This article explains how automated confirmation and reminder emails work, and how you can manage them for your volunteer recruitment and scheduling to keep your volunteers informed and engaged in a timely way.
What are automated emails?
Timecounts automatically sends emails to your volunteers to confirm their signup progress and remind them about upcoming shifts or events. This helps reduce no-shows, build trust, and save you time. This type of email is unlimited in Timecounts, so your volunteers always stay updated about their status and commitments.
There are three types of automated emails in Timecounts: Welcome Emails, Confirmation Emails, and Reminder Emails. Let’s walk through each one so you can understand how to customize and manage your volunteer communications in a way that fits your organization perfectly.
Welcome Email
This email is sent the first time a volunteer is added to the Timecounts Directory, whether you import them manually or add them during onboarding. It’s a friendly introduction to your organization and includes a button that takes them straight to your Opportunities hub so they can easily find ways to volunteer.
Timecounts includes a default welcome email, but we’ve made it possible to customize this message on all plans because we understand how important first impressions are. Setting volunteers off on the right foot helps them know the next steps to continue their volunteering journey with your organization.
Default welcome message:
"Hey [Volunteer Name], Thanks for signing up on Timecounts. We are excited to welcome you as a new volunteer with [Organization Name]. Available volunteer opportunities will be posted to our hub for you to sign up or apply. If you have any questions feel free to reply to this message."
If you’d rather not send an automatic welcome email whether temporarily while importing volunteers or permanently to manage communications manually you can easily turn it off on the Hub Editor > Details page. The choice is yours.
Learn more about how to set an auto welcome message for volunteers.
Confirmation Emails for Events and Schedules
Confirmation emails are sent when a volunteer signs up or gets assigned to a shift or event. These emails show their current status, which for scheduled activities might be Requested, Confirmed, Waitlisted, Cancelled, or Declined. The email always includes the activity/position name, date, time, and location of the shift or event, along with a button to sign into Timecounts to view their schedule or cancel if needed. Timecounts includes a short message at the top of the email, which organizations on the Pro Plan may choose to customize.
Default message for Confirmed, Requested, Cancelled, or Waitlisted shift:
"Hi [Volunteer Name], Your upcoming shift for [Organization Name]. Please update your calendar."
Default message for Confirmed, Waitlisted event:
"Please update your calendar."
Default message for Cancelled shift:
"Your shift has been cancelled for [Schedule Name]."
Default message for Cancelled event:
"Thank you for offering to volunteer. At this time the opportunity has been filled."
Default message for Declined shift:
"We are sorry you cannot volunteer this time around."
Default message for Declined event:
"Thank you for offering to volunteer. At this time the opportunity has been filled."
Things to note:
Volunteers can click the “Add to Calendar” button to instantly add the event to their personal calendar—whether it’s iCal, Google Calendar, or another app. This helps keep volunteering top of mind and makes scheduling effortless.
Timecounts has a built-in 10–15 minute delay for confirmation emails with statuses like Requested, Confirmed, or Waitlisted. This delay allows the system to group multiple signups into one clean, streamlined message, so volunteers don’t get flooded with separate emails if their status or selection changes. It applies to both new signups and shifts or events you’re reviewing.
When volunteers cancel through their dashboard, they won’t receive a confirmation email since they immediately see the shift removed from their upcoming commitments.
Confirmation Emails for Applications
For applications, the confirmation email simply acknowledges the submission and provides the current application status along with the name of the opportunity they signed up for and a brief message. You can control confirmation emails by turning them on or off in the Details tab of your application. If you prefer to send messages manually or skip them entirely, that's up to you. In a future section of this article, you’ll learn how to add a custom message to your automated emails.
If the application approval is set to "Review," volunteers will receive a default message letting them know their application is pending review:
"Thanks for applying for [Application Name]. Your application has been received, and once approved, you will receive a confirmation email."
If the application approval is set to "Auto-Accept" or you review their application and mark as Qualified, volunteers will receive a default message letting them know:
"Good news, [Volunteer Name], You have been qualified for [Application Name]. You are now able to sign up or be assigned shifts in the volunteer hub. If you don’t see any shifts available, you may receive an email letting you know when new shifts have been published, or keep checking back."
If the application approval is set to "Review" and you mark an application as Declined, volunteers will receive a decline email only if you've checked the box to send one automatically. This is the default message for a declined application:
"Hi [Volunteer Name], We appreciate you taking the time to apply for [Application Name]. Unfortunately, we won't be able to move forward right now. Thank you."
Timecounts does not send decline emails by default, as they can feel impersonal without context. If you choose to turn on this feature, we recommend attaching an email template with a personalized message. Alternatively, you can send your own general email to the volunteer instead.
If you mark a volunteer as Qualified and later change their status to Unqualified, Timecounts does not send an automated email. This is because it's typically assumed the volunteer is no longer active or has already indicated they’re stepping back. If you’d like to notify them about the change, we recommend sending a general message directly.
Reminder Emails for Events and Schedules
Timecounts automatically sends reminder emails 48 hours before a shift or event, but you can adjust this timing to fit your needs. To change it, open the event or schedule, click the Details tab at the top, and scroll down to the Reminders section near the bottom. From there, you can edit the default timing and press Save. Make sure the checkbox is selected to activate reminders.
Reminder emails include a friendly message, the name of the activity or position, the date, time, location, and any notes or instructions you’ve added to the opportunity.
If you’re on the Pro Plan, you can also include a custom message to personalize your reminders.
Customizing Confirmation and Reminder Emails
If your organization is on the Pro Plan, you can customize both confirmation and reminder emails with your own message. This is a great way to speak in your organization’s voice and include helpful details like parking or arrival instructions, what to bring or wear, or a quick thank you.
To get started, go to Settings > Email Templates to create your message. You can use the same template across multiple events or schedules. We strongly recommend keeping your message short and to the point—Timecounts automatically adds the important shift or event details below your message, and if your custom text is too long, volunteers might miss the information they actually need.
Learn more about creating and managing email templates.
Once you’ve saved your email template, open the Event, Schedule, or Application and go to the Details tab. Scroll down to the Confirmation and Reminder Email section.
Click “No Form” to open the dropdown of available Email Templates. Select the one you want, check the box to turn it on, then scroll down and hit Save. For reminder emails, you can also choose how far in advance you'd like them to be sent.
All emails carry your organization’s logo, name, and hub colors, so they feel consistent and recognizable to your volunteers. Although powered by Timecounts, these messages come directly from your organization.
Troubleshooting
Did a volunteer not receive their email?
Ask them to check their spam folder.
Have them add your email to their contacts to whitelist.
Make sure their email address is correct in your Directory.
From their Profile Settings they can make sure they are opted-in (you can also use the Email Management option in your Directory filters to check)