Created on 28 Mar 2026, Updated 26 Aug 2026 18:03

Volunteer team assignments guide

This guide explains how to assign users to volunteer teams using the Team users page and understand the different role types in the system.

Overview

The Team users page manages team assignments for users within events. It handles volunteer position assignments, creating a comprehensive permission system for volunteer management.

Two types of roles

Before assigning users to teams, it's important to understand the difference between the two types of roles in the system. Confusing these is the most common cause of permission problems.

Event management roles

Event management roles are assigned on the Event users page and grant access to event management functions:

Role	Description	Access level
Owner	Organiser ownership	Full access to everything
Event manager	Event management	High-level event management
Event coordinator	Event coordination	Medium event management
Collaborator	Limited collaboration	Event management access

Anyone with an event management role can access all volunteer teams and event areas. These roles should only be given to people who need to manage the event itself.

Volunteer access roles

Volunteer access roles are also assigned on the Event users page, but they grant limited access for volunteer management only:

Role	Description	Access level
Volunteer coordinator	Team management role	Volunteer access only

Volunteer access roles do not include event management permissions. To give a volunteer coordinator access to specific teams, you need to assign their teams and positions on the Team users page (or use a team invite link, which does both in one step).

Volunteer positions

Volunteer positions define team-specific roles and responsibilities. These are assigned on the Team users page:

Position	Level	Description	Team access	Manual shift assignment
Participant	1	Basic volunteer role	Assigned teams only	No
2IC	2	Second-in-charge	Assigned teams only	No
Team lead	3	Team management role	Assigned teams only	No
Supervisor	4	Senior volunteer role	Assigned teams only	Yes

All volunteer positions can only access teams they are explicitly assigned to. To give someone access to all teams, use an event management role (Event coordinator or higher) instead.

Key role combinations

Team lead configuration

For a user to be a Team lead:

Required event management role:

• Volunteer coordinator

Required volunteer position:

• Team lead
• Must be assigned to one or more specific teams

Result: The user can only manage volunteers and teams they are specifically assigned to.

Supervisor configuration

For a user to be a Supervisor:

Required event management role:

• Volunteer coordinator

Required volunteer position:

• Supervisor
• Must be assigned to one or more specific teams

Result: The user can manage volunteers and assign shifts within their assigned teams. They can also export volunteer data and send broadcast messages.

Access differences: Supervisor vs Team lead

Both Supervisor and Team lead can only access teams they are assigned to. The key difference is what they can do within those teams.

Supervisor access

• Can view and manage volunteers in assigned teams
• Can manually assign volunteers to shifts
• Can manage volunteers (add, remove, edit)
• Can export volunteer data
• Can send broadcast messages to volunteers
• Can edit and remove shift assignments
• Can offer volunteer shifts to others

Team lead access

• Can view volunteers in assigned teams
• Can edit and remove shift assignments
• Can offer volunteer shifts to others
• Can manage volunteers (add, remove, edit)
  
• Can send and close volunteer messages
• Cannot manually assign volunteers to shifts
• Cannot export volunteer data
• Cannot send broadcast messages

The correct workflow

There are two ways to set up a volunteer coordinator with team access. Use whichever suits your situation.

Method 1: Team invite links (recommended for new users)

Team invite links do everything in one step — they add the user to your organiser, the event, a specific team, and assign the Volunteer coordinator role with the chosen position.

1. Navigate to Event dashboard → Volunteers → Team users
2. Click the Team invite links button
3. Choose a team and position for the link
4. Set the expiry and maximum uses
5. Click Generate invite link
6. Share the link with the person you're inviting

When they accept the link, they'll automatically receive the Volunteer coordinator role and be assigned to the chosen team with the selected position.

Method 2: Manual assignment (for existing users)

If the user already has an account, you can set them up manually in two steps.

Step 1: Assign the Volunteer coordinator role

1. Go to Event dashboard → Event users
2. Click Edit on an existing user
3. Select Volunteer coordinator from the role dropdown (under the "Volunteer access roles" group)
4. Save

Step 2: Assign teams and positions

1. Go to Event dashboard → Volunteers → Team users
2. Find the user in the list
3. Click Assign positions
4. Choose the teams and select the position type:
   • Participant for regular volunteers
   • 2IC for second-in-charge volunteers
   • Team lead for team managers who don't need shift assignment
   • Supervisor for senior volunteers who need to assign shifts and manage volunteers
5. Save the assignments

Common mistakes to avoid

Giving volunteer coordinators an event management role

Do not assign the Event coordinator role (or higher) to someone who only needs to manage volunteers. Event coordinator and above grants access to all teams and event management functions, which is usually more access than a volunteer coordinator needs.

