Event Check-In Without Overpowered Admin Accounts
If you’ve ever tried to run event check-in with volunteers using WildApricot, this scenario may sound painfully familiar:
“Wanted to use WA admin app to check people in at an event.
The user needs to be an event admin. Way too many privileges on that account.”
The responses in the discussion tell the real story:
- Paper checklists
- Export to Excel
- Shared admin passwords
- Temporarily granting full admin access and hoping nothing breaks
None of these are solutions. They’re workarounds that exist because the software forces an all-or-nothing permission model.
The Core Problem: Global Permissions for a Local Task
Checking people in at an event is a narrow, time-bound responsibility:
- Who is registered?
- Who has arrived?
- Who hasn’t?
Yet in many systems, that simple task requires giving someone:
- Access to finances
- The ability to delete events
- The ability to delete or modify registrants
- Broad administrative power across the entire organization
That’s not just inconvenient—it’s risky.
How GroupFlow Handles Event Volunteers Differently
GroupFlow was designed around a different assumption:
Most clubs rely on volunteers, and volunteers should only have access to exactly what they need.
Assign Volunteers Per Event
In GroupFlow, volunteers are assigned directly to a specific event.
They do not become global admins.
They do not gain access to finances, settings, or other events.
Their permissions are scoped to that one event.
📷 Image: Event settings screen showing an “Assigned Volunteers” section with event-level roles
What Event Volunteers Can Do
Once assigned, a volunteer can:
- View the event’s attendee list
- Check members in as they arrive
- See attendance status in real time
- Use a mobile-friendly interface at the door
📷 Image: Mobile check-in view showing attendee list with check-in toggles
That’s it.
They cannot:
- Delete the event
- View financial reports
- Modify other members or events
- Access admin-level settings
No Shared Passwords. No Cleanup Required
Because permissions are tied to the event itself:
- There’s no need to share admin credentials
- There’s nothing to revoke afterward
- Volunteers keep their normal member accounts
When the event ends, their access ends automatically.
📷 Image: Simple diagram showing “Member → Event Volunteer → Event-only access”
Designed for Real-World Clubs
This approach matters most for clubs that:
- Run frequent in-person events
- Rely on rotating volunteers
- Want accountability without fear of accidental damage
- Care about member privacy and financial boundaries
Instead of forcing clubs to choose between automation and control, GroupFlow supports both.
The Bottom Line
If your current system makes you choose between:
- Paper lists or
- Giving volunteers the keys to the kingdom
…that’s not a volunteer problem.
That’s a permission model problem.
GroupFlow treats event check-in as what it actually is:
a focused responsibility that deserves focused access.
Read more about how GroupFlow compares to WildApricot.