Activities are the volunteering opportunities available to you in Volaby. They vary for each organisation - they might be regular weekly shifts, one-off workshops, or multi-day events. This guide explains how to find activities, join them, and what to expect.
Finding Activities
Navigate to Activities and select All Activities. You'll see a list of all activities available in your program.
Each activity card shows:
The activity name
Whether it's Regular (recurring icon), Flexible, or an Event (calendar icon)
The schedule or date range
The number of sessions available
The location or program
Click on an activity card to view more details in the sidebar, including a description, sessions, location information, and upcoming roster dates.
Can't see any activities? You may need to join a program first. Check with your organisation's volunteer coordinator or look for a program to join from your explore page.
Joining an Activity
To join an activity, click the dropdown button on the activity card. Depending on how the activity is set up, you'll see one of the following options:
Join
The activity is open and you can join immediately. You'll be added to the team straight away.
Apply
The activity requires approval. Your application will be sent to the activity manager for review. You'll be notified once you've been approved. Sometimes you may be waitlisted if an activity has reached its maximum team size. You'll be added to the waitlist and notified when a spot becomes available.
What Happens After You Join
Regular and Flexible activities
Once you've joined, you can start indicating your availability for upcoming roster dates. Navigate to the activity in My Rosters to see upcoming dates and mark which sessions you're available for. The manager will build and publish the final roster.
For activities with an open roster, you can add yourself directly to upcoming rosters without waiting for the manager.
Event activities
Events work slightly differently depending on how many sessions and dates they have:
Single session, single date: You'll be automatically rostered when you join. A confirmation dialog will let you know you've been added. You'll receive a notification if any changes are made to your roster.
Multiple sessions or dates: After joining, you'll be asked to select which dates and sessions you'd like to attend:
A dialog will appear showing each event date as a column
Each column lists the available sessions with their times
Click on a date header to select all sessions for that day, or tick individual sessions
Review your selections at the bottom of the dialog
Click Confirm & Roster to be rostered immediately, or Confirm Availability if the manager will finalise the roster
Tip: You can skip session selection by clicking "Skip for now" and come back to it later. However, you won't be rostered until you've made your selections.
If the activity requires approval, you'll need to wait for the manager to approve your application before you can indicate availability or select sessions.
Viewing Your Rosters
Once you've been rostered, you can view your upcoming shifts from the My Rosters tab or My Elements page. This shows all your roster dates across all activities, including:
The activity name and date
Which sessions you're rostered for
The location
Any roster notes from the manager
You'll receive a notification if any changes are made to your roster.
Withdrawing
If you need to leave an activity or remove yourself from a roster
Use the dropdown on the activity card and select Withdraw
For individual roster dates, you can mark yourself as unavailable from the activity sidebar
Check with your organisation about their expectations for notice periods before withdrawing. Note that some activities may not allow withdrawing as a volunteer, please contact your organisation if you see no options available.
Programs
Activities belong to programs. If you don't see any activities, you may not be enrolled in a program yet.
To join a program, check your dashboard for available programs or contact your organisation's volunteer coordinator. Once you're enrolled in a program, all activities within that program will become visible to you.
Some organisations have multiple programs covering different locations, causes, or types of volunteering. You can be enrolled in more than one program at a time.