Tracking volunteer attendance
The easiest way to track attendance for volunteers is to have them check themselves in when they arrive, and out when they leave, on a shared tablet or their own phone. You get a live list of who is on site and a record of each volunteer's participation over time, without a sign-in sheet to type up.
Why volunteer attendance is hard to keep
Volunteer teams mix regulars, occasional helpers and one-off volunteers at events. The sign-in sheet at the food bank, community garden or op shop captures some of them, but it's rarely totalled, and a volunteer's history lives in the coordinator's memory.
Yet organisations often need exactly that history: how many volunteer visits a programme had, how many hours were given, or which regulars haven't been seen lately.
What to record
- Who came, and when, against each volunteer's name.
- How long they stayed, if hours matter for your reporting.
- Contact and emergency details for each volunteer.
- Who is on site now, during a shift or event.
An example
A food bank's funder asks for total volunteer hours for the year. Volunteers have been signing in and out on a tablet at the back door, so each visit already has a time in and time out. The coordinator exports the year to CSV and adds up the time-on-site column, rather than estimating.
Where RollCall fits
- Volunteers tap their name on a tablet at the entrance, or scan a QR code with their phone. No account or app.
- New and one-off volunteers register themselves, with an emergency contact.
- With Member Sign-Out on, volunteers sign out as they leave. The coordinator sees who's still on site, and each visit records time in, time out and time on site.
- Each volunteer's profile shows how often they've come and when they were last there, and everything exports to CSV.
What it doesn't do: RollCall doesn't roster volunteers, match them to shifts or send reminders. Keep your rostering tool for planning, and use RollCall to record who actually turned up. It records one visit per volunteer per day.
Common questions
What's the easiest way to track attendance for volunteers at a community organisation?
Have volunteers check themselves in on arrival, and out when they leave, on a shared tablet or their own phone. That gives the coordinator a live list of who's on site and a history of each volunteer's participation. RollCall does this and is free for up to 30 volunteers.
Can RollCall record volunteer hours?
With Member Sign-Out turned on, each visit records time in, time out and time on site, which you can export to CSV and total.
Does RollCall roster volunteers or send reminders?
No. RollCall records who attended; it doesn't schedule shifts or send reminders.
Can one-off event volunteers be recorded too?
Yes. They register themselves on the check-in screen the first time they come, and are recorded like everyone else.
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.