Think about last season.

How long did the schedule take? Count the evenings spent building it, the phone calls every time someone couldn't come, and the hours adding up timesheets. Cana Crew does that work for you.

By hand, last season

With Cana Crew

Evenings building the season on a paper calendar or a spreadsheet.

Senior people pick their days, full days gray out, and you publish once.

A phone call, then another, every time someone can't come in.

One tap takes them off the day, and the app asks the next person until it's covered.

Volunteers on a sign-up sheet, staff somewhere else.

Staff and volunteers on one calendar, in everyone's own Google Calendar.

Chasing timesheets and adding up hours for payroll.

Phones clock in, and you approve the hours with a click.

Watching the radar, then texting everyone when the tower closes.

Your weather rules close the tower and tell everyone working.

Explaining the schedule to every new volunteer.

A five-minute walk-through teaches each person their part.

That's time back for the site itself: the visitors, the tours, the collection and the building.

See a whole season in 80 seconds.

From setup to a covered call-out, on a phone and a computer.

The 80-second tour.

Read the narration

This is Cana Crew. Paid staff and volunteers on one schedule — built at a Great Lakes lighthouse, for places that don't have an IT department.

Everyone starts on Today: who's on, the weather, the day's tours. Can't make it? One tap, and Cana Crew finds the cover itself — asking the right people, one at a time. Nobody works the phones.

The season builds itself in minutes. Senior people pick their days first, the schedule fills in around them, and it lands in the Google Calendar your crew already uses.

When something goes wrong — lightning nearby, a medical emergency, a missing child — one button tells everyone on site at once, with the steps to follow.

Supervisors run the day from their phone: who's here, who left early, and the jobs that need doing — color-coded by how urgent they are.

Timesheets build themselves. Approve with a click, and payroll gets the hours with one tap.

$150 a year — unlimited staff, volunteers and locations. Free for 60 days, at canacrew.org. Cana Crew: on time, on watch, never in the dark.

A season, in pictures.

For lighthouses, small museums, historic houses, nature centers, public gardens and friends groups: any place that runs on a small paid crew plus volunteers.

Build the season in minutes. Senior people pick their regular days first; full days gray out. — **Build the season in minutes.** Senior people pick their regular days first; full days gray out.

Today, on any phone. Who's on, the weather, and the Panic Button. — **Today, on any phone.** Who's on, the weather, and the Panic Button.

The weather closes the tower. Everyone working is told, and the manager confirms or stays open. — **The weather closes the tower.** Everyone working is told, and the manager confirms or stays open.

Can't make it? One tap. The search for cover starts by itself. — **Can't make it? One tap.** The search for cover starts by itself.

Volunteers pick their own days. Skill badges keep docent and tour slots to certified people. — **Volunteers pick their own days.** Skill badges keep docent and tour slots to certified people.

The Panic Button. What happened, what's closed, and for how long. — **The Panic Button.** What happened, what's closed, and for how long.

Clock in on a phone. Approve with a click. Hours go to whoever runs payroll, never by themselves. — **Clock in on a phone. Approve with a click.** Hours go to whoever runs payroll, never by themselves.

Ted Reinhard in a U.S. Lighthouse Service cap — Ted Reinhard, founder

“Every scheduling app I looked at was built for restaurants. So I built the one we needed.”

I'm Ted Reinhard. For two seasons I was assistant site manager at Cana Island Lighthouse in Door County, Wisconsin — a small paid crew, a longer list of volunteers, and a schedule that lived in three separate Google calendars. That's where the name comes from.

The apps I tried charged per person, per month, and none of them knew what to do with volunteers, docents, or a day that closes for lightning. I've spent forty years around tourism and public places — a Florida state park ranger, an Air Force reservist, running my own tour company since 1999, and years of doing payroll — so I built Cana Crew the way those places really run: senior people pick their days first, volunteers choose their own, and nobody has to install anything.

If you run a place like that, write to me. You'll get me, not a sales team.

Ted ReinhardFounder, Cana Crew

How it works

Three steps, and the first one is done for you.

It sets itself up

Your site gets its own Cana Crew the minute you start the trial. A short walk-through asks about your hours, your season and your people, one screen at a time. If you'd rather we entered your roster, we will.

Build the season

Staff pick their fixed days in seniority order. Volunteers pick theirs. The manager clicks Build the schedule, looks it over and publishes. Everyone is emailed their days.

