Event shift roles

Shifts divide an event into timeslots with their own headcounts. Roles go one level deeper: they split a single shift into named positions, each with its own capacity. See Volunteer shifts for shift basics before reading this article.

What a role is

A role is a named position inside a shift. On a canvassing shift you might have Canvasser, Team Lead, and Driver. On a phone bank you might have English Caller and Spanish Caller. Each role fills independently, so you can cap how many people take each position without changing the shift's overall headcount.

Adding roles to a shift

Open the event in your workspace and go to the Shifts page. Each shift shows a Roles section. Click Add role to create a new position. Give the role a name, a capacity, and an optional description that volunteers see at signup. Add as many roles as the shift needs, then click Save roles.

Per-role capacity

Every role tracks its own filled count separately from the shift's total. If Canvasser is capped at 10 and Driver at 2, those limits are enforced independently. Once a role reaches its cap it is marked full and volunteers cannot select it.

You cannot reduce a role's capacity below its current signup count, and you cannot delete a role that has any signups. Cancel the relevant attendee RSVPs first, then return to the roles editor.

How volunteers choose a role

When a volunteer signs up for a shift that has roles, the signup form shows a "Pick a role" step. Each role appears as a radio option with its name, optional description, and spots remaining. Full roles are visible but disabled. The volunteer selects one and their signup is recorded against that role.

If a role fills between the time a volunteer opens the form and submits, the system surfaces the remaining open roles so they can choose without starting over.

What organizers see

The RSVPs page lets you filter the attendee list by shift and role, so you can pull a list of everyone signed up as Driver or Spanish Caller and export it to CSV. The Shifts page shows each role's filled count against its capacity for a quick read on how recruiting is going.

Who can manage roles

Only owners and admins can add, edit, or delete roles. Staff members with read access can see which roles exist and how many spots remain, but cannot change them.

Why this matters

When you break a shift into named roles, volunteers know exactly what they are signing up to do before they arrive, which reduces no-shows and last-minute reassignments. You can recruit precisely for the positions you need most, rather than hoping a general headcount sorts itself out on event day. Capacity limits per role mean you never end up with ten drivers and no canvassers. After the event, per-role attendance data gives you a clearer picture of which positions are consistently hard to fill so you can adjust your outreach next time.