VSP includes preconfigured email templates that help you communicate with volunteers throughout the entire scheduling cycle. Using the "Request for updates to availability" template, you can quickly alert volunteers of the new scheduling period and confirm their preferences and availability before running the next schedule.

1. Start in the Announcements pane inside of VSP and click the "+" button at the top. Hover your cursor over "Templates >" in the drop-down menu, click on "Preconfigured", and select "Availability Update Request".
2. Click the Preview button at the bottom right hand corner of the window to set the {{CutOffDate}}, {{NextScheduleStartDate}}, and {{NextScheduleEndDate}} tokens with the appropriate dates and click "OK"
   Note: Cut off date refers to the day you plan to run the schedule.
3. Click on the name of a volunteer to see a preview of the email and verify everything looks as expected. Click the "Send..." button to send this out.

NOTE: You can edit the template to make it suitable for your organization and volunteers.

BONUS: There is also a "Availability Update Reminder" template that you can send your volunteers a few days before the cut off date, as well as other great templates such as "Reset User Password" that will help you easily and quickly stay in touch with your volunteers.