Substitute Requests

When a volunteer declines a serving assignment, it is critical to find a replacement quickly. TimelyChurch's substitute request system automates this process by creating a request, identifying eligible replacements, and notifying them.

How Substitute Requests Work

Automatic Creation

When a volunteer declines an assignment, the system automatically checks whether a substitute request should be created:

1. The volunteer declines the assignment (with an optional reason).
2. The system checks if the serving need is still unfilled (i.e., there are not enough confirmed/pending volunteers to meet the required count).
3. The system checks if the event is still in the future.
4. The system checks if there is already an open substitute request for this position.
5. If all conditions are met, a new substitute request is created automatically.

The urgency level is set based on how soon the event is:

• Urgent -- The event is within 3 days
• Normal -- The event is more than 3 days away

Manual Creation

Admins can also create substitute requests manually if a volunteer cancels or becomes unavailable outside of the normal decline workflow.

Substitute Request Details

Each substitute request includes:

Finding Available Substitutes

When a substitute request is created, the system can identify eligible replacement volunteers by checking:

1. Active team members -- Only members of the serving team who hold the relevant position
2. Availability -- Members who are not marked as unavailable (blackout) on the event date
3. No conflicts -- Members who are not already assigned to this event or to another event at an overlapping time

This filtering ensures that only genuinely available and qualified volunteers are contacted.

Inviting Volunteers

Admins can invite specific volunteers to fill an open substitute request:

1. Open the substitute request.
2. View the list of available volunteers.
3. Select the volunteers you want to invite.
4. Click Send Invitations.

The system:

• Records which volunteers have been invited
• Sends email notifications to the invited volunteers
• Updates the notification timestamp and count

Notification Content

Invited volunteers receive an email with:

• The event name and date
• The position that needs to be filled
• The reason a substitute is needed
• A link to the member portal where they can accept

Fulfilling a Substitute Request

When a volunteer agrees to fill the opening:

1. The substitute request is marked as Fulfilled.
2. The fulfilling volunteer's person ID is recorded.
3. A timestamp of when the request was fulfilled is saved.
4. A new assignment is automatically created for the position, linking the new volunteer to the serving need.

Cancelling a Substitute Request

If the substitute is no longer needed (e.g., the event was cancelled or the original volunteer changed their mind), the request can be cancelled:

1. Open the substitute request.
2. Click Cancel Request.
3. The status changes to "Cancelled."

Automatic Reminders

The system includes a scope for finding substitute requests that need reminders:

• The request must still be Open
• The associated event must be in the future (starts_at >= today)
• Either no notification has been sent yet, or the last notification was sent more than 24 hours ago

This allows the system to send periodic reminders to invited volunteers for unfilled substitute requests.

Urgency Levels

The urgency level is automatically set when a substitute request is auto-created based on a decline, but it can be manually adjusted by an admin.

Integration with the Decline Workflow

The substitute request system is tightly integrated with the assignment decline process:

1. Volunteer receives an assignment notification email.
2. Volunteer clicks the Decline link in the email (or declines through the portal).
3. The assignment status changes to "Declined."
4. The decline reason is recorded.
5. If the position is no longer fully filled and the event is in the future, a substitute request is automatically created.
6. The system checks if any previous open substitute request already exists for this need. If one does, a duplicate is not created.
7. The admin is notified about the decline and the open substitute request.

Tip: For urgent substitute requests, use the invitation feature to directly invite 2-3 specific volunteers rather than waiting for someone to volunteer on their own. This significantly increases the chance of quickly filling the position.

Tip: Encourage team members to set the "Can Fill Last Minute" preference in their portal settings. This makes it easy to identify who is willing to step in at short notice when urgent substitute requests arise.