Updated

The short answer

A spreadsheet, Google Forms and a Messenger group are enough for one event a year and about twenty volunteers. Beyond that, or as soon as you have shifts to fill, a web tool saves hours: volunteers sign up and pick their own shifts, and the team sees what's missing. With me, a sign-up tool starts at $5,000*.

Where it gets stuck

At Bear-It and WoofMTL, volunteer shifts were sorted out in a Messenger or Telegram group, and sign-ups went through Google Forms. It works at first. Then the problems come.

  • Shift sign-ups get lost in the chat.
  • Someone copies form answers into a spreadsheet by hand.
  • You find out the day before, or the same day, that a post has nobody.
  • Every volunteer has to be confirmed and reminded one by one.

A shared Excel file doesn't fix much. It still has to be kept up to date, and soon several versions are going around.

When an existing tool is enough

If you have one event a year, about twenty volunteers and no shifts to share out, keep a Google Form, Zeffy or Bénévalibre. A custom tool isn't worth the expense for that.

Before I suggest anything, I check whether existing software already does the job.

What a tool changes

For Bear-It and WoofMTL, I built a single app, each in its own colours. Volunteers apply and pick their own shifts, without going through an admin. They get a reminder the day before. The team sees the schedule and the posts to fill at a glance.

Volunteer managementVolunteer sign-ups and schedules for Bear-It and WoofMTL.Read the case study

Members can leave the spreadsheet too. At WoofMTL, the members' area runs the door and the till at events, from the admins' phones. Each member has their card on their phone.

WoofMTLWoofMTL's members' area and membership cards.Read the case study

What it costs

A sign-up tool (a form, a list, emails) starts at $5,000*. A tool for members or volunteers, with accounts and roles, starts at $8,000*. Maintenance starts at $100* a month and includes hosting.

For Canadian nonprofits, I lower these prices by 15%.

See the offer: Custom tool

Your questions

Our volunteers aren't comfortable with tech, will it still work?
The tool opens in the phone's browser, with no app to install. Signing up for a shift takes a few taps.
Can we bring over what we already have?
Yes. I import your existing lists, nothing has to be typed again.
What if we are two organizations?
One tool can serve several organizations, each in its own colours. That's the case for Bear-It and WoofMTL.

* Smaller budget? I can adapt. We'll look together at what to keep and what to leave out.

Let's talk aboutyour project

A 45-minute call. You tell me about your project, and I tell you whether I can help.

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