I'd like to suggest having an option to include specific location/address information for each shift being added as part of the custom and recurring shifts for a need. Some events, especially large community cleanups, walks/runs, etc., require volunteers to report to different locations around the city/county and it would be great for volunteers to be able to sign up for the time and location that works best for them without the agency having to make multiple needs for the same activity at different locations. I think this would be a wonderful feature for many of our agencies that currently use our system to redirect volunteers to Signup Genius.  

Yes! This would be incredibly helpful for our site too! I've had to add the different addresses in the opportunity description, which volunteers unfortunately don't always read. Having it on the shift signup would be more convenient and easy to find for the volunteers, as well as cut down on the emails I receive asking for the address. 

Hi Abby,

Thank you for the suggestions. The challenges we're having with putting multiple locations in the need description are:

- when volunteers get to the need response page, they can't see the need description to remind them which shift(s) were at which location

- if there is more than one shift with the same start time, they don't know which one to pick

- for the agency managers, if they're running a report and there are two shifts at the same time but different locations, they don't know which volunteers are showing up at which location.

If the agency manager makes different needs for different locations, the challenge for the volunteers then becomes having to toggle back-and-forth between multiple needs to find locations and times that work for them. For smaller events, this may not be a big deal, but for larger events or programs, the volunteer could be toggling between seven or more need descriptions to assess locations and shift times trying to find what works best for their schedule. Here’s an example:

An agency operates seven tax preparation sites. Volunteers who are certified may work at any site and for any shift that works for their schedule, location, and availability. Shifts and locations look like the following:

Location 1: Mondays from 9 AM to 3 PM
Location 2: Mondays or Wednesdays from 9 AM to 1 PM
Location 2: Mondays or Wednesdays from 1 PM to 5 PM
Location 3: Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9 AM to 2 PM
Location 4: Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9 AM to 3 PM
Location 5: Tuesdays from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Location 6: Fridays from 8:30 AM to 3 PM
Location 7: Saturdays from 10 AM to 4 PM

Volunteer Erica is willing to go wherever she is needed, but she has to work around her husband's doctor appointments. With our recommendation, she could more easily select a shift time that fits her schedule, say Monday morning at 9 AM, and then note the two locations that are open on Mondays. She can stay all day on Mondays, so she could work at Location 1 or Location 2. She chooses location 2 and signs up for both the morning and afternoon shifts, because location 2 is closer to her home than location 1, and it allows her to volunteer more hours at a time.

I hope that helps better explain our recommendation. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you, Abby.