Volunteer time is often recorded after the work, when paper sheets, chat messages, and separate spreadsheets are easiest to forget. HelpHours keeps this narrow job in one journal: the coordinator shares a submission link, each volunteer reports a date, duration, and activity, and the journal total changes only after review. No participant account is required, and an accepted entry means only that the journal manager chose to include that self-report.
Start with the internal record your group actually needs
Use HelpHours for a trusted, low-risk group that needs an internal total after an activity: a cleanup, club event, library project, fundraiser, or community booth. It is not proof of attendance, identity, eligibility, school credit, employment, or compliance. If hours affect money, legal rights, grants, immigration, or safeguarding, use a system designed for that responsibility.
Create one journal for one real reporting period
Give the journal a recognizable title and add a reporting period only when the group already uses one. HelpHours returns a private manager link and a separate submission link. Save the manager link before sharing anything; there is no account or email recovery.
Review pending entries before they affect the total
Each submission starts as pending. Compare the recognizable name, service date, duration, and activity with what the group knows, then accept or reject the current revision. Duplicate names are allowed and do not prove that two entries came from the same person. The accepted total uses exact minutes and changes only when an entry is accepted.
State clearly what acceptance does not prove
HelpHours does not verify who submitted an entry, where they were, or whether the work occurred. A manager decision is an internal journal decision, not a signature, certificate, audit, or official volunteer record. Keep the journal limited to the minimum plain-text details the group needs.