Automated Planning Center Volunteer Reminders
Every morning before a service day, WebRun opens Planning Center, finds all volunteers scheduled in the next 48 hours, drafts a shift reminder for each volunteer for team leader review, and posts the full serving roster to the team leader channel in Slack.
How do I automatically remind church volunteers of their upcoming shifts?
WebRun checks Planning Center every morning for volunteer shifts in the next 48 hours, drafts a personalized reminder for each volunteer for team leader review, and posts a complete serving roster to Slack with unfilled positions flagged, so no service starts short-staffed and no volunteer is left uninformed.
- Every volunteer gets a personalized reminder reviewed by a team leader before their shift
- Unfilled positions are flagged in Slack hours before the service, giving leaders time to recruit cover
- Team leaders open Slack to a complete, organized serving roster each service morning
Built for church volunteer coordinators · ministry team leaders · worship directors · children's ministry directors
What does WebRun do on every run?
The exact actions WebRun takes, in order - in plain language, so you can adjust anything.
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WebRun signs in and gets to work
Opens
services.planningcenter.comin a real browser with your saved login - no setup, no API keys. -
1
Planning Center - find upcoming volunteer shifts
planningcenter.com
WebRun opens Planning Center to find upcoming volunteer shifts. - Open Planning Center Services and filter for services scheduled in the next 48 hours
- List every volunteer position, the person scheduled, their role, and their arrival time
- Flag any positions that are unconfirmed or have no one assigned
- Note volunteers who have not yet accepted their scheduling request
Done when All upcoming volunteer positions and their confirmation status are captured.
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2
Gmail - draft shift reminders for review
gmail.com
WebRun opens Gmail to draft shift reminders for review. - Draft a friendly reminder email for each volunteer with their role, arrival time, and any special notes
- Include a link to their Planning Center schedule so they can confirm directly
- Leave all drafts in Gmail for the team leader to review before sending. Do not send automatically.
- Group unconfirmed volunteers at the top of the draft queue as the highest priority
Done when A reviewed draft reminder is queued for every volunteer serving in the next 48 hours.
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3
Slack - post serving roster to team leaders
slack.com
WebRun opens Slack to post serving roster to team leaders. - Post the full serving roster to the team leader channel organized by ministry area
- Flag any unfilled or unconfirmed positions so leaders can act before the service
- Include a direct link to the Planning Center service plan for reference
Done when Team leaders have a complete, flagged roster in Slack ready for the upcoming service.
How is each run configured?
Secure by default
Connect once, stays signed in
WebRun signs in once and keeps each session in a persistent environment, so every run picks up right where it left off.
Every action is checked against this policy before it runs.
Questions, answered
Will it email volunteers without a team leader reviewing the message first?
No. Every reminder draft stays in Gmail for a team leader to review and approve. No message reaches a volunteer without human sign-off, so the tone and details are always right.
What happens if a volunteer position is unfilled?
WebRun flags unfilled and unconfirmed positions in both the Gmail draft queue and the Slack roster so team leaders can see gaps at a glance and recruit cover before the service.
Does it work for multiple services or campuses on the same day?
Yes. WebRun reads all services across all campuses in Planning Center and organizes the roster by ministry area, so each team leader sees only their relevant positions.
Related templates
Put this on autopilot.
Turn it on in minutes - or have our team set it up for you.