Volunteer sign-up sheet

Shifts and roles

Split the day into blocks, then list the roles inside each block. Keep shifts to about two hours. People will give you a morning, but most will not give you a whole day, and a short shift is an easy yes from someone who was on the fence.

Setup and cleanup are their own shifts. They are the ones that go unfilled, so put them at the top where people see them first. If you can, give them a nicer name than "cleanup". "Pack-down crew, last 90 minutes" sounds like a job someone could do.

How many per shift

Start from the minimum you need to run each role, then add one. Some volunteers drop out in the last week and a few just do not show, so a spare per role saves you from doing registration and floor duty at once.

If one role needs a skill, such as a first-aid certificate or a background check, put it in the slot name ("First aid, certified x1") so the wrong people do not take it.

What to ask

• Name and email, which every sign-up collects
• A phone number, only if you will really text people on the day
• T-shirt size, if you are handing out shirts
• "Anything we should know?" as an optional comment

Leave out anything you would not act on. A long form is the main reason people put off signing up.

Timing and reminders

Open the sheet three to four weeks out. Send a nudge to the group at the halfway point with the gaps named: "We still need 3 people for cleanup." Specific asks fill faster than "please sign up".

Reminders two days before and on the morning of cut no-shows more than anything else you can do. On the day, a printed copy of the sheet on a clipboard at the check-in table is still the fastest way to see who has arrived.

A ready list

The starter list above covers a typical one-day event with four roles across a morning. Paste it into Dibs and each line becomes a shift with a cap. When Registration fills at two, the next volunteer sees it as full and can join the waitlist. If someone cancels, the first person waiting moves up and gets an email. Volunteers do not need an account, and the page has no ads, so it works on any phone, even inside a group chat app.