A volunteer roster template for shifts and roles

Built around shifts, not people

Volunteers give a morning here and an afternoon there, so this sheet lists shifts first and fills names in second. Each row is one person in one role for one shift. Two people on the till means two rows. The phone column is for the coordinator’s copy only: leave it blank on any version that goes on a public wall.

Westgate Community Op Shop uses a sheet like this with about 30 volunteers across five days. The Arrived column turned out to be the useful one. At the end of the month it shows which shifts are short in practice, not just on paper.

Sharing shifts out fairly among volunteers

• Ask how often, not which day. Some people want a weekly shift, others once a month. Write it beside each name before you start, and roster to that.
• Pair new with experienced. Put a first-timer on the same shift as someone who knows where the float lives.
• Don’t lean on the reliable few. The people who always say yes are the ones who quietly stop coming. Count turns and keep theirs in line with everyone else’s.
• Leave school holidays light. Expect fewer people from December to January and plan shorter shifts rather than more gaps.

The guide on how often to roster volunteers goes further into this.

A volunteer schedule everyone can open

Printed volunteer rosters have one weakness: the volunteer who isn’t in the building. They don’t see the sheet, so they ring, or they turn up on the wrong day.

A FairTurns volunteer roster puts the same shifts on one link that opens on any phone. You add volunteers by email, by a join link, or by name only for people without email. Fill gives each shift to whoever has had the fewest turns, and volunteers mark the days they’re away so they’re left off. Free for any number of volunteers. With Pro, at A$1 a month, volunteers who have accepted an invitation get a reminder before each shift and can reply “I can’t make it” from the email.

Questions