Volunteer Swap and Trade

The Swap feature lets two volunteers exchange their serving assignments directly, without involving an administrator. Use it when you have a conflict on the date you are scheduled to serve and a teammate is serving on a date that works better for you.

When to Use a Swap

A swap is the right tool when:

• You and another volunteer are both already scheduled for separate dates of the same kind of role.
• You want to trade dates with each other instead of declining and forcing a coordinator to find a new fill.
• The other volunteer has not yet declined the slot you would like to take.

If no teammate is currently scheduled for a date that works for you, you should decline the assignment or request a substitute instead. Swaps cannot fill an empty position; they can only move two existing volunteers between two existing assignments.

Who Can Propose a Swap

Any volunteer with an upcoming pending or confirmed serving assignment can propose a swap. Team leaders can use the same flow for their own personal assignments. Swap requests are scoped to people who serve in the same kind of position so that the trade leaves the schedule with the right coverage.

How to Propose a Swap

1. Open My Serving Schedule in the portal.
2. Find the upcoming assignment you would like to trade away.
3. Below the Confirm and Decline buttons, click Propose Swap.
4. A modal titled Propose a Swap opens.
5. From the Their assignment to take dropdown, choose the teammate's assignment you would like to take in exchange. The dropdown lists fellow volunteers who are scheduled in the same role on a different date and shows their first name, last initial, date, and position.
6. Optionally enter a short message to give context (for example, "I have a wedding on the 13th").
7. Click Send Swap Request.

The request is now pending. Your teammate will see it the next time they visit their serving schedule, and they will receive a notification.

What the Recipient Sees

When you receive a swap request from another volunteer, a purple Swap Requests banner appears at the top of your My Serving Schedule page. For each incoming request the banner shows:

• Who is asking
• The date they are giving up
• The date they want to take from you
• Their optional message

You have two buttons:

You can leave the request alone if you are not ready to decide -- it stays in the banner until you accept, decline, or the assignment date passes.

Status Transitions

A swap request moves through these states:

1. Pending -- The requester has sent it; the recipient has not responded yet. It appears in the recipient's Swap Requests banner.
2. Accepted -- The recipient clicked Accept. Both assignments are now swapped. The request is closed.
3. Declined -- The recipient clicked Decline. The request is closed and no schedule change is made.

Once a swap is accepted or declined, it cannot be undone through the portal. If a mistake is made, the easiest fix is to send a fresh swap request the other direction or to contact a team leader or coordinator.

What Changes on the Schedule When a Swap Is Accepted

When a swap is accepted, the system updates both volunteer assignment records so that the people are flipped between the two events:

• The original assignment status (pending vs. confirmed) carries over for each person on their new date.
• Email confirmations and event reminders are sent based on the new assignments.
• The Team Leader Dashboard reflects the new lineup the next time it is loaded.
• iCal calendar feeds (see iCal Calendar Export) refresh on the next sync, so the new dates show up in the volunteers' personal calendars automatically.

Limitations

• Swaps only work between two existing assignments. They cannot leave a position empty or fill an empty position.
• You cannot swap with yourself.
• You cannot swap an assignment that has already been declined.
• The swap dropdown only shows teammates from your same role; cross-role swaps need to be coordinated through a team leader.

Best Practices

• Reach out first. A quick message before sending the swap request makes acceptance more likely.
• Use the message field. A short reason ("I have a work trip that weekend") helps the recipient decide.
• Accept or decline promptly. Leaving a swap pending for too long blocks both schedules from settling.
• Update your availability afterward. Once a swap goes through, take a moment to update your Serving Availability so coordinators know about the new conflict.