Leading your ministry · 3 min read
Manage scheduling settings for your organization
Choose how coverage requests, reminders, and automatic scheduling work for your team.
For leaders
These steps use the Beacon website unless the iPhone app is mentioned.
In this guide
Check which organization you are changing
If you work with more than one organization, select the right one before opening Settings → Organization. The volunteer scheduling settings shown there apply to that organization when you save.
These controls are available to accounts with the relevant access. If you can see the schedule but can't change its settings, ask the person who manages your organization's Beacon setup.
It helps to agree on a few practical questions first: how volunteers should find replacements, who will review offers, and how much notice people need before a serving date.
Decide how coverage requests should work
The swap settings control whether volunteers can use the open marketplace and direct swap requests. You can also choose whether a declined commitment automatically creates an open swap.
Coverage approval follows the volunteer slot. Automatic slots confirm replacements immediately; approval-required slots wait for a coordinator. Keep that distinction in mind when explaining coverage to your volunteers.
Swap expiration hours sets an earlier cutoff for requests. A value of 0 keeps them open until the shift starts. Choose a cutoff your team can realistically work with, especially for last-minute absences.
Set reminders your team can act on
Choose how many days to wait before nudging someone who hasn't responded. Then set reminders in days or hours before a commitment. Think about when people need to arrange transport, childcare, or time away from work.
Volunteers can use the organization's reminder schedule or choose personal reminder times in their notification settings. If someone reports unexpected reminders, check both the organization's timing and their own preference.
The Gap alert on decline setting sends an alert when a decline leaves a position uncovered. Decide who on your team will follow up so the alert leads to a response.
Save the settings and check the schedule
The Enable auto-scheduling option allows the scheduler to place eligible volunteers automatically. Review people's availability, qualifications, and serving limits as part of preparing to use it.
Choose Save scheduling settings and wait for confirmation. Then return to the season or calendar to continue the scheduling work. Changing a setting doesn't replace reviewing the actual assignments and open roles.
Public ministry information and season visibility have their own controls. Use those areas when you need to change what visitors see, rather than looking for that option among volunteer reminders.
Need a little more help?
Contact the team and tell us where you got stuck.