Creating and Managing Volunteers

Volunteer Opportunities

Coordinating volunteers for your events is easier than ever with NonprofitsHQ.

You can easily create and manage shifts, track which roles are confirmed or still unfilled, and communicate directly with your volunteers — all from one place.

Our intuitive Shift Builder lets you design as many roles and shifts as your event needs, giving you full visibility and control over your volunteer operations.

Creating a Shift

Creating a volunteer shift - or opportunity - on NonprofitsHQ is quick and simple.

You can specify the role details, assign a supervisor, and set all shift information in one place.

Once published, your volunteers will automatically be notified of the new opportunity and can claim available shifts directly from their Volunteer Dashboard.

To get started:

1. Navigate to the event you want to create volunteer shifts for.
2. Click the Volunteers tab in the Event Administration panel.

3. Click Actions, then select Add Shifts.

   
   

Next, complete the required fields to define your volunteer shift.

• Role: Enter the name of the volunteer role — for example, Vendor Check-In or Guest Greeter. This title will be visible to volunteers when browsing available opportunities.

  
  

• Available Shifts: Specify how many volunteers you need for this particular role. For example, if you need 3 volunteers for Vendor Check-In, enter “3.” Once all positions are filled, the shift will automatically be marked as full.

  
  

• Reports To: Select the supervisor for this shift. Choose a contact from your CRM who will serve as the volunteer’s point of contact during the event.

  
  

• Shift Start/End: Set the start and end times for the shift. Be sure to account for overlapping shifts during event transitions and give volunteers adequate break time during longer events.

  
  
• Duties: List the expected duties for this role. Outline what the volunteer will be responsible for, how they’ll contribute, and any expectations while they’re on duty.

After you’ve completed all the required information, click Save. Your new shift will now be added to the event and visible in your Volunteer Opportunities list.

Volunteers can view and claim the shift directly from their Volunteer Dashboard, and you can track sign-ups in real time from your event’s Volunteers tab.

Manage Volunteers

To manage your volunteers and the shifts they’re confirmed for, return to the Volunteers tab in your event’s Administration panel.

Here, you’ll find a list of all volunteers currently scheduled or assigned for your event, along with their shift status — such as Confirmed, Pending, or Unfilled.

From this view, you can easily:

• Review which roles still need coverage
• Reassign or update volunteer shifts
• Track attendance and confirmation status in real time

This view displays all the details about each available shift — including who it’s currently assigned to and the status of their signup.

To manage a specific volunteer or shift:

1. Click the three dots on the right side of the row.

2. Select View Details from the dropdown menu.

   
   

From there, you can review volunteer information, adjust assignments, or update shift details as needed.

When you click View Details, a popup will appear showing all the information about the selected shift and the volunteer currently assigned.

From this view, you can:

• Review the volunteer’s contact information and role details
• See the shift’s date, time, and assigned supervisor
• Update or reassign the volunteer if needed

That's all!

You now know how to create and manage an volunteer opportunities for your organization on NonprofitsHQ.

This is just one of the many powerful tools included with NonprofitsHQ - all at no extra cost. With everything built in, you can focus on what matters most: engaging your community and driving your mission forward.

If you run into any trouble or need any additional support, please reach out to your account manager if you have one, or email our support team directly via help@nonprofitshq.com