Last month we announced a Limited Beta program for RunSignup Volunteers V2. Unlike our legacy product, Race Volunteers that is accessed only from a race dashboard, Volunteers V2 is a standalone product that can be linked to events (races and ticket events).
Beta testing customers have begun using Volunteers V2, and it will be open for public Beta this fall. However, this is just the initial iteration: expect to see features and functionality growing on a continual basis. This FAQ addresses the capabilities as-of 9/3/2026, and is subject to change.
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Using Volunteers V2
When will Volunteers V2 be publicly available?
Volunteers V2 is currently in limited Beta. We expect a full Beta release this fall – keep an eye on the blog for official release!
Is there a charge to use Volunteers V2?
No, Volunteers V2 is free for RunSignup customers. A payment account is still required for security purposes.
Why do I have to input a Payment Account when setting up a Volunteer event? Do my volunteers have to pay?
No! Volunteer events are free. However, all organizers must have an active payment account with RunSignup, TicketSignup, or GiveSignup to link to the Volunteer Event. Requiring a payment account allows us to verify the validity of events and prevent fraud.
How do I participate as a Volunteers V2 beta tester?
The Beta version is not publicly released. If you would like to join the Beta program and provide feedback, please email your RunSignup rep.
The Relationship Between Volunteer Events and Races/Events
How do I link a Volunteer Event to Race or Ticket Event?
This is not yet available, but will be coming soon. Volunteers V2 is currently standalone only.
When you link the volunteer event with an existing race page, will the current volunteer tasks transfer over? Is there any way to carry over our current volunteer setup?
This is in the works now. The goal is to automatically migrate over as much as possible, but there may be some gaps. Regardless, you will be able to see your old tasks to copy them over if needed.
Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for this.
Can I link multiple volunteer events to a single race (I.E., a volunteer event for each event in the race)?
No, volunteer events and races will be a 1-1 relationship. You can organize your volunteer roles to display by event.
Can I link multiple races to a single volunteer event?
No, volunteer events and races will be a 1-1 relationship.
Can we have a volunteer event that isn’t linked to any one race?
Yes, you can use Volunteer Events standalone and not link them to a race.
Can volunteers be linked to a Memberships Organization
Volunteer Events cannot be directly linked to a Membership Organization. However, you can use a standalone Volunteer Event and add links to it from your Membership Organization. Linking to Membership Organizations will be coming in the future.
Is there a way to use Volunteer events for recurring events that are not a race?
Yes, you will be able to use a Calendar-Based ticket event to connect to a volunteer event for recurring volunteer events.
Transitioning to Volunteers V2
Do we have to/should we move our existing volunteer setups to V2?
We will not cutoff Race Volunteers setups when V2 is released. If you have an upcoming race that currently has any volunteer registrations, we recommend staying with Race Volunteers through the race. When you renew your race to prepare for next year, that would be a good time to move to V2.
I have a race coming up in the next few months. If volunteers sign up through the current volunteer registration, will they vanish when this is released?
No. You will have to link Volunteers V2 to each race to upgrade; any races that have existing volunteer setups will not be impacted.
Once it’s linked to a race, is there an easy way to give access to all the same people who have admin access to the race event?
Not currently. You’ll have to add them manually to the Volunteer Event.
Can we migrate the branding from the race website to the volunteer website to avoid duplication of setup?
No, not currently.
Will the Volunteer tab completely disappear from a race going forward?
No, the tab will still be there to link your race to the correct volunteer event. For the time being, Race Volunteers is still 100% accessible as well.
Is there an easy way to copy Volunteers V2 to many races?
Currently, it’s a manual process. We are working to see if there is a more automated way to migrate some of it, but for now a lot of it is copy/paste.
Will all races have to update their volunteer links to go to this new site if they want to volunteer?
Races will still have the automatically created Volunteer link added to their race menu, and that will link to the new volunteer site (once your Volunteers V2 event is linked to the race). It shouldn’t change things for the users.
Can you import tasks from one event to another?
Not yet, but we are currently working on task imports.
Can you copy a volunteer event so you don’t have to redo them for every race?
At first we will have it so you can download the tasks as a csv and then import those tasks for each race. The wizard will need to be manually completed to set up the basic info.
Will you be able to renew the volunteer events each year (or do they renew when you renew the race)?
Yes, we plan to have volunteer events be renewable. You would renew it directly on the volunteer event dashboard separate from the race.
Volunteer V2 Setup
Why/when would I use a password for a task? Would I have to generate the password?
You can use a password for a task that you want to be limited to specific volunteers (I.E, you want to know who all your captains are). In that case, you would generate the password and share it with the person/people who should register for the task.
Can I have a volunteer role that’s live/able to be shared, but isn’t seen on the volunteer event website? How do we share it?
