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The volunteer check-in and check-out experience

See what volunteers will see and do when using your check-in kiosk.

This feature is available on the Pro Plan.

Before volunteers start checking in

Make sure your kiosk is set up and launched on the iPad or tablet you’re using as your check-in station. Once launched, the welcome screen will be ready for volunteers to check themselves in and out.

If you still need to set up or launch your kiosk, visit the Check-in Kiosk collection for step-by-step guides.

Searching by name

When volunteers arrive at the kiosk, they’ll start by searching for their name. As they type, matching profiles will appear and they can select their name to continue.

If more than one volunteer has the exact same name, Timecounts will show part of their email address to help them identify the correct profile.

If the kiosk is set to By Email, volunteers will enter the email address associated with their Timecounts profile instead.

Choosing what to check-in or out of

Once a volunteer selects their profile, they’ll see a personalized greeting and the shifts or events currently available to them. If they’re already checked in, they’ll see the option to check out instead.

Volunteers can only be checked in to one thing at a time. If they’re moving from one shift or position to another, they’ll need to check out first, then return to the kiosk to check in again.

Checking in for a scheduled shift or event

When a volunteer selects a scheduled shift or event, they’ll see the position they’re volunteering for along with the scheduled shift time. They select Check in to confirm and start their volunteer time.

Once checked in, they’ll see a confirmation with their name and any message your organization has added for volunteers starting their time. This might include where to go next, who to meet, or another helpful instruction before they start volunteering.


From here, they can select Done to return to the welcome screen. If they don’t, the kiosk will automatically return to the welcome screen after 60 seconds, ready for the next volunteer.

Checking in as a walk-in

If walk-in check-ins are available on the kiosk, volunteers who don’t have a scheduled shift or event can select Check in as a walk-in.

They’ll see the walk-in positions currently available to them at that location and can select the one they want to volunteer for.

After selecting a position, a pop-up will show the position details, including a description if one has been added. The volunteer selects Check in to confirm, which starts tracking their volunteer time.

A confirmation screen lets them know they’ve successfully checked in.

Checking out

When volunteers finish, they return to the kiosk and search for themselves again. Timecounts recognizes that they’re currently checked in and shows the position they can check out of.

They select the position they’re finishing and confirm their check-out. The confirmation screen shows their check-out time and total volunteer time for that session, along with any message your organization has added.


For walk-ins, the check-in and check-out times are used to calculate their volunteer time. For scheduled shifts and events, Timecounts uses the check-in and check-out times when both are available and applies your organization’s crediting preferences to determine the hours they receive.

If approval is required, the activity will appear in Track for an admin to review and approve. The kiosk then returns to the welcome screen, ready for the next volunteer.

When there’s nothing to check in to

If there’s nothing available for a volunteer to check in to, they’ll see a message letting them know and can select Done to return to the welcome screen.

This might happen if they don’t have a scheduled shift or event that day, have already completed their scheduled shift, or there are no walk-in positions available to them. Walk-in positions may not appear if walk-ins aren’t offered on that kiosk, the volunteer doesn’t meet the qualifications, or all available spots have been filled.

If something doesn’t look right

If a volunteer can’t find their name or doesn’t see the shift, event, or walk-in position they’re expecting, an admin may need to check their signup or the options selected when the kiosk was launched.

If a volunteer checks in or out incorrectly, their activity can be reviewed and adjusted from Track.

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