Creating Events

This article describes how to create events.

Last updated: Dec 17, 2025

Creating and Managing Events in Volunteer Genie

This guide walks administrators and event coordinators through the process of creating a new volunteer opportunity (Event) in Volunteer Genie, including defining the required roles and slots.

🎯 Section 1: Event Planning Basics

An Event in Volunteer Genie is a specific volunteer opportunity with a defined time and location. The core of an event is its Roles, which determine what volunteers are needed and how many of them are required (slots).

Prerequisites

  • You must have Admin permissions within your organization.
  • If you want to use templates, they must be defined in advance.

🛠️ Section 2: Step-by-Step Creation

Follow these steps to successfully create your event:

Step 1: Navigate to the Event Creation Page

  1. Log into Volunteer Genie.
  2. Navigate to the Event & Role Management section of the Dashboard.
  3. Click the Create an Event link.

Step 2: Define Event Details

If you have templates predefined, select the applicable template first.

Fill out the primary details for the event:

Field Purpose Best Practice
Title A short, descriptive name (e.g., "Park Cleanup Day"). Keep it concise and action-oriented.
Description Detailed information about the goal, activities, and what to bring. Specify safety requirements or necessary skills here.
Location Where the event will take place. Include a full address or clear meeting point.
Start Time / End Time The precise date and time range for the entire event. Crucial: VolunteerGenie is timezone aware. Ensure start and end times are accurate for your organization's default timezone.
Check your organization settings if you are unsure.
Organization (Usually pre-filled) The organization hosting the event.

Step 3: Define Volunteer Roles (The Core)

After defining the event details, you must specify the volunteer positions required. Each position is an **Event Role**.

  1. **Click "+ Add New Role"**. A new role block will appear.
  2. **Role Name:** Enter a name for the specific job (e.g., "Registration Check-in," "Food Prep Assistant").
  3. **Role Description:** Briefly describe the duties for this *specific* role. This helps volunteers choose the right fit.
  4. **Required Count:** This is the most critical field. Enter the **total number of volunteers** needed for this specific role.
    • *Example:* If you need 3 people to handle "Registration Check-in," enter 3.
    • Volunteer Genie will automatically create 3 corresponding **Slots** for this role.
  5. **Repeat:** Add and define every unique role required for the event.

💡 Tip on Roles:

Grouping similar tasks helps. Instead of creating 5 separate roles of "Setup Helper 1," "Setup Helper 2," etc., create one role named **"General Setup Crew"** and set the Required Count to 5.

Step 4: Publish the Event

  1. Review all event details and roles for accuracy.
  2. Click the **"Save and Publish"** button (or similar final confirmation button).

Once published, the event will appear on the volunteer dashboard, and users can begin signing up for the available roles and slots.

📝 Section 3: Editing, Duplicating, and Unpublishing

Editing Event Details

You can edit the title, description, time, and location at any time. However, if volunteers have already signed up, be cautious when modifying roles.

Managing Roles (Caution Advised)

  • **Increasing Required Count:** You can safely increase the count (e.g., from 5 to 7). New empty slots will be created.
  • **Decreasing Required Count:** DANGER ZONE. If you decrease the count below the number of currently filled slots, the system may prevent the change. It is best practice to first **unassign volunteers** before decreasing the Required Count.
  • **Deleting Roles:** You cannot delete a role that has assigned volunteers. You must unassign them first.

Unpublishing an Event

If you need to temporarily hide an event from volunteers:

  1. Go to the **"Manage Events"** page.
  2. Find the event and click **"Edit"**.
  3. Toggle the **"Active/Published"** status to **Off**.
  4. Save the change.

Volunteers will no longer see the event, but their sign-up data will be preserved if you decide to publish it again later.

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