Yes, you can make specific roles private. If a role is set to private, you’ll see a “Copy Private Task URL” option on your task list – you can copy that and send it to the appropriate people.
Can people volunteer without setting up an account?
Yes, volunteer sign ups will be easy!
Can I add more information to an individual volunteer record, such as marking them as no-contact if they will not be invited back or adding a note for special talents, etc.?
Not currently.
How do Waivers work if one person signs up a whole group of volunteers?
Currently it is one waiver signed at time of registration. We will be building it out to be similar to tickets so that you have the option to have each volunteer sign and also have sign later through the portal or email.
Can groups sign up and indicate how many people they are bringing, and then add people later?
Yes
If a volunteer signs up, can they also remove themselves?
Yes.
Is there ability to prioritize specific volunteer roles?
Yes, you can set the priority level (low, medium, high) for each task, as well as re-ordering your tasks.
Can we still add a description for each task?
Yes.
Will the event date for the Volunteer Event auto-update if the race date changes on the race page?
No, currently the volunteer event does not have a start or end date specified by the director. The task time slots are where the time lives and would need to be updated manually.
Can we link a background check website if we require it for certain events (for example, kids events)?
Not currently.
Volunteer V2 Feature Requests
How does/will Volunteer check-in work? Can we check volunteers out?
Volunteer check-in will work through the RaceDay CheckIn app as soon as Volunteer events are able to be linked to races. Volunteer check-out is a new feature that will be available in RaceDay CheckIn soon!
Will there be a volunteer giveaway feature with inventory?
This will not be in the initial release, but it is on the Dev Team’s road map for volunteers.
Is it possible to have “recruitment link” (like a referral link) so I can track and reward volunteers that recruit others. Is this possible?
This will be possible in the future, especially with the build out of our loyalty system.
Will we be able to assign volunteers to existing “race” teams, and will volunteers be able to fundraise?
Currently, no, but those are great ideas. We’ll add them to the list of requested features.
Will there be a way for volunteers to share photos from each site?
Not immediately, but that is on our roadmap.
Is there an API for Volunteers V2?
Volunteers V2 will use the existing Volunteers API, and we’ll be expanding it as needed.
What is the purpose of Resources in Volunteers?
A race director or volunteer coordinator may need extra resources for that specific task. For example, a water station task may want volunteers to bring cups, gatorade, tables, gloves, trash bags, etc. You do not have to add any resources if it’s not applicable to your event.
Will there be a way to add volunteer credits to allow volunteers to earn credit towards race entries?
Not currently, but this is in the works for our Loyalty Project (likely in 2027).
Is the Website for your Volunteer Event Website V2?
Yes, customizing your Volunteer Event Website will be managed via the same Website Builder as Websites V2 in races.
Volunteer Coordinators
Can you invite volunteers via text as well as email?
Check out the upcoming RunSignup SMS Marketing if you’re interested in this option.
If someone withdraws using self-serve, is there also a way to alert the coordinator so we know we lost someone?
Yes, there will be an email notification to the director/coordinator.
Can the coordinator move the volunteer to different positions?
Yes the coordinator will have the ability to move the volunteer. The volunteer will be notified via email that their volunteer task changed.
Volunteer Emails
Is there a difference between Volunteer Transactional and Volunteer Marketing Emails?
Yes, they maintain separate unsubscribe lists. Use marketing emails for promotional purposes (like recruiting volunteers), and transactional emails only for communications with registered volunteers (like sending out reminders about their task).
Will you still be able to select race participants and volunteers as recipients in one email? Or will you now have to send them emails separately?
Volunteer System lists will still show in the main email marketing dashboard, so you can still email both at once.
Is there an option to send automatic reminders to participants including their task/schedule?
When email marketing is ready in Volunteers, you will be able to use replacement tags to send task information and can pre-schedule those emails to go out at the dates/intervals you need.
Volunteer Reporting
Will there be a way to look at volunteers on the partner dashboard/membership dashboard or a single volunteer dashboard to see global reporting across multiple volunteer events?
Volunteer events and races/ticket events will have a 1-1 relationship, so you’ll need one for each event. However, we are working on a way to roll it up for reporting.
I see there is a Category and Task view. Will there be a calendar or timeline review?
Not currently but this is on the road map.
Will our historical volunteer data be a part of the same reports (in the new dashboard), or will they be separate reports?
To be determined.
Does the reporting show returning volunteers and keep track of how many times they volunteer?
Not currently, but this is in the works for our Loyalty Project (likely in 2027).
Can I see volunteers across all events? I want to track overall volunteer hours?
Not currently, but we are working on a way to roll-up volunteer reporting across volunteer events.
Webinar: Introducing Volunteers V2
If you missed the webinar on Volunteers V2, you can catch up now!