Students scan a site's QR code at the start and end of each shift, and every visit lands in a Google Sheets log. Hours are totaled per student, and at 60 hours a certificate PDF goes to the student and the school.
Typical results
Same day
Certificate sent when a student reaches 60 hours
≈5 hrs/wk
Program staff time on timesheets saved
≈5%
Shifts needing a supervisor check for a missed scan
0
Paper timesheets to collect
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Schools require 60 volunteer hours, and the program places students at about 30 sites such as care homes, after-school clubs and shelters. Hours arrive on paper sheets signed by site supervisors, often lost, hard to read or weeks late. Staff spend about 6 hours a week chasing and adding them up, and certificates go out late in the school year.
Before and after
Staff hours per week on volunteer timesheets
−83%Days from reaching 60 hours to certificate
−100%Hours disputes raised by students or schools per term
−87%The automation
Each site has a QR code at the entrance. Students scan it at the start and end of a shift, and a short form records the student, the site and the time in a Google Sheets log. Hours are totaled per student. A missing check-out is closed at the site's scheduled end time and marked for the supervisor to confirm. At 60 hours, a certificate PDF with hours by site is emailed to the student and the school's coordinator.
How it works
- 01
Scan in at the site
On arrival the student scans the site's QR code with a phone, and a short form records the student, the site and the start time.
- 02
Scan out at the end
At the end of the shift the student scans again, and the hours are calculated and added to the Google Sheets log.
- 03
Missed check-outs handled
A shift with no check-out is closed at the site's scheduled end time and marked for the site supervisor to confirm.
- 04
Hours totaled per student
Each student's running total updates after every shift, with hours broken down by site.
- 05
Certificate at 60 hours
When a student reaches 60 hours, a certificate PDF with hours by site is emailed to the student and the school's coordinator.
Starts from
- Site QR scans
- Site shift times
Delivers
- Certificate PDF at 60 hours
- Missed scans for review
- Hours report to the school
The impact
Certificates go out the same day a student reaches 60 hours, and paper timesheets disappear. Program staff save around 5 hours a week of collecting and adding up hours, supervisors only confirm the few shifts missing a check-out, and schools receive a clear breakdown of hours by site.
Questions about this automation
Do students need an app to scan in?
No. The phone camera opens a short web form from the QR code, with the site already filled in. The first scan asks for the student's name and school, and later scans remember them on that phone, so a check-in takes a few seconds. Students without phones can be checked in by the supervisor.
How are false or forgotten scans handled?
Each scan records the time, and a check-in far outside the site's shift hours is flagged. A missing check-out is closed at the scheduled end time and sent to the site supervisor, who confirms or corrects it with one tap. Only confirmed hours count toward the certificate.
Can the 60-hour target change by school?
Yes. Each school has its own target and certificate wording in a settings sheet, so one school can require 60 hours and another 40. Simple automations like this are usually live within days, and adding a new site only means printing its QR code and adding one row to the site list.