Choosing the right event format

Volunteer opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. A one-time orientation, a volunteer event that runs every Monday morning, and a three-day festival all have very different signup and scheduling needs.
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After working with thousands of organizations, we've learned that one event format doesn't work for every volunteer opportunity. That's why Timecounts offers three event formats, giving you the flexibility to organize each opportunity in the way that works best for your organization.

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Events are designed for simple, one-time volunteer opportunities where everyone attends on the same day, at the same time, and in the same location. Volunteers sign up to help with the event, and any roles or responsibilities can be assigned when they arrive.
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Choose an Event when you're organizing a simple volunteer opportunity.

Repeating Events let you offer the same volunteer opportunity on multiple dates while managing everything in one place. Volunteers simply choose the date that works best for them.
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All dates within a Repeating Event share the same location and general setup, making this format ideal for recurring opportunities.
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You can add up to 20 dates at a time. This keeps the signup experience simple and prevents volunteers from scrolling through an overwhelming list of dates. As volunteers sign up or dates pass, you can easily add more dates to keep your event available.
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Choose a Repeating Event when you're offering the same volunteer opportunity on a regular basis and want volunteers to choose from multiple available dates.
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Events with Shifts are designed for volunteer opportunities where volunteers sign up for specific positions and shifts. Each shift can have its own date, time, location, number of spots, and volunteer requirements, making it easy to organize everything within a single event.
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Whether you're running a one-day event with multiple volunteer roles or an event that spans several days, Events with Shifts keep all of your positions and schedules together in one place.
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Choose an Event with Shifts when volunteers need to sign up for specific positions or shifts, or when your event includes multiple dates, locations, or schedules.

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​Tip: Events with Shifts are best for events with a defined beginning and end. If you're creating an ongoing weekly volunteer schedule, use Schedules instead. Schedules are designed to manage recurring volunteer shifts over the long term.
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