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To manually schedule volunteers into shifts for an opportunity, use Roster Mode™. Roster Mode is a rostering tool that matches volunteers to shifts based on qualifications, roles, and availability.
This article explains how Roster Mode works. To schedule volunteers using Roster Mode, read Schedule Volunteers.
Note: Rostering is a scheduling method for admins who have full control over an opportunity’s schedule. You can also use Roster Mode if you allow volunteers to set up their own shifts. View Set Up Recruitment for an Opportunity for more information about volunteer self-signup.
In this article:
Requirements
To use Roster Mode for an opportunity, the opportunity must have:
- Assigned volunteers
- Shifts with scheduled roles
Scheduled roles must be present in an opportunity for Roster Mode to match those roles to roles assigned to volunteers.
How It Works
You can use Roster Mode to schedule volunteers and shifts individually or in bulk.
First, confirm or update your availability settings.
Then, you can use Roster Mode within individual opportunities from the Schedule or Volunteer List pages:
Or, you can use Roster Mode while managing multiple opportunities at once from the Central Schedule page.
Keep in mind any scheduling conflicts.
Availability Settings
To get the most out of Roster Mode, we recommend collecting availability information from volunteers during the registration process.
Each opportunity has a Consider Availability When Rostering option within the General Settings, Notifications, and Permissions 
page. This option is on by default.
If you keep this option on, availability conflicts and filters appear in Roster Mode. Also, an availability option appears in the Volunteer Scheduling Conflicts filter, which you can select from the Shift-Based and Schedule-Based filters.
If you don’t collect availability information for an opportunity, we recommend that you turn this option off. Once you turn the option off, availability-related settings, filters, and indicators no longer appear.
Read Schedule Volunteers to turn off the Consider Availability When Rostering option. You can change this setting for an individual opportunity or in bulk for multiple opportunities.
Roster Mode on the Schedule Page
In an opportunity, Roster Mode on the Schedule 
page shows the volunteers that match the roles, qualifications, and availability for the shifts you select.
For example, a manager might use Roster Mode on the Schedule page to find a list of volunteers best suited for an opportunity’s food delivery shift at 12 PM on a specific date.
You can use Roster Mode in all schedule layouts:
- Scheduled Roles. We recommend using this layout for rostering as it shows the performance of each role within a shift as a separate line. Viewing the schedule this way helps you to manage low-performing shifts.
- Scheduled Shifts. When rostering in this layout, you must select the scheduled role before adding volunteers.
- Scheduled Volunteers.
Note: In the Scheduled Volunteers layout, you can use Roster Mode only in the calendar view. The list view does not allow rostering.
You can filter the Roster Mode results for the selected shifts by:
- Best Matched Volunteers. By default, Roster Mode shows volunteers whose roles, qualifications, and (if enabled) availability all match the selected shifts or roles.
- Volunteers with Matching Roles. If the volunteers have roles on their profiles, this filter shows volunteers who match all the roles in the selected shifts.
- Volunteers with Matching Qualifications. If the volunteers have qualifications on their profiles, this filter shows volunteers with all the qualifications required for the selected shifts.
- Show All Volunteers. This filter shows all volunteers regardless of their qualifications, roles, availability, or conflicts.
Note: Volunteers with any conflicts for the selected shifts do not appear as a best match.
If you have the Consider Availability When Rostering setting turned on, more availability-related checkboxes appear in the Volunteers with Matching Roles, Volunteers with Matching Qualifications, and Show All Volunteers filters. You can select checkboxes to show volunteers who are available, unavailable, or haven’t filled in their availability. You can also select a checkbox that hides volunteers with conflicts from overlapping shifts or opportunities.
Roster Mode on the Volunteer List Page
In an opportunity, Roster Mode on the Volunteer List 
page shows the shifts that match the roles, qualifications, and availability for the volunteers you select. For example, a manager might roster from this page to find shifts that two specific volunteers qualify for. Or, they might schedule all volunteers together who answered a custom question the same way.
Tip: Roster from this page to schedule volunteers who want to work together. The system will show the shifts that match all of the volunteers’ qualifications.
You can filter the Roster Mode results for the selected volunteers. The filters include:
- Best Matched Shifts. By default, Roster Mode shows shifts that match the selected volunteers based on the required roles, qualifications, and availability for those shifts.
- Shifts with Matching Roles. If the selected volunteers have roles on their profiles, this filter shows the shifts with roles that match the volunteers’ roles.
- Shifts with Matching Qualifications. If the volunteers have qualifications on their profiles, this filter shows the shifts with qualifications that match the volunteers’ qualifications.
- Show All Shifts. This filter shows all Shifts regardless of their conflicts or any required qualifications, roles, or availability.
Note: Shifts with any conflicts for the selected volunteers do not appear as a best match.
You can also add more columns and filters in this view.
Note: If you collect volunteer availability through custom form questions, those question answers do not appear in Roster Mode’s Conflicts and Best Match suggestions. Basing availability on form question answers might make the schedule more prone to inaccuracies when rostering.
Roster Mode on the Central Schedule Page
If you manage multiple opportunities across your organization using the Central Schedule, you can still use Roster Mode to schedule volunteers without opening individual opportunities.
From the Scheduled Roles table, click a result in the Shift Title, Shift Status, Shift State, or Scheduled Role columns. A shift window opens. Roster from the Volunteers section within a scheduled role to add volunteers to the shift or to the waitlist.
Roster Mode in the Central Schedule shift view has the same use and filters as Roster Mode on the Schedule Page.
Conflicts
If there are conflicts for a volunteer or shift, an alert icon appears next to the volunteer or shift. Hovering over the icon shows a preview of the conflict or conflicts.
Conflicts include several types:
- Availability Conflict. If you collect availability information from volunteers, you can see availability conflicts. There are two reasons for an availability conflict in Roster Mode:
- A volunteer has not filled in their availability.
- A volunteer is not available during the selected shift time.
- Qualifications Conflict. This conflict occurs when a volunteer is missing one or more of the qualifications required for a shift.
- Role Conflict. This conflict occurs when a volunteer is missing one or more of the roles required for a shift.
- Shift Conflict. This conflict occurs when a volunteer is already scheduled for another shift during the same time period as the selected shift.
- Opportunity Conflict. This conflict occurs when a volunteer is already scheduled for an overlapping shift in a different opportunity.
Click the conflict icon to show a more detailed explanation about all the conflicts.
All conflicts can be bypassed/overridden. If you choose to add a volunteer with conflicts to a shift, the volunteer is automatically granted the roles and qualifications needed for that shift.