The Volunteer System is a free service that any race can use, but we can only provide support to those races who are also using RunSignUp for registration. Check out our Volunteer System Overview for full details on how to set up your Volunteer Tasks.
Definitions
Task: The basic unit of work is called a Task – this is what a race needs volunteers for. For example, a water stop, or bib pickup, or packet assembly, or Expo workers.
Category: Categories are a collection of Tasks – for example “Water Stops” Category includes the 5 different “Water Stop 1”, “Water Stop 2”, etc. Tasks.
Setup
The Setup tab lets you create and edit tasks, including information on:
Task Information – Explanation of the task
Location Information – where volunteers need to report for duty
Task Coordinator – Leader for a task
Adding a Task
Tasks can be made Private – this means they are not shown on the public page where Volunteers can sign up. This is useful if you have a group that is responsible for a Task or Category.
Example: Boy Scout Troop 23 will be responsible for Water Stop 2 and they will take care of having the volunteers there.
Adding a Task Coordinator
A Task Coordinator is assigned as the leader for an individual Task. They will be able to see all of the Volunteers on this task. They can also Import Volunteers and send emails to their Volunteers.
When a Task Coordinator is added in the page above, they receive an email notification and a link to sign up in the system so they can see their volunteers and do imports.
The Task Coordinator will need to click “Accept Invitation” to gain access to the race. If they have an existing RunSignUp account, they will be able to access the Volunteer Coordinator page through that login. If they do not have a RunSignUp account, they will need to create an account to gain access.
Importing Volunteer Tasks
You can also import Volunteer Tasks from a CSV file. This is useful if you are migrating your volunteer data from another platform, or have many volunteer tasks.
You can import a CSV file of your tasks. The file must include a column for the task title. You can also include columns for the task date and times. (Note: If you specify a date, you must specify a start and end time.) Other optional fields include the minimum and maximum number of volunteers needed, task description, and location. You can import one coordinator per tasks by including columns for the coordinators first name, last name email address, and phone. (All but phone is required if you do include a coordinator.)
When your CSV file is ready, you can upload the data in the Volunteers >> Setup tab.
Under Import Tasks, click Choose File.
Select the Volunteer CSV file that you created. Once you select the file, you will see the fields are automatically mapped for you. You will want to review the fields to make sure that they are mapped correctly.
Select the Import Tasks button. Once the import is complete, you’ll be able to easily update, add or delete Tasks or Coordinators from the page. Be sure to click Save before clicking the Customization tab.
You can also customize automated emails sent to Volunteers and edit the Volunteer Waiver under the Volunteers >> Setup tab.
Each time a Volunteer signs up for a Task, or switches from one Task to another Task, they will receive an automated email confirming their Volunteer Task. To customize the email that is sent, click the link to edit (at the bottom of the Add a Task page).
The email will have the Volunteer’s data and Task data hard-coded. This cannot be edited. There are email placeholders for Registrant Personal Info, Volunteer Task Details, Volunteer Task Location and Volunteer Task Summary. You can add general and Task-specific content in the text box.
Edit Volunteer Waiver
You will also be able to edit the Volunteer Waiver directly on the bottom of the Setup page. Once you have made your changes, be sure to click “Save”.
