Enabling a Waitlist for an Event [VIDEO]

You can enable the system to open a waitlist on an event after the limit for the number of volunteers has been reached instead of closing registration. Waitlists can be enabled on Normal or Time Slot Events but not on Custom Events or Service Projects.

When a volunteer is added to the waitlist, the system will record their position on the waitlist. Then if a volunteer cancels his/her registration or if you expand the number of volunteers needed, the system will add volunteers from the waitlist to the event until the remaining positions have been filled*. When a volunteer is added to an event from a waitlist, they immediately receive the confirmation email for the event, so you do not need to notify them. 

To enable a waitlist for an existing event, follow the instructions below:

1. Login to your CERVIS Account.
2. Click on the “Search / Manage Existing Opportunities” link under the “Opportunity Management” section of the Main Dashboard.
3. Search for the event which you would like to update.
4. Click the icon to the left of the event name to “Update / Edit Opportunity”.
5. Locate the “Allow Waitlist When Registration is Full” option and set this to “Yes”.
6. Click the “Update Opportunity” button at the bottom of the page.

To view the waitlist for an event, follow the instructions below:

1. Login to your CERVIS Account.
2. Click on the “Search / Manage Existing Opportunities” link under the “Opportunity Management” section of the Main Dashboard.
3. Locate the event for which you would like to view the waitlist.
4. Click on the “Register Volunteers/Groups” icon () to the left of the event name.
5. Volunteers that are on the waitlist will appear in the list with the other registered volunteers. They will be listed with an annotation that they have been waitlisted along with their position on the waitlist (Ex: Waitlist: #1 of 5).

Note that if you register a volunteer from the admin side of CERVIS, they will be assigned their proper place on the waitlist just as if they had registered themselves. You can change the order of the waitlist, if needed, by clicking the arrow buttons next to the waitlisted volunteer in the Registration Management menu. If you need to bypass the waitlist to register new volunteers for the event, you can disable the waitlist while you create more slots and add the volunteers to the event. When you turn the waitlist back on, it will have retained the list in the order that it was previously.

*Important note: If spots open up on the day of the event, volunteers will not be automatically moved from the waitlist since most volunteers will not be available to attend on such short notice.