Free Volunteer Check-In App: QR Codes and Hours

Display your event's check-in QR code at the entrance. Volunteers scan it on their phones, and their arrival appears on your event roster. Proximatic calculates their hours and closes open attendance at the scheduled finish, so people staying until the end don't need to return just to check out.

An organizer can also check people in from the roster, including guests who signed up with just their name and email. Signup, attendance and the final hours report stay with the same event.

Create a free volunteer event to set up your roles, shifts and check-in.

Set up QR check-in for your event

Create a Standard event, add the jobs and shift times, then publish it so volunteers can sign up. If your event is already published, you're ready to set up attendance.

Open Event settings → Event Kiosk, choose the role and time, and select Check In. Display that screen on a tablet at the welcome table. The rolling QR code carries the selected role and action and refreshes after use or expiry.

A registered volunteer with a verified account who is already signed in scans the code and is checked in immediately, without a second confirmation. Someone who is signed out can enter their email and the six-digit code sent to it; check-in resumes afterward.

QR scans need an internet connection. Put the tablet where volunteers can reach Wi-Fi or mobile data, and load the event before the first shift arrives.

Check in guests and anyone without a phone

Keep an organizer at the entrance with the event roster open. For a guest who reserved a place with their name and email, use Run the event → Roster → Attendance for their role and time. Have the guest accept the check-in terms, mark Check-in terms accepted, then select Check in. They don't need to create an account to have the organizer record their arrival.

Use the same online roster controls for a registered volunteer without a phone. Their attendance goes against their existing place rather than into a separate sign-in form.

Let the shift finish, or record an early departure

Proximatic closes open attendance at the scheduled shift or event end, whichever comes first.

For someone leaving early, display the Check Out QR code and have them scan as they leave. Their recorded departure determines their hours instead of the scheduled finish. An organizer can also record checkout through Roster → Attendance.

When your reporting requires exact departures, make checkout part of leaving the venue. Otherwise, the scheduled-end closeout keeps the event's hours ready without chasing every volunteer afterward.

Use printed QR signs when a tablet isn't practical

Open Printed Attendance Signs on the published event to create a reusable whole-event or fixed-role sign. Unlike the rolling kiosk code, a printed sign asks the volunteer to choose their role and check-in or checkout, then confirm. They sign in and verify their email when needed.

For an open Standard event, Allow walk-ins to join available roles can let someone arriving without a reservation join an unrestricted role with space. The sign handles their account and verification steps before recording attendance.

The QR attendance guide shows the sign setup and attendee screens. Replace printed signs after event or schedule changes.

When the venue loses its connection

The volunteers arrived. The Wi-Fi didn't. With offline volunteer check-in, the organizer records attendance on the event's volunteer roster, against each person's group, task and shift.

1. Load the event roster online

As an organization owner or admin with a verified account, open the published Standard event and choose Event settings → Volunteer roster. Eligible events prepare automatically on that device while connected. The small Ready on this device badge tells you when the roster can work offline. Preparation and refresh controls are in Attendance settings.

2. Record attendance on the right assignment

Find the registered volunteer by name, group or task. Check the volunteer shift's group, task and time, then select Check in or Check out on that roster row. On a ready device, Saved on this device and the pending count show locally saved attendance. The small badge changes to Offline when the connection is lost, and you can reopen the same event roster offline.

3. Reconnect and keep the roster open

Keep the event roster open when a connection returns, or reopen it online. Saved attendance updates automatically when Proximatic's server is reachable, and each acknowledged row shows Confirmed. Sync now in Attendance settings retries immediately. If a record needs review, the same settings show its original volunteer, group, task and shift so an authorized organizer can resolve it.

See the offline attendance demonstration

The narrated walkthrough follows one event roster across three volunteer groups and multiple tasks. Load the roster online, check volunteers in and out for their shifts offline, then reconnect to update the roster and review a 33-hour report.

Follow the event-roster attendance guide for device access, recovery and report details.

Download volunteer hours from the event report

Open Event settings for the completed event to see the attendance report. It totals volunteer hours by group and task and lists each person's attendance. Select Download CSV Report to export the details.

The report distinguishes Observed checkout from Scheduled-end fallback. The volunteer hours guide explains the duration calculation, CSV and how to follow up on a departure when you need to.

For a participant who needs a community-service hours record, the community-service check-in example shows how to send their individual record.

Start with a free volunteer event

Manual Standard event creation, volunteer signup and attendance are free. Create your event, add the roles and shifts, and publish it. If you're setting up your first one, the complete signup and attendance walkthrough takes you from the blank event to its final report.