Training Volunteers

Volunteers are the main people who check in people for services, which gives them access to view and edit data, so it's important to train them well!

Manned and Roster stations should not be left unattended or given to an untrained volunteer to use.

For Manned stations especially, ask volunteers trained on your data security and privacy policies. Manned stations can view and update sensitive information, such as contact information, medical notes, and trusted household members.

Roster stations can do many of the same tasks, but they are limited to when the station is live.

Important

If a volunteer is an Editor, all they need to do is download the Check-Ins app and set up a station.

However, if a volunteer doesn't have permissions in Check-Ins, they can download the Check-Ins app, and an Admin will need to sign in for them to create a station on their device.

Videos for Volunteers

Check out the videos below to see how the stations can be used or go to this Volunteer Training Playlist and share it with your team!

Manned Station

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Self Station

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Roster Station

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Check People In

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Check people in by tapping the empty boxes next to their names.

1. Add a member to the household or change a person's information.

2. Tap the pencil to check the person into the right place with the correct status of Regular, Guest, or Volunteer.

3. If a person comes with the household but isn't a part of the household, add the person as a visitor. A label will print for them, but they will not be added to the database.

4. Show other people you're able to select for check in.

   Important

   This will show inactive people in your household and people for whom you are a trusted person. Anyone with an inactive reason of deceased will not be displayed.

If a person is not found on search, they can be added to the account by clicking Add Person.

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When you create a person, you have a few options on how to proceed before completing their check-in.

1. If the person doesn't have a household that already exists in Planning Center, create a new household for them.

2. If the person has started coming with members of their household, add them to the existing household.

3. If you have Allow One Time Visitors enabled in your event settings, print a label for the person without adding them to your database.

Caution

Make sure your volunteers know what fields to add when creating or editing a profile. Check-Ins only requires first and last name for people to check in, but if your location filters require age, grade, or gender, the person will not be able to check in on a Self Station until those fields are completed.

Check Settings

Ensure the station has the correct settings.

If you need to change the settings, you can create a station keys for each lead volunteer. Ask them for a 6 digit pin they will remember. You can then delete this key if they stop serving in the ministry. Here are some reasons they could use a station key:

• Change the station type from Self to Manned to add a new person.

• Change the station type from Self to Roster for checking out.

• Change the event or location to check in other people.

• Choose another live station to print to or choose Self to print through the current device.

1. If the person is only checking people into one event or location, lock the station to that event or location to ensure people are checked in to the correct place.

2. A station can print to another station, which allows them to print labels without being connected to a printer. Check the Print to to ensure the station is printing to the correct place.

You can access Printer Settings on mobile devices. They let you choose the printer you want to connect to, do a test print, and change label types.

Labels

If the station should print labels, make sure the volunteer knows where those labels are printing as well as what needs to happen if they don't print.

Multiple labels may print, depending on your default labels, security labels, and options. Make sure volunteers understand where the labels go and why by referring them to the folder or locations settings.

Utilize Templates

Create station templates to automatically switch a station's settings on a specific day and time based on your events. The station will be set up and ready to use for that event when volunteers launch the app.