Run the season

Call-outs handle themselves. Staff clock in and out on their phones. Timesheets build themselves and the manager approves with a click. Everyone's calendar stays right on its own.

What's in it

Tap a line to jump to that part of the 7½-minute training video — with a chapter for each role: everyone, volunteers, supervisors and administrators.

The training video, 7½ minutes.

Read the narration

Welcome to Cana Crew. This video shows you how to use it, one role at a time. Everyone first — that part is for all of you. Then volunteers, supervisors, and administrators. Jump to your chapter any time.

Everyone

Your invitation email has a link. Tap it, pick a password, and you're in — your email is your sign-in. On an Android phone, get the free Cana Crew app from Google Play. On an iPhone, add it to your home screen. Either way, it stays signed in. Then turn on alerts: My card, then On this phone. Changes reach you the moment they happen, instead of by email.

Today is home base. At the top, the date and the status box: open or closed, and the weather. Below that, who's working, as bars across the day, the tours and groups coming in, and any note from the supervisor.

On a day you're working, tap Clock in when you start, and Clock out when you're done. Those times are your hours. Running behind? Tap your own name on the bars, then Running late, and the supervisor on duty knows how many minutes.

Can't make a day? Go to that day and tap Can't make it. No reason needed. You come off the schedule, and the app starts finding cover by itself. Going away for a stretch? On Schedule, tap I'll be away, then tap the days.

When a day needs one more person, it shows on Today under Open shifts you can take. First to tap gets it. If nobody does, the app asks people by email, one at a time — so if a Can you work email comes to you, one tap answers it.

On a day you're working, Today has two buttons for trouble. The red Panic Button: tap what happened. A medical emergency or a biohazard closes the area right away. Lightning you see goes to the supervisor to decide. A missing child, an aggressive visitor, or someone who didn't pay alerts everyone without closing anything. Either way, the steps for what to do open on your screen at once.

The other button is Something needs doing: a restroom, the trash, a spill, a loose railing. Say what and where, and pick how urgent. One, day to day. Two, could get worse. Three, major — area closed off. The supervisor on duty sends someone, and you can watch it move along, right under the button.

Report something puts a complaint, an injury, an idea or a lost item in the Logbook, so the next shift isn't caught by surprise. My card holds your days — count on me, might work, can't work — your time away, the calendar, and your password. Stuck? The question mark at the top of any page opens help for that page.

Volunteers

Volunteers pick their own days and hours. Open slots show the jobs that need someone — a docent, a tug guide, a driver. Tap one, pick your hours, and it's yours. Jobs that need training only go to people with that skill badge.

Can't come after all? Drop it any time, with no phone call — the slot reopens for someone else. And your hours are kept for the records, all season.

Supervisors

Supervisors run the day. 15 minutes after each start time, the supervisor on duty gets one phone alert: Is everyone here? On Today, tap Here for each person who's arrived — or No-show, and the app starts asking for a replacement right away.

Tap anyone's name on the bars for more: Here, No-show, Left early, Swap, or Take off. Add someone puts an extra person on the day, and Add a service brings in a tug guide or a driver for set hours. It's on the schedule at once, and the person is told.

The Needs doing list is yours to hand out. Tap a job and pick who's on site to do it — each with a call button — or send a bigger fix to an administrator. A level three rings like an alarm, and the administrators hear about it too.

When the Panic Button closes something, the supervisor on duty makes the call. Come and see, then tap Reopen — or Send closure notices, with about when it will reopen. That emails the groups booked and your outside contacts. A test, or a mistake? Cancel calls it off as if it never happened.

With the Weather Safety Protocol on, Cana Crew watches lightning and wind for you. When a limit is hit, it closes that site, tells everyone working, and gives you a countdown: confirm the closure, or stay open, with your reason logged.

And the small things: tap They're here when a bus group arrives, so the whole crew knows. Add a note for the day that everyone working will see. And mark a Logbook entry handled once it's dealt with.

Administrators

Administrators plan. Everything only you do lives under More, then Planning. A number on More means something's waiting. Needs a look lists it: a request to change days, a short day ahead, a month nobody's built, timecards due.

To build, pick the month and tap Build the schedule. It puts a supervisor on every open day, gives people their regular days, most senior first, and fills the gaps from the days they said they might work. Everything lands as a draft. Look it over, fix anything by hand, then Publish. Everyone gets one email with their days, and the shared calendar updates on its own.

