Events and volunteers for conservation
Use Events Manager for paid field workshops, free RSVPs, and volunteer crews—with optional manual review and email invites—while keeping surveys for scientific records and your public site for storytelling.
Field programs need people: workshop guests, community RSVPs, and volunteer crews. When your plan includes Events Manager, run registration there instead of bolting on a separate ticketing tool. Keep Surveys for scientific tagging—they solve a different problem than who signed up for Saturday’s trail day.
Prerequisites
- Events Manager visible in the sidebar (events on your plan)
- Stripe Connect if you sell paid tickets
- Surveys are optional for events—you can register volunteers without tagging species, and tag species without running an event
Registration modes that fit conservation
| Mode | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Paid | Ticketed field skills day, benefit dinner |
| Free (RSVP) | Public briefing or open trail day |
| Volunteer signup | Restoration crew, camera maintenance weekend |
For free and volunteer modes, choose Auto-confirm or Manual review. Manual review helps when slots are limited or you need to screen people before sharing a meeting point.
Day-to-day flow
- Create the event; set mode, capacity, and sessions.
- Publish registration, or keep it invite-only.
- On Attendees, approve pending people when review is required.
- Use Add volunteer to email an accept link to someone you already know.
- Check people in from the same roster on the day.
Full detail: Manage event sessions and registration. Overview: Events overview.
Keep roles clear for your team
| Tool | Answers |
|---|---|
| Events Manager | Who registered and who checked in |
| Surveys and observations | What was detected in the photos |
| Portfolio and Impact Map | What the public sees afterward |
Photos from a volunteer day can later be tagged into a survey. Signup lists are not the same thing as species records—train staff accordingly.
Practical tips
| Tip | Why |
|---|---|
| Soft-publish the meeting area; email exact muster points after approval | Limits casual discovery of sensitive sites |
| Prefer manual review for sensitive locations | Screen before you share logistics |
| Offer a donation after a free RSVP confirmation | Optional support without forcing payment to attend |
| Invite coordinators with roles that skip billing | Roles and permissions |
Steps
- Confirm Events Manager is on your plan.
- Create a small Volunteer signup or Free RSVP test with low capacity.
- Complete a public signup and, if needed, an approval email.
- Send an Add volunteer invite and accept it from a test inbox.
- For paid workshops, connect Stripe and run a test ticket.
- Agree internally which events may show maps versus email-only locations.
Verifying your setup
- Registration mode matches the event type.
- Capacity and approve-pending flows work.
- Invite email and accept link succeed.
- Paid tickets only appear when Stripe payouts allow them.