Instead, assign the Volunteer coordinator role and then use the Team users page to give them access to specific teams.

Not assigning teams after granting the role

The Volunteer coordinator role on its own doesn't give access to any teams. You must also assign the user to specific teams on the Team users page, regardless of whether they are a Team lead or Supervisor. Neither position grants access to all teams — only event management roles (Event coordinator or higher) do that.

Assigning users to teams

Step-by-step process

1. Navigate to Team users

   • Go to Event dashboard → Volunteers → Team users

2. Select user

   • Use the search bar to find the user
   • Filter by name, email, or current team assignments

3. Assign teams and positions

   • Click "Assign positions" for the selected user
   • Choose from available teams
   • Select the appropriate position type:
     • Participant for regular volunteers
     • 2IC for second-in-charge volunteers
     • Team lead for team managers who don't need shift assignment
     • Supervisor for senior volunteers who need to assign shifts and manage volunteers

4. Save assignments

   • Review the assignments
   • Click "Save" to apply changes

Required permissions

To assign users to teams, you must have:

• An event management role (Event coordinator or higher)

Managing team assignments

Viewing current assignments

The team users table shows:

• User information and organiser roles
• Current team assignments with position badges
• Assignment count per user
• Highest position level per user

Modifying assignments

1. Update assignments

   • Click "Assign positions" to modify existing assignments
   • Add or remove team assignments
   • Change position types as needed

2. Remove all assignments

   • Click "Remove positions" to clear all team assignments
   • Confirm the removal action
   • This removes all team associations for the user

Filtering and search

Use filters to find specific users:

• Position type filter: Filter by volunteer position level
• Teams filter: Filter by specific team assignments
• Search: Search by name, email, or team names

Best practices

Setting up team leads

1. Grant the volunteer access role

   • Assign Volunteer coordinator on the Event users page
   • This provides the base permission for volunteer management

2. Assign team lead position

   • Assign Team lead volunteer position on the Team users page
   • Specify which teams they will manage
   • Start with one team, expand as needed

3. Verify access

   • Ask the user to test they have access to their assigned teams
   • Confirm they cannot access other teams

Setting up supervisors

1. Grant the volunteer access role

   • Assign Volunteer coordinator on the Event users page
   • This enables team management permissions

2. Assign supervisor position

   • Assign Supervisor volunteer position on the Team users page
   • Assign them to the teams they need to manage
   • Supervisors can only access teams they are assigned to

3. Test access

   • Verify access to assigned teams
   • Confirm they can assign volunteers to shifts
   • Confirm they can export volunteer data and send broadcasts

Common scenarios

New team lead setup:

Event management role: Volunteer coordinator
Volunteer position: Team lead
Team assignment: Specific team(s)
Access: Assigned teams only

New supervisor setup:

Event management role: Volunteer coordinator
Volunteer position: Supervisor
Team assignment: Specific team(s)
Access: Assigned teams only
Shift assignment: Yes

Regular volunteer:

Event management role: None (or Member)
Volunteer position: Participant
Team assignment: Specific team(s)
Access: Assigned teams only

Troubleshooting

User cannot access teams

Check the event management role:

• Verify the user has Volunteer coordinator on the Event users page
• Without this role, team management permissions are denied
• Do not use Event coordinator or higher unless they need event management access

Check volunteer position:

• Ensure an appropriate volunteer position is assigned on the Team users page
• Team lead and Supervisor both require team-specific assignments
• Neither position grants access to all teams

Check team assignments:

• Both Team leads and Supervisors must be assigned to specific teams
• Verify team assignments match intended access scope
• For all-teams access, an event management role is required

Permission issues

Missing permissions error:

• User lacks assign volunteer positions permission
• Contact an Event manager or Owner for access

Access denied to specific teams:

• Team lead trying to access unassigned teams
• Either assign additional teams or upgrade to Supervisor

Global access needed:

• Neither Team lead nor Supervisor provides access to all teams
• For all-teams access, assign an event management role (Event coordinator or higher) on the Event users page

Support

For additional help with team assignments:

1. Check this guide for common scenarios
2. Review user permissions on the Event users page
3. Contact your Event manager or Organiser owner
4. Submit a support ticket for technical issues