How Reminder emails work
Reminders are automatically sent to confirmed volunteers before an upcoming shift or event and include the important details they need, including the date, time, location and position, along with any optional reference information you've added. Volunteers can also add to their calendar directly from the email.
Reminders can help reduce missed shifts and last-minute confusion, so we consider them an essential part of volunteer scheduling. Reminder emails are unlimited on all plans and don't count toward your monthly email credits.
If a volunteer has more than one shift on the same day within the same Event or Schedule, we'll automatically group them into one Reminder email. This gives volunteers everything they need for the day without filling their inbox with multiple reminders.
Choose when Reminders are sent
By default, Reminder emails are sent 2 days before a shift or event, but you may find a different timing works better for your volunteers. Go to Settings → Rules to set how many days in advance you'd like them to go out.
Reminders can be sent up to 14 days before the start. We recommend giving volunteers enough notice to let you know if their plans have changed, while keeping the Reminder close enough to the scheduled date to be useful. Our default of 2 days before is a good fit for most organizations.
Reminder timing is set organization-wide, so volunteers receive reminders on a consistent timeline and you don't need to adjust the setting for every activity individually.
Turn Reminders off for an activity
We recommend keeping Reminder emails turned on, but you know what works best for your volunteers. You can turn them off for any Event or Schedule by opening the Details tab, unchecking the Reminder email option, and clicking Save.
Volunteers also have control over Reminder emails and can choose whether to receive them from their own user settings.
Add a custom message to Reminders
Organizations on the Pro plan can add a custom message to the standard Reminder email from the Details tab of an Event or Schedule. The usual shift details are included automatically, so you can use your custom message for anything specific to that activity, such as arrival instructions, what to bring, or a final note for volunteers.
Can I resend a Reminder email?
Reminder emails can't be manually resent. Volunteers already receive a confirmation when they're confirmed for a shift and a Reminder email before they're due to volunteer, so we intentionally limit additional automated reminders to avoid filling their inbox.
If you need to share an update or remind everyone about something important, you can send a direct message to the volunteers on an Event or Schedule. Volunteers can also log in to Timecounts at any time to see their upcoming shifts and all the details on their dashboard.


