Group volunteering is a great way to welcome corporate teams, community organizations, schools, and other groups into your volunteer program, without creating extra admin work for you. Below are two recommended pathways for setting up group volunteering in your account, whether you want volunteers to complete their registration immediately or later via email.
Pathway 1: Group plus One Signup (Flexible & Self‑Scheduled)
Best for:
- You don’t know exactly when the group will come
- You want volunteers to schedule themselves
What is a Group plus One Signup?
A Plus One sign‑up allows a volunteer to register themselves and bring additional people with them.
Why Use Plus One?
- Minimal setup
- Volunteers choose the shift that works for them
How to Set It Up
- Create your volunteer opportunity and shifts as usual
- Enable Group Signup in the Event/Program's Edit Detail settings
- Set a maximum number of additional volunteers per shift sign‑up
- Decide if you want to collect additional information from the plus ones (ex. First name, last name, phone number)
The lead volunteer can then:
- Pick a shift
- Sign themselves up
- Indicate how many additional people they’re bringing for that shift
Example Use Case
A company emails their employees: “Sign up for a volunteer shift that works for you and bring a coworker or friend if you’d like.” Easy, flexible, done.
Pathway 2: Shift Reservations (Structured & Group-Specific)
Important: With shift reservations, all volunteers would be individually registered before they arrive. This ensures accurate rosters, check-in, and reporting. This works well when a group coordinator shares the opportunity with their team, and individuals sign up on their own.
Best for:
- You know when the group is coming
- You want to reserve spots specifically for one group
- You want full control over when and how volunteers sign up
What is a Shift Reservation?
A shift reservation allows you to hold spots on a specific shift for a particular group. Each group member can sign up individually in advance using a dedicated reservation link.
Why Use Shift Reservations?
- Guarantees space for a group
- Prevents the shift from filling up with the general public
- Requires advance registration (no day-of walk-ins)
- Ideal for corporate days of service or scheduled group events
- Enforce the Age Requirement
How to Set It Up
- Create the volunteer opportunity and specific shift
- Reserve the desired number of spots for the group
- Generate the reservation link
- Share the reservation link with the group organizer
Only volunteers with that reservation link can claim the reserved spots.
Example Use Case
A corporate group is volunteering on a specific Friday. You reserve 20 spots on that shift and send the reservation link to the company. All 20 volunteers can sign up ahead of time before arriving.
(Structured & Group‑Specific)
Best for:
- You know when the group is coming
- You want to reserve spots specifically for one group
- You want controlled access to a specific shift
What is a Shift Reservation?
A shift reservation allows you to hold spots on a specific shift for a particular group. The group members then sign up individually, at their own pace, using the reservation link.
Why Use Shift Reservations?
- Guarantees space for a group
- Prevents the shift from filling up with the general public
- Still allows individuals to sign themselves up
- Ideal for corporate days of service or scheduled group events
How to Set It Up
- Create the volunteer opportunity and specific shift
- Create a reservation for the desired number of spots for the group
- Share the reservation link with the group organizer by way of automated email to group leader
Only volunteers with that reservation link can claim the reserved spots.
Example Use Case
A corporate group is volunteering on a specific Friday. You reserve 20 spots on that shift and send the reservation link to the company—employees sign up when they’re ready.
Choosing the Right Pathway (If This → Do That)
Use the guide below to quickly choose the best setup for your group volunteering needs:
- If you want groups to sign up for themselves with no advance communication, use Group plus One Signup tools.
- If you want control over when groups sign up, use the Shift Reservation tool.
| Scenario | Best Option |
| No prior communication with the group | Group plus One Signup |
| Volunteers choose shifts on their own | Group plus One Signup |
| You know the exact date and time | Shift Reservation |
| You want to reserve spots for a specific group | Shift Reservation |
| You require all volunteers to be registered before arrival | Shift Reservation |
| Scenario | Best Option |
| You don’t know names or dates yet | Group plus One Signup |
| You want volunteers to self‑schedule | Group plus One Signup |
| You know the exact date & shift | Shift Reservation |
| You want to protect spots for one group | Shift Reservation |