So, you've got your tins in place and volunteers ready to roll, but how do you get from “Where should we collect?” to “Wow, we’ve raised a fortune!”?
This guide is your one-stop shop for setting up tin collection locations and getting volunteers allocated faster than you can say “spare some change?”. Whether you're planning a pick up in a cosy corner at the local shop or plotting a full-on tin route through town, we've got you covered.
In this guide, we will show you how to:
Set up and manage tin locations with ease
Let volunteers choose their locations/routes or how you can assign them
Create regular reminders for your volunteers to check on their tin(s)
How the volunteers can report back to you
Let’s turn small tins into big impact, one pickup at a time!
Introduction
Tin collections are one of the simplest and most effective ways to raise funds in the community. A tin by the till, on a counter, or at the entrance to a venue can quietly collect donations day and night. But the real magic happens when there’s a system behind it: making sure tins are placed in the best spots, regularly emptied, and well looked after.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to run a successful tin collection campaign, from choosing the right locations and assigning volunteers to keeping track of collections and reporting results.
By the end, you’ll have a smooth-running operation where every tin and every volunteer, plays a part in making a real difference. Let’s get started!
Clients
On Volunteero, the Client profile is where you define the focus of your tin collection either as a single location (like a shop or café) or as a route (a group of locations, like a high street or neighbourhood). How you use this field depends on what kind of data you need for reporting and management. Let’s explore both options:
Option 1: Tin Location as the Client
This method is perfect if you want to track performance at the individual location level.
Example: Client = Joe’s Corner Shop Mission = Tin collection |
✅ Pros:
See exactly how much money each location has raised
Monitor which locations are performing best
Identify underperforming tins that may need to be moved or removed
Great for long-term analysis and donor relationship building
Please note, we can perform a one-off client data migration for you, to make this process easier. For more information please contact the customer success team.
Option 2: Route as the Client
If your focus is on ease of volunteer scheduling and less on per-location tracking, use a route as your client.
Example: Client = Gosforth High Street Route Mission = Tin Collection Route |
✅ Pros:
Easier scheduling for volunteers covering multiple locations in one trip
Less admin when managing many locations
Ideal for smaller teams or early-stage campaigns
❌ Cons:
You lose visibility on how much each individual location raises
Harder to assess which sites are most effective
Which Should You Use?
Choose Location as Client if reporting and performance tracking are your top priorities.
Choose Route as Client if your goal is simplicity and efficiency in volunteer management.
Whichever you choose, make sure it's consistent so your reporting stays clean and your volunteers stay clear on what’s expected.
Mission Templates & Missions
Once you've set up your tin locations or routes as Clients, it's time to create a Mission Template and all your missions.
There are two main ways to structure your missions on Volunteero:
Option 1: Missions with Shifts
This is a great option if you want volunteers to pick up tins on specific days and have more control over scheduling. How it works:
You enable shifts when creating the mission template
Volunteers can sign up for individual dates or you can assign them to a shift
Each shift prompts them to check the tin(s) and put in a report
✅ Ideal for:
Busy routes or high-traffic tins that need regular pickups
Coordinated collection campaigns or seasonal pushes
🔄 Example:
“Pick up tin from Joe’s Corner Shop every Tuesday. Sign up for the tuesdays that suit you!”
Option 2: Ongoing Missions (No Shifts)
This setup allows a volunteer to take ongoing responsibility for a tin or route, no fixed dates, but regular check-ins based on your instructions. How it works:
You do not enable shift management in the template
Set an inactivity reminder to prompt volunteers for a report (e.g. every week or month)
One volunteer signs up to manage the mission
You define the expected frequency in the mission description (e.g. every 2 weeks, monthly)
✅ Ideal for:
Long-term tin placements
Volunteers who prefer flexibility
🔄 Example:
“You’ll be responsible for the tin at Greggs. Please check it every 4 weeks and log how much was collected. The volunteero app will send a push notification to remind you every 4 weeks.
Option 3: One-off Missions with auto-archive
Perfect for irregular or ad hoc tin pickups, like checking a tin placed at an event, new business, or low-traffic location. How it works:
Create a mission template without shifts
Turn on mission reminders, not an inactivity reminder
Volunteers complete the task once, submit their report, and the mission automatically closes
Ideal for one-off collections that don’t need ongoing tracking or shifts
✅ Great for:
Event-based collection
Trial locations
Volunteer “as needed” missions
Keeping your dashboard tidy without needing manual archiving
💡 Top Tip:
It will automatically archive, if this particular location needs pickling up again you could either clone the mission or you could remove the volunteer and unarchive the mission again
Additional tips
No matter which option you choose, make your mission descriptions clear. Let volunteers know:
What to do when collecting
How often the pickup is expected
Contact person when there is an issue
How to report back
⏰ Automating Report Prompts
With shifts enabled: Volunteers are prompted to report immediately or after a certain time period, after completing their shift.
With ongoing missions: Set up inactivity reminders (e.g. every 4 weeks) to prompt volunteers to submit a report if they haven’t already.
With one-off mission, set a mission timeframe and a notification will be sent to prompt a report after the mission itself has ended.
This ensures regular updates without the need for constant follow-up.
This helps them feel confident, and appreciated and keeps everything running smoothly.
Reporting
Reporting is where all your tin collection efforts come together giving you the data to track progress, identify top-performing locations, and demonstrate your impact. With Volunteero, you can customise how volunteers report back, making it easy to collect exactly the information you need.
📝 Why Reporting Matters
Track how much each tin or route collects
Spot trends in high-performing or underperforming locations/ routes
Make informed decisions on where to place or remove tins
Keep accurate records for accounting, impact reports, and thanking locations or volunteers
To get the most out of your tin collection missions, you can create a custom report form that volunteers fill out when completing a shift or ongoing check.
Here’s how to set it up:
Go to the Report Template section
Create a new custom report template or edit an existing one
Add fields specific to tin collections. For example:
Amount collected (£) – text or number field
Date of collection
Location name or notes – optional text for issues or updates
Photo upload
Condition of tin – e.g. damaged, missing, nearly full
Was the money returned to the office or banked? – dropdown or checkbox
This way, every volunteer completing a mission, whether it’s shift-based, ongoing or one off, is prompted to provide exactly the data you need.
Here is an example of a report:
📊 Viewing our collection tin insights
In your insights page you can now build a specific dashboard for your tin collection, you can map out certain locations and see how much money they are bringing in. You can filter by clients, date, etc, there is a lot of possibility with the custom insights page, think about the data you want to collect and the team can help you display this on your insights dashboard.
You can collect any information at the volunteer level and even export it into your broader fundraising or CRM system for streamlined data management.
✅ Tip: Use reports not just to track money, but also to spot issues, celebrate volunteer efforts, and improve your tin collection strategy over time. |
You’re now all set to run a smooth, organised, and effective tin collection campaign, from setting up your locations or routes, to assigning volunteers, managing missions, and collecting consistent reports.
With the right structure in place, even the smallest tins can lead to big results and every collection becomes a step toward greater impact.
If you need help setting up your missions, creating custom reports, or deciding which approach is right for you, our Customer Success team is here to support you every step of the way.
📩 Reach out to us anytime for guidance, tips, or troubleshooting, we’re always happy to help! Let’s turn spare change into real change, one tin at a time!