The hardest part of running a service program is not finding opportunities. It is getting students to show up, log their hours, and answer the follow-up. Helper Helper handles that follow-through for you. Every event comes with automatic reminders before and after it happens, and when you need to say something yourself, the Message Center reaches exactly the right people by push notification, email, or text message.
Automated Reminders for Every Event
Once an event is on the calendar, Helper Helper takes over the reminding. Volunteers and coordinators each get what they need, when they need it, with no action from you.
- On signup or cancelCoordinators
Coordinators can be notified the moment a volunteer signs up or cancels, so they always know who is coming.
Email - 2 days beforeVolunteers + Coordinators
Volunteers get a thank-you for committing with the event name, date and time, location, and coordinator info.
EmailPushCoordinators get those details plus the volunteer list, check-in link, and any validation code.
Email - 2 hours beforeVolunteers + Coordinators
A final heads-up with the start time and location. If the event was rescheduled, the reminder flags the change.
EmailPushCoordinators get the roster and check-in link, and validation code again.
Email - After the eventVolunteers
A thank-you for attending, with a nudge to log their time if they have not yet and to complete any survey you attached.
Email
All of it is on by default. For any event you can turn individual reminders off, switch them between email and/or push notification, or add your own custom automated messages.
Students also get an evening push notification, once-a-week when there are new opportunities waiting for them in the app. Events start filling up before you send a single email.
Custom Reminders, Scheduled Your Way
Some events need more than the defaults. Maybe volunteers should bring work gloves, or the meeting point moved to the back lot. From any event, schedule a custom reminder: pick the date and time it should go out, choose whether it goes to volunteers or the coordinator, write the push notification text, and set the email subject and body. Reminders queue up in advance and send themselves.
“Helper Helper is incredibly easy to use and adjust on the admin side of things, and so user friendly for our parents. We can send push notifications for mass messaging, get immediate reporting, track service hours, and basically everything is now in one place. The team is also incredibly responsive and helpful.”
Message Center: Reach Exactly the Right People
Sometimes you need to say something yourself. The Message Center is built into the admin panel and the audience is easy to select:
- One student, straight from their profile
- A team, such as NHS, a class, or a club
- A branch or campus in a multi-school district
- Everyone signed up for an event, or just one time slot
- Students at a goal tier, such as everyone who has not yet reached 10 hours
- All volunteers at your school
Before you hit send, Helper Helper shows exactly how many people will receive the message on each channel and keeps a viewable message history for thirty days.
Three Ways to Reach Anyone
Push Notifications
Straight to students' phones through the Helper Helper app. Best for time-sensitive nudges, like an open slot for tomorrow.
For anything longer or worth keeping. Set your own from name, reply-to address, and subject so replies land with the right person.
Text Messages*
Sent to the phone number on each student's account, when available, with a monthly allowance for your school.
* Text messaging is available for an additional fee. Contact us to add it to your account.
Built-In Guardrails
Messages only work if students keep reading them, so Helper Helper adds sensible limits. Push notifications are capped at one every eight hours and two per day, and emails at three per day, so a busy week never turns into spam. Every message is scoped to the sender's role: team and branch admins reach only the students they manage, and community partners reach only the volunteers signed up for their own events. You see the recipient count before sending, and you confirm each message before it goes out.
What Schools Use It For
Last-Minute Openings
A volunteer dropped out of Saturday's food drive. Push the open slot to the whole NHS team in seconds.
Deadline Nudges
Two weeks before the deadline, message every student who is still short of the graduation requirement.
Day-Of Changes
Rain moved the cleanup indoors. One message reaches everyone signed up for that time slot.
Coordinator Handoffs
Outside coordinators get the roster, check-in link, and validation code automatically, and are never left hanging.
Post-Event Follow-Up
Students get a thank-you and a prompt to log their time and finish their reflection without you lifting a finger.
Start-of-Year Kickoff
Email every family or every freshman with download links and login steps the day accounts go live.