This feature is available on the Pro Plan.
Using volunteer applications to recruit and screen.
Volunteer applications help organizations identify and evaluate individuals for specific roles or projects. By customizing these applications, organizations can ensure that volunteers have the right skills and qualifications. While applications aren’t the same as forms, they work together to make the process smoother and more efficient.
Creating a new application.
Go to the Applications tab in the main navigation and click the New Application button in the top right corner. Enter a unique name for your application (you can edit this later). Next, select a time commitment and add a location. You can enter a city name or custom location without a specific address.
Designing your application page.
Once you’ve created your application, you’ll be directed to the Edit Application page, where you can upload an image and add content to the description sections. This page is designed with job or project descriptions in mind, so the more details you include, the more valuable it will be to volunteers. Use the custom sections to provide information that will help volunteers understand the opportunity—what they can expect, what you’re looking for, and anything else to help them decide to apply.
Opening and closing applications to recruit volunteers.
Opening an application is similar to publishing—it makes the application available for people to sign up. By default, applications are closed until you choose to open them. Unlike an event, a scheduled opportunity with a set end time, applications can be opened and closed as needed, based on your volunteer intake periods. Once you have enough volunteers, you can close the application until you’re ready to recruit again.
Note: If you do not wish to recruit with a signup page, skip this part as it is not mandatory. You can manually Qualify volunteers for this application.
To open the application, click the Application Closed button at the top right corner. A dropdown will appear—select Open Application.
Then, a popup will let you set specific open and close dates, or you can leave the default settings if no specific dates are needed. Once ready, click Save.
Adding a form to your application.
If you'd like volunteers to answer questions when signing up, you can attach a form to your application. This is optional, as Timecounts automatically collects their name and email. To add a form, go to the Details tab, scroll to the Signup Form section, and select the form from the dropdown (only published forms will appear).
You can also add an optional Success Screen Message, which will appear as the final screen after someone submits their signup. Keep it short—for example, letting them know when they can expect to hear back or just a simple thank you for applying.
Checking your application settings.
While on the Details page, review key settings such as permissions and approval preferences (automatic or manual) and custom confirmation and reminder messages for your emails.
Archiving an application.
If you no longer need to recruit or maintain a Qualified list of volunteers for an application, you may choose to archive it. Archiving doesn’t delete the application—you can reactivate it anytime. However, you’ll need to remove all links to positions, and the status of all volunteers will be set to Archived.
From the Applications list view, click the three-dot icon to the right of each application. Then, select Archive Application from the menu. You can also find the Archive option inside the Open/Close button in the top right corner of the Application.
Deleting an application.
Deleting an application is best reserved for test applications or ones you’re sure you won’t need. This action permanently removes all data linked to the application and can’t be undone. To delete an application, go to the Applications List view, click the three-dot icon on the right, and select Delete from the dropdown.