email sender as needed. then send out your email when ready. Learn more about working with the email editor.

Set Volunteer Reminders

Reminders can be configured per role. You can decide how many days in advance to send the reminder, and whether you do so via email and/or push notification. The reminder is sent at 9am within the day when it should be sent, rather than based on the number of hours before the event. So if you organize an event at 8pm and want to send a reminder 1 day before, then it will be sent 1 day before at 9am rather than at 8pm. 

The message text and formatting are customizable and merge fields are available. You can also decide whether to apply the reminder to the selected role or to all roles.  

Note: Please keep in mind that your roles need to be configured prior to accessing reminders.

Here is how to set volunteer reminders: 

• Open the event you are managing, then access the Volunteers section.

• Find the role for which you want to set a reminder. If you want to set it for everyone, then you can pick any role. 

• Click Reminder.

• Now configure your reminder: 

  • Choose whether to apply this reminder to all roles or not. If not, it will only apply to the role that you have previously selected. 

  • Set a subject.

  • Edit the reminder message. There is a full editor available, just like for your emails. 

  • Choose how many days in advance to send the reminder, before the event takes place. The default value is 3 days.

  • Choose the delivery method, either an email or a push notification. Note that to receive notifications, your volunteers need to have installed and logged into the ChMeetings mobile app. 

  • Click Save to enable this reminder.

Please watch the short demo below, to see how this feature works in ChMeetings: 

Edit reminders

To edit an existing reminder, you can follow the same steps. When clicking the Reminder option next to a role, ChMeetings will open the currently active reminder for that specific role, or for all roles if that is the case. Simply make your changes and save to enable them. 

If you have set reminders for all roles, but now want to adjust the reminder for a specific role, then you can select the role in question, and edit its reminder, ensuring that you switch off the option to apply the same reminder to all roles. This way, the change will only be applied to the one you selected.

Download a volunteer sheet

Once you have assigned volunteers to your event, you can also print a volunteer sheet, for better management on the day of the event. To do so, simply click the Volunteer Sheet button at the bottom of your assignment screen. 

This will open a new screen, where you can view the contents of your sheet and filter by dates.  Click the Download button to download an Excel file containing volunteers assigned per role and event dates.

The Calendar Tab (For Recurring Events)

The Calendar, , available for recurring events, tab lets you view your volunteer scheduler per day while displaying several days on one screen. This allows you to see and manage your assignments faster and more efficiently.