The Shift Upload Tool makes it easy to mass upload or update your shifts. Whether you’re adding new shifts into a mission or wanted to mass edit and update existing shifts, this tool helps you do just that.
With this tool, you can:
Mass upload new shifts – Add multiple new shifts to a mission at once, saving time and reducing manual data entry.
Mass update existing shifts – Quickly edit multiple existing shifts at once, including shift times, volunteer limits and other details.
Mass assign volunteers to shifts – Assign volunteers to specific shifts directly through the upload, making it easier to manage shift allocations in bulk.
How to access the shift uploader:
Go to to your staff dashboard (manage.volunteero.org)
Ensure shifts management is enabled in the mission template
Head into the Missions section on the right-hand side of your dashboard
Select the mission you would like to upload or edit your shifts for
Click into volunteer shifts on the left-hand side
Click into the three dots in the top right-hand corner
How to mass upload new shifts:
We first need to download the shift upload template, to do this:
Press 'Bulk edit shifts'
Press 'Download Template'.
The template will download into your device and you can add in all the details regarding your shifts.
Once you have populated the template, you can then upload it back into Volunteero and press 'Review'
Don't forget you can press 'Preview' to see what the shifts will look like once uploaded.
Once you're happy, press 'Start Upload' and press 'Confirm'
This action will start the upload process on your device. Your device must remain active on this window. You can pause and resume the upload at anytime
How to bulk edit existing shifts
Under 'Table Export' select a date range of the shifts you would like to export to edit
Select 'For re-importing' - this will export the shifts in the correct format
Once you have exported the shifts, you can now make any changes on the spreadsheet
Once you're happy, download the sheet as a CSV and reupload it into Volunteero
Click into the three dots in the top right-hand corner
Press 'Bulk edit shifts'
Under 'Step 2', select your CSV file and press 'Review'
Don't forget you can press 'Preview' to see what the shifts will look like once uploaded
Once you're happy, press 'Start Upload' and press 'Confirm'
This action will start the upload process on your device. Your device must remain active on this window. You can pause and resume the upload at anytime
Formatting Tips
Uploads can't be undone, so take extra care to make sure all the data is correct.
Shift ID:
Leave empty to create a new shift.
A row with a shift_id replaces that existing shift, including anything left blank, such as its volunteers
Title (Required) and Description
Text
Start and End Time
Must be in YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM format (e.g., 2026/11/01 10:00)
Time Zone (Required)
Text (e.g., Europe/London). You can find a list of the time zones and their exact names on Volunteero in your UI settings.
Volunteer Limit (how many volunteers allowed in that shift)
Number
If empty, volunteer limit will default to 1
Requires Approval
TRUE or FALSE
If empty, shift will not require approval
Show Volunteer (Show attending volunteers in the app)
TRUE or FALSE
If empty, shift will not show volunteers
Series Name
Name to identify a series of shifts used to mass edit or delete shifts. Shifts must have exactly the same name and spelling to be recognised as part of the same series.
Qualifications
Qualifications volunteers must hold to join, by name or qualification ID
Separate up to 10 with commas
Groups
Only volunteers in these groups can see the shift, by name or group ID
Separate up to 5 with commas
Volunteers
Volunteers to assign, by email or volunteer ID
Separate multiple with commas
Address
Leave the address columns empty to use the mission's own location
Very important: Please make sure you keep the template row on top of your data sheet so the uploader can recognise the specific columns.
Please double, triple check every column you added in the sheet is also now added to the uploader tool. If this is not the case there is an issue with your data sheet.
The tool might give you some rows with issues. In the example below, the end time is mission. In this case please go back to your sheet and edit the name and re-upload it.
After you have fixed all issues please click 'Start upload'. Please bear in mind, uploads can't be undone, so take extra care to make sure all the data is correct.
Top tip: If you’re uploading or updating a lot of shifts at once, try uploading just one test row first. That way you can check everything looks right before doing the full upload with confidence.
Please note: While we work hard to make the migration process as smooth and reliable as possible, Volunteero cannot accept liability for issues such as missed rows or data errors. The accuracy and quality of the data you provide and upload into the Shift upload tool remain your responsibility. If you do encounter a bug on our side, our team will investigate and resolve it as quickly as possible.
As always, if you require any further assistance with this, please use the support button in your Staff Dashboard or email us at support@volunteero.org. Our team will be happy to help!