A text alert system your volunteers will actually join
It's 7:10 on a Saturday. Your shift starts at 8. Three people haven't confirmed. You posted the reminder in the WhatsApp group on Thursday — but half the roster muted that group months ago. The two retirees who never joined it got an email, maybe. And there's the one volunteer you always have to call.
By 8:15 you're two people short, and at least one of them will tell you next week: "I never saw the message."
That isn't a people problem. It's a channel problem. And it's fixable.
Why volunteer lists break normal tools
Most messaging tools assume everyone will use the same app. Volunteer rosters never do. They're a mix of ages, phones and habits, and they change every month.
- Constant turnover. New people join every week; someone has to add each one to every list.
- Mixed ages. The college student lives in WhatsApp. The 74-year-old reads email once a day and answers the landline.
- Mixed apps. Some people refuse WhatsApp for privacy reasons. Some never check email. Nobody wants one more app.
So you end up posting the same reminder in three places and calling the rest. That's the real cost: your time, every single shift.
How it works: 30 seconds at signup, no app
- 1
Create your volunteer group.
Name it — "Saturday Food Bank Crew" — and HeyAll gives you a subscribe link and a QR code.
- 2
Share it where volunteers sign up.
Put the link in your signup form confirmation, your welcome email, or print the QR code on the sign-in sheet.
- 3
Each volunteer picks how to be reached.
Text, WhatsApp or email — or more than one. They confirm it once. There is nothing to download and no account to create.
- 4
You send once.
Type the reminder in HeyAll, or email it to your group’s HeyAll address. Every volunteer gets it the way they chose.
What coordinators actually send
- Shift reminders — the night before, to everyone on the roster.
- Last-minute openings — "Two spots open at the 10am pantry shift. Text Maria if you can come."
- Weather cancellations — "Snow day. Today’s shift is cancelled. Stay safe."
- Thank-yous — after a big event, to everyone who showed up.
Because each volunteer gets their own copy, there's no group thread and no reply-all. Your announcement stays an announcement.
What it costs, in plain English
Say you have a 60-person roster. On Starter ($19/month), a 60-person group fits with room to spare — the plan covers up to 250 members. If everyone chose text, one reminder uses 60 credits, so the 250 included credits cover about 4 text reminders a month. Members on email don't use credits at all.
They opted in, so you're covered
Texting people who never agreed to it can get you into trouble. HeyAll avoids that by design: volunteers subscribe themselves through your link, and picking their channel is their opt-in. HeyAll keeps the record of when each person joined and what they chose. You can't upload a list — so there's never a question about who said yes.
Every text includes STOP to opt out, and every email has an unsubscribe link. People who leave are never messaged again.