What is a form, and how is it used in Timecounts?
Timecounts includes a built-in form builder, enabling you to create custom forms or question sets for volunteers to complete when they join as new volunteers or sign up for specific opportunities. While forms can be used independently, we recommend attaching them to specific flows—like onboarding for new volunteers, applications, or events—for a more streamlined review process.
Setting up the general signup form.
Your organization's primary signup form is available in the Form Builder tab of the main navigation. This form is essential and cannot be deleted, though you can upgrade to unlock unlimited forms, allowing you to create and attach forms specific to your needs.
If you’re familiar with drag-and-drop form builders, this will feel familiar: fields appear on the left, ready to be dragged to the right. You can click on any field to edit content, mark it as required, or use the drag icon to reorder fields as you want them to appear to volunteers.
While you can customize the form title, the Name and Email fields are fixed at the top, as these are already collected during Timecounts login—there is no need to ask for them again.
The components of the Timecounts form builder:
Database Fields: These are linked to your organization’s database and should already be configured in Settings.
Formatting: Includes divider lines, titles, and paragraph text for additional explanations and structuring.
Additional Fields: These are non-database fields for questions that don’t require frequent referencing.
The 'Required' checkbox.
If a field on your form is mandatory for volunteers to complete, be sure to mark it as required. Click on the field, then check the Required field box at the bottom. Once you've selected it, click outside the field to save your changes.
The 'Ask every time' checkbox.
Timecounts forms are designed to ensure a quick signup process for volunteers. If a volunteer has previously responded to a database field, Timecounts will automatically hide that question on the form, streamlining the experience. However, if a field should always be visible, click on it and select the Ask Every Time option at the bottom.
We recommend using the Ask Every Time option sparingly, as it could slow down and frustrate your regular volunteers when forms are attached to future activities. This option is particularly useful for questions where the answer may change frequently.
Editing a form field.
To edit the content of a database field, you must go back to Settings > Fields. This is because the database field may be used on multiple forms, and we want the changes to be reflected across your organization. As stated at the bottom of the field, you will know if it's a database field when you open it to edit.
To edit an 'Additional Field,' simply click into the field and continue to click into the title or text to type. Once you are done, just click outside the field to ensure the changes have been updated.
Changing the name of a form.
If you’d like to rename your form, click on the Details tab at the top, where you’ll find the Form Name field. Enter your preferred name and then press Save. While the form name is not visible to volunteers, using descriptive names can help you easily distinguish the purpose of each form, especially if you create multiple forms.
Publishing a form.
When you are ready to publish your form, click the Publish button in the top right corner.
After publishing, the Preview button will change to a Share button. Do not share this link with new volunteers, as doing so will bypass a critical step in the onboarding flow associated with your hub button. Continue to follow the instructions below.
Attaching the form to the new volunteer onboarding flow.
Now that your form is published, you can link it to your hub. Go to the Hub Editor > Details page and scroll down to the New Volunteer Onboarding section. If you use the default Open Registration, you will see a dropdown menu to change the form from No Form to select the one you just created. Remember to press Save at the bottom of the page. If your form is not listed, ensure it has been published.
By linking your form to the onboarding process in your hub, you create a flow and a unique URL ending in /join for volunteers when they click on your call-to-action button. Once new signups come through, you will see them as tasks on your dashboard and receive notification emails.
Congratulations! You've just completed a critical step in setting up Timecounts. Just as you've attached a form for new volunteers to complete, you can use the same steps to attach forms to events or applications. Forms in Timecounts are most effective when linked with other activities, as this adds a layer of review or qualification.