Created on 27 Aug 2026, Updated 27 Aug 2026 08:23

Copying a volunteer roster

If you have run an event before — or you have an event template, or an event from the Demo lab — you can save time by copying the volunteer roster from it into a new one. The system copies the structure of the roster — teams, roles, phases, shifts and settings — without bringing across any volunteer assignments.

What gets copied

When you copy a roster, the following items are copied from the source event to the target event:

• Teams — the team names, descriptions and settings
• Roles — the role names, descriptions and which teams they belong to
• Phases — the phase names, descriptions and colours
• Shifts — the shift structure, including start and end times, required volunteers, locations, notes and priorities
• Team availability and capacity — the maximum number of volunteers each team can hold, reset to open
• Team relations — any linked or related team relationships
• Volunteer component settings — such as label overrides and priority-only display settings

The following items are not copied:

• Volunteer assignments or confirmations
• Generated shift schedules
• User team assignments, when copying between different accounts

Where you can copy a roster

You can copy a roster from the following places:

• Roster page:
  • If an event has no shifts, a Copy roster from previous event button appears in the “Shifts not set up” message. This copies another event’s roster into the current event.
  • If an event has shifts, the Copy roster action is available in the roster menu and in the shifts summary. This copies the current event’s roster into another event.
• Shifts page: the same Copy roster from previous event button appears when an event has no shifts.
• Event copy form: when copying an event, tick Copy volunteer roster and choose how many days before the new event starts the first shift should be.
• Create from template form: when creating a new event from a template, tick Copy volunteer roster and choose the start offset.
• Save as template form: when saving an event as a template, you can include the roster structure in the template.
• Demo lab: when copying an event from the Demo lab to your account, you can include the roster and set the new event dates at the same time.

Copying from a previous event

Use this when your new event already exists and you want to bring a roster in from another event.

1. Open the Volunteers > Roster or Volunteers > Shifts page for the new event.
2. If the event has no shifts, click Copy roster from previous event.
3. In the form, choose the event you want to copy from. Only events that already have shifts are shown, grouped by account.
4. The target event’s session start date is used as the starting point. Choose the time you want the first shift to begin.
5. The preview shows the first and last shift dates that will be created.
6. Choose which items to copy:
   • Copy team availability and capacity
   • Copy team relations
   • Copy user team assignments — only available when the source and target events are in the same account
7. Click Copy roster.

Copying an existing roster into another event

Use this when the current event already has shifts and you want to use it as the source for another event.

1. Open the Volunteers > Roster page for the event that has the roster you want to copy.
2. Click Copy roster in the roster menu or the shifts summary.
3. In the form, choose the target event. Only events with no existing shifts are shown as targets.
4. Set the date and time you want the first shift to begin in the target event.
5. The preview shows the first and last shift dates that will be created.
6. Choose which items to copy.
7. Click Copy roster.

Copying a roster when copying an event

When you copy an entire event, you can include its volunteer roster in the copy.

1. Go to the event you want to copy and choose Copy event.
2. Fill in the new event name, account and session dates.
3. In the Volunteer roster section, tick Copy volunteer roster.
4. Select how many days before the new event’s start the first shift should begin, from 1 day to 7 days.
5. Complete the rest of the form and copy the event.

The first shift will be placed the chosen number of days before the new event’s first session, at the same time of day as the original source shift.

Copying a roster from a template

When you create a new event from a template, the roster can be included automatically.

1. Open the template and choose Create event from template.
2. Enter the new event name and account.
3. Set the new session dates.
4. In the Volunteer roster section, tick Copy volunteer roster.
5. Select the number of days before the new event’s start the first shift should begin.
6. Submit the form.

Cross-account copying

When the source and target events are in different accounts:

• The system will create matching teams, roles and phases in the target account if they do not already exist.
• Team availability and team relations are copied only if you select those options.
• User team assignments are not copied across accounts.

Troubleshooting

The “Copy roster from previous event” button is missing This button only appears when the current event has no shifts. If the event already has shifts, it is hidden so existing shifts are not overwritten. If the event has shifts, use the Copy roster action instead to copy this roster into another event.

No previous events are listed Only events that already have volunteer shifts, are not templates and are not archived can be used as a source. The list also excludes the current event.

The target event already has shifts Roster copying can only go into an event with no existing volunteer shifts. Remove the existing shifts first, or choose a different target event.

The first shift is too close to or after the event start Use the First shift starts dropdown to set the number of days before the event. The system uses this offset to re-anchor all shifts while preserving their original duration and spacing.