Using HelpOut
Events
Events
Address Books
Address Books
Messaging
Messaging
Sharing and Invitations
Sharing and Invitations
Entries and Results
Entries and Results
Payments
Administration
API and Integrations
API and Integrations
Getting Started with HelpOut
Getting Help

Events

Creating, editing, and managing HelpOut events — the fields on an event, the tabs across the top, and what happens after an event passes.

Creating an Event

  1. Sign in at helpout.us and go to Events.
  2. Click Create Event. You can also click one of the four tiles on the Events page to skip straight to that type.
  3. Choose your event type — Show Up!, Gift It!, Bring It!, or Sign Up! — and click Next.
  4. Fill in the details and click Finish.

The builder is two steps, and the type you choose in step one decides which fields you see in step two. Each type is described in Event Types.

The event type can’t be changed after the event is created. If you picked the wrong one, create a new event and delete the old one.

Event Details

Field Notes
Event Title Required, up to 100 characters. Also used for the event’s web address.
Event Description Free-form text with formatting, links, and lists. Shown at the top of your event page.
Header Image Optional banner. Best at 1200x500. PNG, JPG, GIF, WEBP, and SVG are supported. Guests see the whole image, never cropped.
Event Date/Time Required on every type except Sign Up!, which takes its dates from the time slots you add.
Location Every type except Gift It!. Up to 200 characters.
Attendance Limit Show Up! only. Optional. See Show Up! (RSVP Events).
Suggested Donation Gift It! only.
Recipient Name / Recipient Email Gift It! only.

Location

Start typing an address and HelpOut suggests matches from Google. Pick one, and your guests see the address with a Get directions link that opens Google Maps.

You can also paste a full web address (starting with http:// or https://) into the Location field instead. HelpOut recognizes it as a link and shows it to guests as Online, with the link underneath. This is useful for a video call or a virtual event.

Options

Send email notifications when a response is received is on by default. Leave it on and HelpOut emails you each time somebody responds. Turn it off for a large event where you’d rather check the Entries tab yourself.

Working With an Event

When you open your own event while signed in, tabs appear across the top:

Tab What it shows
Preview Your event exactly as guests see it
Messages Emails you’ve sent or scheduled to your responders and address books
Entries Everyone who has responded or contributed
Share Invitations, the event link, and the QR code

To change the event’s settings, click Edit at the top right of the Preview tab. The Duplicate button sits right beside it.

Guests never see these tabs or the Edit and Duplicate buttons. They only see the event page itself.

Editing an Event

Open the event and click Edit. Change anything you need and click Save.

Editing is safe after people have responded. Adding items to a Bring It! event or times to a Sign Up! event leaves the existing responses alone.

Removing an item or a time slot that people have already claimed removes their claim along with it. On a **Sign Up!** event, HelpOut asks before removing a time someone has taken. On a **Bring It!** event, check the **Entries** tab before deleting an item.

Duplicating an Event

Running the same event again, like weekly concessions shifts? Copy it instead of rebuilding it.

  1. Open the event and click Duplicate, beside Edit.
  2. Pick a New start date. It starts out as the event’s first day.
  3. Click Duplicate.

HelpOut makes a copy and takes you to its edit page with a reminder to review it before you share it.

What’s copied: the details and description, the header image, and all your items or times. Every date moves by the same number of days and keeps its time of day. If your event starts Monday and you pick the next Monday, every date moves ahead by seven days. A 9:00 AM shift stays at 9:00 AM.

What’s not copied: responses and the spots they claimed, messages, and invitations. Those stay with the original. The copy has the same title and gets its own web address.

Gift It! events can’t be duplicated, since each one is a gift for one person. Create a new event for the next gift.

Deleting an Event

Open the event, click Edit, then click Delete and confirm.

Deleting an event permanently removes its responses, contributions history, messages, and invitations. This can’t be undone.

Past Events

An event is “past” once its date and time have gone by. Past events:

  • Stop accepting responses and contributions
  • Show visitors a notice that the event has passed
  • Move off your main Events list

To find them, go to Events and click View Past Events at the bottom of the list. Everything on a past event — the entries, the CSV download, the messages — is still there.

For a Sign Up! event, “past” means after the end of the last time slot on the event.

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