Volunteer shifts
How to split an event into timed slots with their own capacity so volunteers can sign up for the window that works for them.
For the basics of creating, publishing, and checking people in, see Creating an event. This article covers shifts: how to add them, how volunteers choose one, and what organizers can do on event day.
What shifts are
Shifts divide one event into named timeslots, each with its own capacity, so volunteers can sign up for the slot that works for them. You add shifts from the event's detail page in your workspace, after the event exists. Each shift has:
- Title: a short label, for example "Morning setup" or "Afternoon canvass".
- Start and end time: the window for that slot.
- Capacity: the most volunteers the slot can hold.
- Description (optional): extra context for volunteers.
- Skills (optional): notes such as "Spanish speaker" or "Driver's license".
A shift can be active, full, draft, or cancelled.
How volunteers choose a shift
When a supporter views an event that has shifts, a shift picker lists every active shift in start-time order. Each row shows the shift title, its time window, and how many people have signed up against the capacity. A shift that is full cannot be selected, and a shift whose start time has passed is shown as past and disabled. The supporter picks one shift, and that choice is recorded as their signup.
What organizers can manage
From the event in your workspace you see each shift with its time window and a filled-against-capacity count. You can add new shifts, cancel a shift, or delete one. Each shift also has an expandable check-in list, so on the day of the event you can mark which signed-up volunteers have arrived. When a shift reaches its capacity it is marked full and stops taking new signups, while the other shifts on the event keep filling independently.
For more granular control, you can split any shift into named roles with their own per-role capacity. See Event shift roles.
Why this matters
Shifts let volunteers commit to a specific window rather than a vague "show up sometime." Clear time windows and visible capacity counts reduce no-shows, make on-the-day check-in straightforward, and give you an accurate picture of coverage across a long event before it starts.