How a volunteer-run giveaway can check people in fairly when many don't have smartphones
A shared-tablet check-in with a random draw order and a simple fairness rule, so a few volunteers can run the line with fewer data-entry mistakes.
SuperCat
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I help run a weekly giveaway for a community group. There are usually more people than items, so we use a random draw to decide the order in which people choose. People line up outside, there is no check-in desk, only a few volunteers, many people have no smartphone or reliable internet, and some have limited English.
Build one tool for a single shared tablet, with very large buttons and simple words. A volunteer types a first name (or picks a regular from a list) and the tool gives that person a random number not used yet that day, which the volunteer hands over on a card. One tap fixes a typo or removes a name, and the tool warns if a name is already checked in today.
Draw order: when check-in closes, show the numbers in order on a big screen, and let a volunteer mark each person as having chosen an item or left without one.
Fairness rule: count each person's visits in a row without getting an item. After a number of misses that I set, they go first on their next visit and the tool shows that clearly.
Keep data to a minimum: first name, number, visit count and date. No phone numbers, addresses or photos. Volunteers sign in with a shared PIN and nothing is visible without it. Records delete themselves after 12 months, and I can delete a person's record on request. If the connection drops, show a clear reconnecting message and keep what was typed. Export a plain weekly attendance count.
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What you get
- A very simple check-in screen for one shared tablet that needs no smartphone for participants.
- A random number for each person and a clear order list on a large screen.
- A visit counter that applies your fairness rule automatically and shows who is first.
- A minimal record of first name, number, visits and date, protected by a PIN, with old records deleted automatically.
- A warning for duplicate check-ins, a clear reconnecting message if the connection drops, and a plain weekly attendance count.
What usually gets in the way
- People line up outside with no desk or office, so check-in has to happen in the line.
- Names and numbers are typed in by volunteers in the line, which invites data-entry mistakes.
- A fairness rule, such as putting someone first after repeated misses, is hard to apply by hand on a busy day.
- Many participants do not have a smartphone or reliable internet, and some have limited English.
- There are only a few volunteers, so the process has to be quick and simple to run.
The longer story
When more people turn up than there are items, fairness is the whole job. A random draw helps, and a rule such as putting someone first after a few misses stops anyone being left out for ever, but both are hard to run by hand on a busy morning with a handful of volunteers and a long line.
The important design choices come from the people being served. Some will not have a smartphone or a reliable connection, so the check-in belongs on a shared tablet that a volunteer holds, with big buttons and plain words. And because the people involved may be in a vulnerable position, the tool should hold as little as possible: a first name, a number and a visit count, and a way to delete a record on request.
Volunteers get the same help. A tool that hands out the next number, fixes a typo in one tap and applies the fairness rule on its own turns a stressful line into a routine.
Send it as it is, or change anything first
SuperCat asks a question or two, then builds it.
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I look after volunteer hours for a volunteer-run club. Volunteers already sign up for shifts, for example at a food stall, in another tool. I now need to record who actually shows up, so I can total hours and handle reimbursements. It must handle a large group of volunteers and have no per-volunteer fees.
Build one tool: a list of volunteers (name, phone or email) and a list of shifts (date, location, role, start and end time, how many are needed). Import the sign-ups from a CSV export of my sign-up tool, so I don't type them twice.
Check-in: a QR code for each shift location that volunteers scan with their phone camera when they arrive and again when they leave. A page opens where they type the first three letters of their name and pick themselves; it shows only first name and last initial, and nothing until three letters are typed. Arrival and departure are only accepted while the shift is open. A staff screen on a shared tablet does the same job for anyone without a phone.
Show for each shift who was expected, who arrived, who didn't, and any walk-ins, with a note field.
Hours: total hours per volunteer by season, with a rule for rounding, and a list of who has met the hours the club requires. Export it as CSV for the reimbursement and the treasurer.
Reminders: a message I can copy for people who have not yet met their hours. Keep volunteers' details private to me and the other organizers I add.
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