Online Signup for part timers

[Doo600]

Looking for an affordable solution to allow part time people to sign up for shifts online.

I have been using uburst customized software but it has almost no ability to track signups which has caused problems. It also does not have the ability to lock out people when they are not allowed to sign up. One thing I did like about it was that it is a cgi based software with a reasonable 1 time purchase.

I have looked at a few online scheduling software companies like firemanager and shiftpro but they are more for scheduling the entire department and are very expensive. We really dont need that capability. I only need to schedule 5 part time guys during the day and 2 at night each day to supplement the full time staff.

Anyone doing this with a software they are happy with?

[RJAbbott]

We are having the same problem. We were/are using WhenToWork.com but it does not allow for volunteers to sign up for themselves. Or at least not efficiently sign up themselves. I guess there is a sister site to them that is called WhenToVolunteer and I need to check that out, and One called WhenToHelp. all by the same company. Just some options.

[DeputyMarshal]

Why spend a dime for something you could do for free with something as simple as Google Calendar?

[firebuff880]

Have a look at some of the software options listed here --

http://www.911dispatch.com/shifts/index.html

I have looked at one particular solution for a simular issue but have not tried it yet.. http://otipo.com/

Good Luck.

[firchf1400]

We have been using the WhentoWork scheduling for well over a year now with great success. I have set up our volunteers with an overnight station staffing schedule as well as our carreer staff on a different schedule. Volunteers are assigned a login and you set up the shifts and who can request those shifts. WTW will send your supervisors an e-mail when a FF selects a shift and they have to go in and approve it and then the requestor gets a confirmation. I think they still have a 30 day free trial.

[RJAbbott]

We have been using the WhentoWork scheduling for well over a year now with great success. I have set up our volunteers with an overnight station staffing schedule as well as our carreer staff on a different schedule. Volunteers are assigned a login and you set up the shifts and who can request those shifts. WTW will send your supervisors an e-mail when a FF selects a shift and they have to go in and approve it and then the requestor gets a confirmation. I think they still have a 30 day free trial.

We have been using When2work as well. We have been using it more as an accounting tool rather than a scheduling tool. The problem that we are having with W2W is that we don't have set schedules except for the career staff. We have to have a minimum of two emt's at all times with slots available for three. The volunteers come in and sign up for what ever hours they can take. So one may take 8 hours, one may take 6, one takes 12 etc... And there is no provision in W2W for volunteers picking up hours that are not preset schedules. The only way we can see how to do that is make 24, 1 hour unassigned shifts per each of the three slots.... does that make sense? It would me a nightmare to keep track of an each volunteer would have to sign up for each hour they wanted to take.

If you could tell me how to make W2W allow volunteers to log in and sign up for the number of hours they want in no preset schedule that would be great. And of course not allow every member to have admin rights where they could "accidentally" delete another member from a "prime" time slot.

[TheTrainingCommittee]

There are many options out there, however I have to agree with a previous poster and say whats wrong with google calendar? just share it and let everyone sign up. Seems like the simplest and the cheapest approach. unless of course you are looking for further features. good luck!

[RJAbbott]

The problem with Google Calendar for us is that there is nothing that prevents folks from double booking. We pay our volunteers for taking call time. We have in our budget room for three slots around the clock. If volunteers start booking 4 or 5 or 6 slots then the budget is shot.