Event Discovery
Requires signed-in student account
Find and Review Events
Search for volunteer events that match your schedule, location, and participation requirements before committing to registration.
Prerequisites
- Signed in with a verified student account
Steps
1
Open the events list from your student dashboard, or switch to the calendar view to browse by date.
2
Use filters — keyword, location or postal code, agency, category, eligibility, event type, approval type, and date range — to narrow results.
3
Turn on "Only show events with available spots" to hide fully-booked events, and sort by upcoming date, name, or newest.
4
Open the event detail page for any event you plan to attend.
5
Confirm the event status, timing, eligibility requirements, dress code, required materials, and available spots before proceeding to registration.
Common Issues
No events returned
Clear all active filters and retry the search.
Event not visible
The event may be internal-only, registration may not have opened yet, or it's currently unavailable for your account.
Calendar view not loading
Refresh the page and make sure JavaScript is enabled, or switch back to the list view.
Event Registration
Requires signed-in student account
Register for an Event
Complete event registration or join a waitlist when capacity is full. VolunTrak confirms your spot immediately.
Prerequisites
- Signed in with a verified student account
- Target event is visible and has an open registration window
Steps
1
Click Sign Up directly on an event card in the events list, or open the event detail page for more registration options.
2
If the event is full and a waitlist is enabled, click Join Waitlist instead — VolunTrak assigns you as Registered or Waitlisted based on available spots.
3
Complete any additional fields shown, such as phone number, school, grade, emergency contact, consent/waiver, or an access token for private events.
4
For events with individual time slots, review the Available Shifts section and book the shift that works for you.
5
Submit your registration request.
6
Confirm your final status: Registered (confirmed spot) or Waitlisted (event is at capacity). Use the calendar links on the confirmation to add the event to Google Calendar, Outlook, or your device.
Common Issues
Registration closed
The event registration window has ended, or hasn't opened yet — check the banner on the event detail page for the opening date.
Not eligible
Eligibility checks were not met. Review the event requirements on the detail page or contact the event organizer.
Access token required
Private or unlisted events require an access token from the agency or event organizer.
Already registered
You can't register twice for the same event. If a previous registration was cancelled, look for a "Sign Up Again" button on the event detail page.
Event Check-In
Requires active event registration
Check In with Registration QR or Event QR
Complete event check-in by scanning a QR code with the camera scanner — either the agency's on-site code or your own student-generated code. Scanning the same code twice records both your check-in and check-out, and automatically logs your hours.
Prerequisites
- Active registration for the event (or the event uses an agency-wide code that any student can scan)
- Event check-in window is open
Steps
1
Open the QR scanner from your student dashboard and click Start Camera Scanner, allowing camera access when prompted.
2
Scan the agency's on-site QR code, or generate your own one-time student QR code from the QR Code Management page and show it to agency staff to scan.
3
Your first scan checks you in — a confirmation screen shows the event name.
4
Scan the same code again when you leave — this checks you out and automatically logs your hours, including whether they were auto-approved.
5
If a camera isn't available, use the manual entry field to type or paste the QR code value instead.
6
If you're offline when scanning, your check-in is queued locally and syncs automatically once you're back online.
Common Issues
Camera access blocked
Allow camera permissions in your browser or device settings, or use manual code entry instead.
QR code expired or rejected
Agency codes are valid for 1 hour and student codes for 15 minutes. Ask staff for a new code, or generate a fresh one.
Registration not found
Verify you are registered for the selected event before attempting check-in.
Hours not appearing after check-out
Refresh your Hours ledger. If hours still don't appear, log them manually instead.
Hours Submission
Requires signed-in student account
Log Volunteer Hours
Record volunteer hours for completed event participation. Each entry enters the approval lifecycle immediately after submission.
Prerequisites
- Signed in with student access
- Log Hours access enabled for your account
Steps
1
Open Hours > Log Hours from your student dashboard.
2
Start typing the event name and select it from the suggestions — if it's not listed, type the full name to add it as a new event.
3
Enter the hours worked (between 0.1 and 24) and the service date, which must fall within the past 12 months and can't be in the future.
4
Optionally add a description of your activities.
5
Optionally add a supervisor name and email — providing an email sends the supervisor a verification request.
6
Submit the entry and confirm it appears in your Hours ledger with a Pending (or Recorded) status.
Common Issues
Duplicate submission blocked
Only one entry per event/date combination is allowed. Check your ledger for an existing entry, or edit it from the entry detail page.
No events available
Retry after refreshing the event list, or type the full event name to add it as a new event.
Supervisor verification expired
Verification links expire after 7 days. Open the entry detail page and click Re-send Verification.
Need to fix a pending entry
Open the entry detail page to edit the hours and description, or delete it, as long as it hasn't been approved yet.
Status Tracking
Requires at least one submitted hour entry
Track Approval Status
Monitor the two-stage approval lifecycle of your submitted volunteer hours — agency validation followed by SDO approval.
Prerequisites
- At least one submitted hour entry in your ledger
Steps
1
Open your Hours ledger from the student dashboard.
2
Filter by status, agency, or date range to focus on specific entries.
3
Review the status for each entry: Recorded (no approval needed), Pending (awaiting agency validation), Partial (one of two approvals done), or Approved (fully approved).
4
Open the entry detail view for a full history, including agency validation, SDO approval, supervisor verification, and any rejection or lock reason.
5
Recheck after agency validation and SDO approval workflows have completed — no action is needed from you while an entry is pending.
Common Issues
Entry still pending
The agency or SDO approval workflow may still be in progress. Allow time for reviewers to act.
Entry disappeared from ledger
Apply the "All Statuses" filter and check whether a date filter is excluding the entry.
Rejected entry
A rejection reason appears on the entry detail page. Contact your agency or SDO if you believe it's an error.
Unexpected status
Compare the event name, date, and hours with what you submitted. Contact support if the mismatch persists.
Data Export
Requires existing ledger entries
Export Personal Records
Generate a personal volunteer-hours export for school applications, scholarship submissions, or your own records.
Prerequisites
- Existing entries in your hours ledger
Steps
1
Open your Export area from the student dashboard.
2
Review the summary cards — Total Hours, Approved Hours, Pending Hours, and Total Entries — to confirm what will be included.
3
Choose your export format: CSV, PDF Report, or CommonApp Format.
4
Click the format button to download the file — the export always includes your full ledger, regardless of status. To review a subset first, filter your Hours ledger before exporting.
5
Verify the totals, dates, and event names in the downloaded output before submitting it.
Common Issues
Blank export or zero hours
Make sure hours have been logged to your ledger — all entries are included regardless of approval status.
Totals don't match ledger
The download includes every entry, while the Approved Hours summary card reflects only approved entries. Check the preview table for the breakdown.
PDF shows the wrong name
The report uses the name on your account. Contact your administrator if your profile name is incorrect.