š Note: The screenshots and settings shown in this article may not match what you see in your own platform, as Rosterfy is highly customisable. If you need guidance specific to your setup, please contact our support team.
To streamline on-site operations and eliminate long queues at central desks, Volunteers can check themselves in and out directly from their personal devices. This self-service method completely supports custom arrival/departure forms, feedback surveys, and liability waivers, while capturing precise time tracking for both checking in and checking out. For volunteers who lack smartphone access, authorised Team Leaders can check-in and check-out Volunteers and manage their hours on-site.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Enable Your Organization Settings
Self Check-In configuration is broked down into three hierarchical levels, giving you control over how widely the setting applies. Lower-level settings always override higher-level defaults, allowing you to customise your workflow as needed.
Organisation Level (Global Default)
Enabling Self Check-In at the organization level applies the feature across all Events and Shifts by default. To alter this for a one-off scenario, you can override this global setting at the Event or Shift level. See the following instructions to enable Self-Check In at the global level:
Click Settings > Organization Settings.
Click the Events tab.
Click to turn the Use Default? button off on the Allow self check-in setting.
Click the dropdown menu next to the setting.
Click Yes.
Click the Save button.
Event Level
Enabling the Self Check-In setting within a specific Event's settings enables self check-in exclusively for that Event and all of its corresponding Shifts.
Click Event > Events.
Click the More Actions menu on the Event you wish to update.
Click Update. The Event appears:
Click the Shift Defaults tab.
Scroll to the Check In section.
Check the Allow self check-in? box. The following fields appear:
Self check-in opens before Shift starts: Determines how early a Volunteer is allowed to check themselves into their Shift. Can select from weeks, days, hours and/or minutes. For example, if set to 30 minutes, the Check in button will become active in the User Portal 30 minutes before their scheduled start time. This prevents Volunteers from checking in hours too early.
Self check-in closes before Shift starts: Sets a cutoff window for late arrivals. Can select from weeks, days, hours and/or minutes. If set to 15 minutes, the Check in button will disappear 15 minutes after the shift officially begins. After this window closes, any late-arriving volunteers will need to be checked in manually by a Team Leader.
Self check-out closes after Shift ends: Defines the time windoW Volunteers have to record their departure after their Shift finishes. Can select from weeks, days, hours and/or minutes. For example, if set to 60 minutes, Volunteers have up to an hour after their Shift ends to click the Check Out button on the User Portal. If they miss this window, an Admin, Team or Shift Leader will need to manually log their hours.
Self checkin proximity to Shift location: Sets the physical distance (in kilometers, meters, feet or miles) a Volunteer must be from the venue for the system to validate their arrival. If the Volunteer attempts to check in outside of this defined boundary, the system will prevent the check-in to ensure they are actually on-site.
Click to turn the Use Default? button off for any of the above settings to configure them.
Click the Save button.
š”Tip: Self check-in at the Event level can also be updated via the Bulk Update action. See the Create and Update an Event article for more information.
Shift Level
Enabling Self Check-In directly on an individual Shift applies the seting strictly to that single Shift, leaving the rest of the Event unaffected.
Click Events > Shifts.
Click the More Actions menu on the Shift you wish to update.
Click Update. The Shift appears:
Click the Check In tab.
Check the Allow self check-in? box. The following fields appear:
Self check-in opens before Shift starts: Determines how early a Volunteer is allowed to check themselves into their Shift. Can select from weeks, days, hours and/or minutes. For example, if set to 30 minutes, the Check in button will become active in the User Portal 30 minutes before their scheduled start time. This prevents Volunteers from checking in hours too early.
Self check-in closes before Shift starts: Sets a cutoff window for late arrivals. Can select from weeks, days, hours and/or minutes. If set to 15 minutes, the Check in button will disappear 15 minutes after the shift officially begins. After this window closes, any late-arriving volunteers will need to be checked in manually by a Team Leader.
Self check-out closes after Shift ends: Defines the time window Volunteers have to record their departure after their Shift finishes. Can select from weeks, days, hours and/or minutes. For example, if set to 60 minutes, Volunteers have up to an hour after their Shift ends to click the Check Out button on the User Portal. If they miss this window, an Admin, Team or Shift Leader will need to manually log their hours.
Self checkin proximity to Shift location: Sets the physical distance (in kilometers, meters, feet or miles) a Volunteer must be from the venue for the system to validate their arrival. If the Volunteer attempts to check in outside of this defined boundary, the system will prevent the check-in to ensure they are actually on-site. Volunteers must enable their location on their device settings.
Click the Save button.
š”Tip: Self check-in at the Shift level can also be updated via the Bulk Update action. See the Bulk Update Shifts article for more information.
Self Check-In Options
When Self Check-In is turned on, Volunteers can access their check-in screen using one of two primary methods:
š”Tip: Volunteer's must have a Confirmed status in order to check-in to a Shift. If their status is Pending, Applied, Offered, or Cancelled, the system blocks them from checking in.
š”Tip: If a Shift has a Self checkin proximity to Shift location value set, the Volunteer must have location settings turned on in order to check in. Mobile devices use GPS location, non-mobile devices use the location of the network it is connected to.
š”Tip: A Shift must be published to appear in the User Portal and Mobile App.
The User Portal
Volunteers log into their personal dashboard on a web browser. Click Events > click View Event button > click Check In button.
The Mobile App
Volunteers log into the mobile app. The Shift appears in their dashboard:
Email or SMS link
Volunteers can receive a check-in link or QR code via email or SMS.
Email QR:
Email Link:
SMS Link:
š”Tip: If the Shift has a check-in form attached, Volunteers are required to login and complete this form before they are able to check-in.