What’s your best tip for reminding volunteers to update “Can’t Serve” times? 🗓️

[Krista Kutz]

Hi MSP community!

I was chatting with another parish about ways to remind volunteers to keep their profiles up to date before each scheduling period. They’re looking for ideas from other parishes on how to boost engagement with entering "Can't Serve" times.

I shared a couple of reminders that work well in my own parish:

• A quick announcement on Sunday thanking volunteers for their service, and encouraging them to update availability that week (also a great way to recruit new volunteers!).

• A bulletin reminder with the scheduling deadline and a QR code linking to the 4-minute "Updating Your MSP Profile" tutorial video.

We’d love to hear what works in your church.
👉 How do you remind volunteers to update their availability? What helps you ensure profiles are ready before scheduling?

Thank you in advance for sharing!
— Krista

Krista M Kutz, MDiv
Rotunda Software

[MaryEllen Ministry]

Hello Krista,

I like the reminder about a QR code. How do I get a QR code? 

Thanks,

Mary Ellen Wilson-Smith

Scheduler

St. Joseph Catholic Church\

Bradenton, FL

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[Violette DeSantis]

In Chrome, if you go to the three dots in the upper right corner, select Cast, Save, and Share, there is an option to create a QR code from the URL you are visiting.

[Violette DeSantis]

I was thinking about this last week and made a plan. Since we are coming up on Year A, and just completing a little over a year of using MSP, I created a schedule I hope to follow to remind people so they start to think of the updates as seasonal. I think I will include it in the first announcement, post it on the bulletin board, and include in our weekly e-newsletter.

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Thank you for volunteering. Our ministry scheduler will run on 11/17/2025, 4/20/2026, and 8/17/2026. Please look for reminder emails to update your can't serve dates as follows:

11/30 to 04/30 (5 months Advent to end of month of Easter)

- Send Update can't serve announcement 1st week in November

- Send Reminder update 11/13

- Run schedule 11/17

05/01 to 08/31 (4 months)

- Send Update can't serve announcement 1st to 2nd week in April

- Send Reminder update 4/16

- Run schedule 4/20

09/01 to 11/28 (3 months)

- Send Update can't serve announcement 1st to 2nd week in August

- Send Reminder update 8/13

- Run schedule 8/17

Additional reminders will be sent for opportunities to sign-up for special services (All Souls, Christmas, Epiphany, Holy Week, etc.).

[Ginger Bitikofer]

Violette:

Wow, that’s so good to think and plan that far in advance. I make new schedules every three months because many folks can’t commit much further ahead than that-- but giving them your scheduling dates in advance is a pretty good idea.

Ginger Bitikofer

(she/her)

Associate for Congregational Life & Membership

216.774.0407

trinitycleveland.org

2230 Euclid Ave. | Cleveland | Ohio | 44115

 

 

 

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[Violette DeSantis]

I was hesitant to do it, especially for the Christmas through Easter that they talked about in one of the webinars. After I thought about it, I realized that is the busiest time in the office, especially for a small church like us. To have to run the process twice in that time period is a job. I told the rector, yep, I'm going with MSP's recommendation. It is so much easier for anyone affected to use the "sub" button or email me with issues when that doesn't work. It is the beauty of the system.

[richard...@gmail.com]

Hi all

I simply send out a reminder (or two) every three months to update your can’t serve dates for the next three months.  Yes, most people don’t know their schedule later than that.  My schedule is one month off of the MSP recommended schedule – although I do see the advantages of the MSP recommended schedule.  Mine goes this way:

March to May – Profile updates due Feb 1

June to Aug – Profile updates due May 1 – has most of the summer vacation schedule.

September to November – updates due Aug 1 – has most of the back-to-school schedule – and Thanksgiving

December to February – updates Due Nov 1 – has Christmas, and I’m not burdened with MSP scheduling over the holidays.

 

This gives our ministry leaders enough time to manipulate what the auto-scheduler does to their liking and approve it, so I can then make it live at least two weeks before the end of the current schedule.

 

-Richard Brehove

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Lomita

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