Scheduling Volunteers

PawPlacer's scheduling system helps you organize volunteer time efficiently. This guide explains how to set up recurring schedules and one-time shifts, view the volunteer calendar, and manage volunteer availability.

Understanding Volunteer Scheduling Options

PawPlacer offers two types of scheduling for volunteers:

1. Recurring Schedules: Regular weekly commitments (e.g., every Monday from 9am-12pm)
2. One-time Shifts: Individual shifts for specific dates and times

Both types are visible in the volunteer schedule calendar and on individual volunteer profiles.

Setting Up a Volunteer's Availability

To set up a volunteer's schedule:

1. Navigate to the volunteer's profile by clicking their name on the Volunteers page
2. Locate the "Availability" section on their profile
3. The availability section displays two tabs: "Recurring Schedule" and "One-time Shifts"

Managing Recurring Schedules

For volunteers who commit to regular weekly shifts:

1. In the Availability section, ensure you're on the "Recurring Schedule" tab
2. You'll see a list of all seven days of the week
3. To enable a day:
   • Toggle the switch next to the day name
   • When enabled, time fields will appear
   • Set the start and end times for that day
4. To disable a day:
   • Toggle the switch off
   • The day will show "Not scheduled"
5. Click "Update Schedule" at the bottom to save your changes

Managing One-time Shifts

For volunteers who help on specific dates:

1. Click the "One-time Shifts" tab in the Availability section
2. Click the "Add Shift" button
3. For each shift:
   • Select the date using the calendar date picker
   • Set the start time
   • Set the end time
4. To remove a shift, click the delete button next to it
5. Add as many shifts as needed
6. Click "Update Schedule" at the bottom to save all changes

Editing a Volunteer's Schedule

To modify an existing schedule:

1. Navigate to the volunteer's profile
2. Go to the Availability section
3. Make any needed changes:

• For recurring schedules: Update days or times as needed
• For one-time shifts: Edit existing shifts or add new ones

4. Click "Update Schedule" to save your changes

Viewing the Volunteer Schedule Calendar

To see all scheduled volunteers in a calendar view:

1. From the Volunteers page, click the "Schedule" button in the top right
2. This opens the volunteer schedule calendar showing all scheduled volunteers

Schedule Calendar Views

The calendar offers several viewing options:

1. Day View: Shows a single day's schedule in detail
2. 5 Days View: Shows a 5-day view starting from the current day
3. Week View: Shows a full 7-day week
4. Month View: Shows an entire month of scheduled volunteers

To change the view:

1. Use the dropdown menu in the top navigation bar
2. Select your preferred view (Day, 5 Days, Week, or Month)

Navigating the Calendar

To move between different time periods:

1. Use the left and right arrows to move backward or forward in time
2. Click "Today" to quickly return to the current date

Filtering the Schedule

To focus on specific volunteers:

1. Use the "Filter by volunteer" dropdown in the top navigation bar
2. Select a specific volunteer to show only their schedule
3. Choose "All Volunteers" to show everyone again

On mobile devices:

1. The calendar automatically switches to Day view for better usability
2. Use the filter options to select specific volunteers
3. Navigate using the arrow buttons or date picker

Understanding Schedule Display

On the schedule calendar:

1. Each volunteer's shift appears as a colored block on the calendar
2. The block shows the volunteer's name and shift times
3. Completed shifts are marked with a checkmark icon
4. Shifts are color-coded for easy visual distinction

Clicking on any scheduled block will take you to that volunteer's profile.

Marking Shifts as Completed

1. On the schedule calendar, locate the volunteer's scheduled shift
2. Click on the shift block
3. Click the "Mark as Complete" button
4. The shift will now appear as completed on the calendar

Today's Volunteers Dashboard Widget

For quick reference, PawPlacer provides a dashboard widget showing volunteers scheduled for the current day:

1. On your main dashboard, locate the "Today's Volunteers" widget
2. This shows all volunteers scheduled for the current day
3. Click any volunteer's name to quickly access their profile

This feature helps you know at a glance who should be at your shelter today.

Volunteer Availability on Profiles

When viewing a volunteer's profile, you can see their availability information:

1. Regular schedule days and times are shown in the Availability section
2. Upcoming one-time shifts are displayed with dates and times
3. Completed shifts are marked with a checkmark

This makes it easy to understand each volunteer's commitment and schedule at a glance.