Creating and managing positions

Positions define the roles or types of work volunteers do, such as Greeter, Driver, Food Service, or Event Volunteer. They help volunteers understand what they’re signing up for and give your organization a consistent way to track and report on their contributions.
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You can add positions while setting up a schedule, event with shifts, walk-in activity, or when using log time. If a position is new, Timecounts automatically saves it as a Position Template so you can reuse it elsewhere. You can view all your templates under Settings > Position Templates, but you don’t need to create them there in advance.
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Position Templates act as a shared library for your organization. They are not automatically added to every activity. For example, creating a Position Template in Settings does not add that position to a Schedule. You choose which positions are relevant each time you set up a schedule, event, or walk-in activity.
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Within an event or schedule, every shift requires a position and each position is paired with a location. This allows you to use the same position name in different places, such as Registration at the Main Entrance and Registration in the Conference Hall. Depending on where it appears in Timecounts, “position” may refer to the position name or to the combination of its name and location.
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When building an opportunity with individual shifts, positions define the different roles volunteers can sign up for. In Timecounts, positions are used in Events with Shifts and Schedules. Basic Events and Repeating Events represent a single general role and do not use positions.
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Open an Event with Shifts or Schedule and select Positions in the top-right corner. From there, press Add Position.
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Select or create a position

Start typing in the Position Name field. If you’ve used the position before, select it from the dropdown to bring in its saved description and skills. If it’s new, enter the name and select Create new “[Position Name],” or press Enter. Timecounts will save it as a Position Template so you can reuse it in other opportunities.
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You can also select the colour icon beside the field to assign a colour. Colours are only visible to organizers and can help distinguish between roles, locations, or departments.
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Add a location

Each position must be connected to a physical location or an online link. For an in-person position, start typing an address and select an option from Google Maps. If the location doesn’t appear or you need to be more specific, select New Location from the dropdown and enter the details manually.
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You can customize the location name to distinguish between rooms, areas, or entrances that share the same address, such as Main Entrance and Conference Hall. If you don’t have an exact address, you can use the city instead. Timecounts remembers locations your organization has used, so they’ll appear in the suggestions the next time you start typing. Physical locations are visible to volunteers when they sign up.
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For a virtual position, select Switch to Online and add the link volunteers will use to join. Volunteers will see Online as the location when signing up, but the link itself is only shared with confirmed volunteers.
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Include a description and skills

A description gives volunteers more information about what the position involves. Volunteers can expand it when viewing the position on the shift signup page. You can also associate relevant skills. When crediting time in Track, organizers can validate those skills, adding them to the volunteer’s profile and displaying them alongside the credited time.

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Pro features

Organizations on the Pro plan can also:

Edit or reorder positions

Return to the Positions list at any time and select the pencil icon beside a position to edit its details. You can also use the drag icon to arrange positions in the order you want them to appear in the admin Schedule.
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This order only affects the organizer view. For volunteers, available shifts remain in chronological order and can be narrowed using filters, making it easier to find the right opportunity.

Note: The search field in the Positions list only searches positions already added to that Event or Schedule. To find and reuse a Position Template, select Add Position, then search from the Position Name field.

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Positions can be made available to volunteers who use the Check-in Kiosk without a scheduled shift. When setting up walk-ins, select the relevant positions from your Position Templates or create a new one. Any new position will automatically be saved as a template for future use.
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Volunteers will only see the positions you’ve made available for walk-ins, not your organization’s entire list of Position Templates. This keeps the check-in choices relevant and easy to navigate.
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​Learn more about setting up the walk-in options for your check-in kiosk
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Log Time is used to record volunteer work that was not attached to a scheduled shift or event in Timecounts. For example, a volunteer might submit 10 hours contributed throughout the month, or an admin might credit a volunteer for work completed outside a scheduled opportunity.
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Organizations can let volunteers select from a fixed list of positions, describe the work in their own words, or offer both options. Fixed positions make submitting time faster and keep people from using different names for the same type of work, creating cleaner and more consistent reports. An open description gives volunteers flexibility to explain work that doesn’t fit an existing position.
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To control which positions are available, go to Track > Details > Positions. You can make all Position Templates available or select only those relevant to logged time. New Position Templates cannot be created from Log Time.

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Go to Settings > Position Templates to view, add, edit, or delete your organization’s reusable position names, descriptions, and skills.
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You don’t need to create templates in advance. When you create a new position while setting up an opportunity, Timecounts automatically saves it as a template for future use.
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When editing a template, keep in mind:

To change the description or skills for a position already in use, edit it within that Event or Schedule.
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Remove a position from an activity

To remove a position from a specific Event with Shifts, Schedule, or Walk-in Kiosk, open the activity and select Positions. Select the pencil icon beside the position, then select Delete. This does not delete its Position Template. If the position has future shifts, you’ll need to delete those shifts before removing it.

​Delete a position template
A Position Template can only be deleted when it is no longer in use. Once it has been removed from any active opportunities, go to Settings > Position Templates, open the template, and select Delete. This is generally only necessary when you no longer plan to use the position or want to clean up old or duplicate templates.
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Deleting a position will not impact volunteer hours that have been credited.

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