3 Sign Up Tips for Planning a Meal for Those in Need

Author Steven BordersPosted by Steven Borders
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We all know someone who has a need. Sometimes a simple meal is an easy way to show love and compassion to a friend, co-worker or neighbor.

Better yet, organizing a meal delivery schedule is an easy way to make a big impact that's guaranteed to be appreciated. Check out these meal sign up tips to make sure you have all your bases covered.

Avoid Multiple People Bringing the Same Dish

The last thing anyone needs is half a dozen lasagnas being delivered to them. Using the required comment field allows people to list the dish they will bring. The comment will display beneath a person's name on the sign up slot. This way people who sign up for meals will (hopefully) avoid bringing the same dish that someone else has listed.

When you create your comment, you can customize the title so that it's clear what information you are asking participants to provide.

Communicate the Logistics

When you create a sign up, you have the option to enter detailed information that appears at the top of the sign up. You also have the option to enter a location for meal delivery. With our location feature, you can even link it to Google Maps.

If you'd rather not have this information listed on the sign up, you can create a custom confirmation message and list the recipient's address and phone number for coordinating meal delivery. This message is sent to a participant once they sign up — providing them with the additional information.

Genius Tip: Collect participant addresses on the sign up. You can share these with the meal recipient in case they'd like to send thank you notes to those who delivered meals.

Ensure Meals Get Delivered

The last thing you need is for people to forget about meal delivery. Fortunately, you can select the option to have reminders automatically generated to participants. You can elect to have reminders generated one to fourteen days before the event.

When people are expecting a meal, the last thing they need is for a participant to delete their sign up without notifying anyone. Lock slots to prevent any last-minute deletions. Participants must notify the sign up creator in order to cancel.

These features give you the power to design a sign up that will best suit your needs. Simply publish your sign up and send invites or share the link in an email, newsletter or on a group page on social media. This will help you recruit all the volunteers you need and provide a big meal help to a family or individual in need.

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Just a note to say how much I love SignUpGenius. I'm coaching a team from Team-in-Training that is fundraising and training to ride 100 miles around Lake Tahoe to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We have weekly training rides that need volunteer support and a need to get RSVPs from the cyclists so I know who will show up at team rides. Using SignUpGenius, I have ride support volunteers for almost all our rides through early May. This has been like pulling teeth in the past. It was so simple to set up and send out and easy for the volunteers to sign up.

Art Saffran