Roll out the Serve app
This page is for staff getting the Serve app into volunteers' hands. Everything is under Volunteers > App > Setup, and only Administrators can change it. Settings apply to every ministry.
Checklist
- Volunteer records are ready. Each volunteer has an email in your directory (the one they'll sign in with) and is an active volunteer in Volunteers. For self sign-up, they also need a phone number or birthday on file.
- Group leaders are connected to their groups. Each leader is the main or co-leader, or placed in a Volunteers position linked to the group. See Leaders.
- Groups are ready (if leaders will use Group, Care or lessons): in a current or upcoming season, with a meeting day, a room and a curriculum plan.
- Email is set up under Workspace Settings > Email, or invites can't be sent.
- Access is turned on (next section).
- You've tried it yourself with a test account.
Access
Under Access:
- Serve app: turn it on.
- Self sign-up link: lets volunteers set themselves up from a link or QR code.
- New sign-ups:
- Finish on the spot: volunteers are in as soon as they confirm who they are.
- Staff approves first: you get a Serve app access requested notification, and nothing is sent until you invite them (see below).
- Require install: asks phone users to add the app to their home screen before signing in. Leave this on; notifications only work from the home screen.
Get volunteers in
Option 1: a sign-up link or QR code
Best for a training night or team meeting.
- On the Sign-up link card, click Download QR (or Copy link).
- Put the QR code on the screen.
- Volunteers scan it, enter their email, confirm the last 4 digits of their phone (or their birthday) and pick a password. It takes about a minute.
Option 2: invite by email
- Open Who is on it and go to Not active.
- Click Invite next to a person (or Resend if they already got one).
They get an email called "Set up your [church] volunteer app" with a Set up my app button. The link works once and expires in 30 days.
See who's on it
Who is on it shows how many people are Eligible, Signed in, have Push on, have Installed it and have been Active in the last 30 days. The Active and Not active tabs list each person.
Try it yourself
Test accounts gives you two made-up volunteers that only see demo data:
- Taylor Demo, leads a group
- Jordan Demo, no group
Copy the email and password, click Open the Serve app and sign in on your phone to see exactly what volunteers see. Click New passwords to reset them.
What volunteers see
The rest of Setup controls what's in the app:
| Section | Settings |
|---|---|
| Tabs | Turn Group, Care, Posts and Events on or off |
| Celebrations | Team birthdays, Serving anniversaries, New volunteers, Post to News, Notify the team |
| Group | Take attendance, Cancel a meeting, Show contact info, Show grade |
| Care | Care touchpoints and which ways leaders reach out (Text, Call, Email, Other) |
| Prayer | Prayer, Prayer in lessons, Leaders add requests, Updates and answers |
| Posts | Comments, Reactions, Polls, GIFs in comments, Public share links |
| Events | RSVPs, Show who is going |
| Training | Trainings |
| Profile | Change photo, Edit contact details |
| Badges | Built-in badges and your own. See below |
| Notifications | What volunteers get notified about by default. See Notifications |
Changes save as soon as you make them.
Celebrations
Each week, the app can post a birthday, anniversary and welcome post for each ministry. Anniversaries count from each volunteer's start date. If you imported lots of volunteers at once, they may all share a start date and celebrate on the same day; fix start dates on each person.
Badges
Badges show on volunteers' profiles.
- Built-in badges (Years leading, Nights counted, Reaching out, Training) are earned automatically. Turn one off to hide it.
- Click Add badge to make your own. Choose Single badge or Ladder (levels, like Bronze, Silver, Gold). You can't switch between them later.
- Click Award to give a badge to volunteers. Untick someone to take it back.