Requesting coverage

When you can't make your Sunday, how to find someone to fill in.

When to use coverage vs. a swap

• Coverage — “I can’t serve on April 12. Someone please take it.” You’re giving up the slot; whoever claims it takes over.
• Swap — “I can’t serve April 12, but I’m free April 26. Can you trade with me?” You both keep your Sundays but on different dates. See Proposing a swap.

Use coverage when you don’t have a specific person in mind and just need the slot covered. Use a swap when there’s a specific teammate whose Sunday you’d rather take instead.

How it works

1. On your /me page, find the Sunday you can’t make and click Request coverage. Write a short reason if you like — it helps teammates decide whether to pick it up.
2. We email every volunteer who’s approved for that role. The request also appears on /coverage for anyone who’s browsing.
3. The first person to accept gets the slot. You and the admins are notified.
4. If nobody accepts before the weekly email cutoff (Sunday evening, one week before the service), an admin steps in and either reassigns directly or contacts you.

Things worth knowing

• You can cancel an open request any time before someone claims it.
• If you and the claimant are in the same group (e.g. same household), we assume that wasn’t what you meant and ask you to confirm — usually the household is both out for the same reason.
• Past the cutoff: once the Friday reminder campaign has been scheduled (Sunday evening, one week before), you can’t open new coverage requests without an admin unlocking it. This is so the reminder email volunteers get on Friday matches what actually happens Sunday.