Volunteer Buddy support

For help with the app, email volunteerbuddy-support@sandke.com.

What Volunteer Buddy does

Volunteer Buddy is a personal tracker for the volunteer work you have completed. You can log activities with a date, duration, organization, activity type, location, and notes; organize your work by organization and reusable activity types; browse and edit your history; and summarize your hours and activity counts by date range, organization, activity type, location, and month. Your records stay on your device and sync across your own iPhone and iPad through your iCloud account.

Common questions

Where can I find step-by-step instructions?

Start with the Usage Guide. It covers first setup, logging and editing activities, creating organizations and locations, searching history, using reports, and iPad keyboard navigation.

Where is my data stored?

Your records are stored on your device. If iCloud is enabled for the app, they also sync through your Apple account into private iCloud storage that belongs to Volunteer Buddy alone, and from there to your other Apple devices. That storage is not shared with other apps and is not something you open or browse directly. There is no Volunteer Buddy account and no developer server that receives your data.

What happens if I am not signed in to iCloud?

The app works normally. Your records are always kept in a store on the device itself — iCloud syncs that store between your devices rather than holding your records somewhere else. Without an iCloud account, with iCloud Drive off, with the app turned off for iCloud, or simply offline, everything you log stays on that device and is available as usual.

How does syncing between my iPhone and iPad work?

Sync uses your iCloud account. Make sure both devices are signed in to the same Apple account with iCloud enabled for Volunteer Buddy. Sync is eventually consistent, so changes may take a moment to appear on your other device, especially right after an edit.

My devices are not showing the same data.

Confirm both devices use the same Apple account, that iCloud is enabled for Volunteer Buddy in iOS Settings under [your Apple account] > iCloud, and that each device has a network connection. Give sync a little time to catch up; it can be delayed when iCloud is temporarily unavailable. The app does not show sync state itself, so iOS Settings is the place to check.

Why does the app ask for location access?

Location is optional. When enabled, the app can suggest a nearby saved location when you start logging an activity and can speed up map search and pin placement. You can decline location access and still enter or pick locations manually.

How do I remove my data?

Delete individual organizations, locations, activity types, or activities inside the app. Removing the app deletes data stored locally on that device, subject to iOS backup and restore behavior. Records already synced to iCloud are managed through your Apple account under Settings > [your Apple account] > iCloud.

Troubleshooting

An entry does not appear on my other device.

• Confirm both devices are signed in to the same Apple account.
• Confirm iCloud is enabled for Volunteer Buddy on both devices, in iOS Settings under [your Apple account] > iCloud > Volunteer Buddy.
• Make sure both devices have a network connection and give iCloud time to finish syncing.

Nearby-location suggestions do not appear.

• Confirm Automatically Select Nearby Locations is enabled in Volunteer Buddy Settings.
• Confirm iOS location access is enabled for Volunteer Buddy.
• Check that the saved location has a complete latitude and longitude. Locations without coordinates can still be selected manually, but they are not eligible for automatic nearby selection.
• Try a larger matching distance in Settings if the saved location is nearby but outside the current radius.
• Nearby matching runs once when a new activity opens. It does not run while editing an existing activity.

Map search is not finding the place I expect.

• Try a more specific place name or street address.
• Use pin placement when search results are close but not exact.
• Use coordinates when you have an exact latitude and longitude.
• You can save a location without coordinates, but it will not work for nearby-location suggestions until coordinates are added.

The app says my organization and location are incompatible.

Global locations can be used with any organization. Organization-specific locations can only be used with that same organization. Choose a compatible location, change the organization, or edit the location if its organization association is wrong.

I cannot find an organization, activity type, or location while logging.

Archived records are hidden from normal new-entry choices. Open the matching management screen, turn on Show Archived, and unarchive the record if you want to use it again.

Reports do not match what I expected.

• Check the selected report period first. Last Month means the previous calendar month, and Custom includes the entire selected end date.
• Open the report row to view the activities behind the total.
• If an activity is wrong, edit it from the report detail list or from History.

Permissions path in iOS:
Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Volunteer Buddy
Settings > [your Apple account] > iCloud > Volunteer Buddy