Recording attendance at a Men's Shed
A simple way for a Men's Shed to record who attends each week is a tablet at the door where members tap their name as they arrive, and optionally as they leave. It keeps the familiar sign-in routine, adds up the numbers for you, and can show who is on site right now.
Why sheds record attendance
Every shed runs differently, but the reasons for keeping a sign-in usually include some of these:
- Knowing who's on site at a given time.
- Welcoming visitors and newcomers, and having their details.
- Showing participation to a committee, a council or a funder.
- Noticing when a regular stops coming, so someone can check in with them.
Paper register, spreadsheet or tablet
A paper register is the usual starting point, and there's nothing wrong with it for signing in. It becomes hard work when someone has to count a year of visits, or read a smudged name.
A spreadsheet makes counting easy but needs someone to type the register up.
A tablet sign-in keeps the routine members already know, signing in on arrival, and does the counting automatically.
An example
A shed applying for a local council grant is asked for the number of individual members who attended in the past year and average weekly attendance. With a paper book, that's a weekend of counting. With digital sign-in, it's an export and a few minutes in a spreadsheet.
Keeping it low-friction
The test for any sign-in method at a shed is whether every member will actually use it. RollCall keeps it to typing the first few letters of your name and tapping it: no app, no email address, no password. Casual members and visitors add themselves on the same screen in under a minute.
With Member Sign-Out switched on, members tap their name again as they leave. The leader view shows who's still on site, and each visit records time in, time out and time on site. It's a useful list, but RollCall is a record of who signed in and out. It doesn't replace the shed's own safety rules and supervision.
What you get over a year
- Every visit recorded as it happens: open days, people, and how often each member comes.
- Each member's profile showing their attendance and when they were last in.
- A "Missed 2+" and "Missed 4+" filter to spot members you haven't seen lately.
- CSV export on every plan, and profiles with an emergency contact and any extra fields your shed uses.
Common questions
What's a simple way for a Men's Shed to record who attends each week?
Put a tablet at the door and have members tap their name as they arrive, and optionally as they leave. It keeps the sign-in routine but counts attendance automatically and can show who's on site. RollCall works this way and is free for sheds with up to 30 members.
Can casual members and visitors sign in?
Yes. Anyone new can register themselves on the tablet with a name, phone number and emergency contact, and they're signed in straight away.
Can we see who is in the shed right now?
Yes, if you turn on Member Sign-Out. Members sign out as they leave, and the leader view shows who is still on site. It's a record of sign-ins and sign-outs, not a safety system.
Our members aren't keen on technology. Will they manage?
Signing in is typing a few letters of your name and tapping it: no accounts, passwords, email addresses or apps. Many sheds keep the old book next to the tablet for the first week while people get used to it.
How much does it cost?
RollCall is free forever for groups of up to 30 members, with no card needed. Larger groups use Pro at US$9.99/month (a launch price; standard $19.99), which includes 150 members and starts with a 14-day free trial.
Want to see how this could work for your group? You can try RollCall free. It's free for groups of up to 30 members, with no card needed.