On People, add someone with their name, email, level and start date — the start date is their seniority. They get an invitation and a short walk-through for their role. Levels set the titles and who's asked first for cover. Skill badges decide who can fill a job that needs training.

Events hold everything that isn't a normal day: a bus group with its size and contact, tours at set times, a festival, a closed day. Close a day, and the groups booked that day are emailed for you.

When someone can't make it, the cover finder asks people one at a time, in your order. It never asks overnight, from 9 at night to 7 in the morning, except for today. If it runs out of people, every administrator gets one email listing who was asked and what each said.

On the pay period's due date, approve the timecards. The day after it closes, you get one email with a link: tap Send, and the approved hours go to whoever runs your payroll. Never by themselves.

In Settings: your words, your season and hours, the weather rules for each site, and your own emergency plans — the steps that open when the Panic Button is pressed. The administrator pages ask for a 6-digit code from Google Authenticator, once on each phone or computer. And First Mate, in Help, answers questions in plain words — how to do something, or why a day looks the way it does.

That's Cana Crew. If you get stuck, the question mark on any page has the answer. Cana Crew: on time, on watch, never in the dark.

Setup is an interview
One question per screen — your season, your hours, who you have and who's asked first when a day comes up short. Ten minutes and your site is ready.
Today, on any phone0:43
Who's on, the weather, the day's tours and the manager's notes. Can't make it? One tap takes you off the day and starts the cover search.
One shared calendar5:38
Who's on, who's manager on duty, tours, bus groups — in the Google Calendar your people already know. Every change shows up on its own.
The season, built in minutes5:22
Most senior picks first. Full days gray out. The manager builds, looks it over, publishes — and once it's published, it stays put.
Call-outs that find their own cover1:13
Open shifts are offered in the app first. Then eligible people are asked by email one at a time, in the order you chose. The first yes fills the day.
Volunteers, skill badges, tours and events2:49
Volunteers pick their own days and sign up for tours. Badges keep certified slots to certified people. Tours at set times; bus groups with their own size, contact and staffing.
Weather Safety Protocol4:34
Each site sets its own rules — lightning within ten miles, wind over a limit, heat, cold. It closes the site itself, tells everyone working, and gives the manager a countdown to confirm or stay open.
The Panic Button1:45
Medical emergency, missing child, aggressive visitor, biohazard — anyone working taps what happened. Everyone on site is told at once, and booked groups are emailed only when a manager approves.
The Logbook2:29
A no-show, a complaint, an injury, an idea — two taps and a sentence, and nobody's caught by surprise. Lost & found gets a dispose-on date.
Timesheets without the paper0:57
Clock in on a phone. The manager approves with a click, and approved hours go to whoever runs payroll with one tap — never by themselves.
More than one location
Each location gets its own site and calendar, with the people who float between them, one pay period, and administrators who see everything — on one plan.
Easy for everyone, day one0:19
Any browser or the Android app, free phone alerts, a five-minute walk-through for their role, and a practice mode where nothing real is sent.

Nothing worth stealing.

Cana Crew never asks for the information thieves are after. It keeps only what a schedule needs.

Clock-in checks that a phone is at the site, then keeps only the distance, never where someone was.
Each place has its own separate database.
Passwords are stored scrambled, never as typed.
Administrator powers need a two-step code on each new device.
Pay itself never passes through Cana Crew: approved hours go to whoever runs payroll.

Never asked for

Social Security numbersBank or card detailsPay ratesBirthdaysHome addresses

All it keeps

NamesEmail and phoneStart datesThe days people workHours clocked

One price. Everyone included.

^$150

a year, for everyone and every location

Your own private Cana Crew site
Unlimited staff and volunteers
Unlimited locations — a museum and a lighthouse on one plan
Setup, roster and season entered for you
Your data stays yours — export it any time

About what a per-person scheduling app charges a 40-person crew in a single month. The first 60 days are free — no card, no long-term contract.

Five founding sites

Cana Crew is new, and I'd rather earn your trust than ask for it. The first five places to sign up get:

A full year free — not 60 days, a whole season
$150 a year locked in for as long as you use it
Everything else the same — unlimited people and locations, setup done for you

All I ask in return: after your first season, a few honest sentences — what worked and what didn't — that I can share here.

5 of 5 left

Claim a founding spot

It's the free-trial form below — the first five sign-ups are founding sites automatically. No card, no long-term contract.

Start your free trial

Three boxes, and your own private Cana Crew is ready before you've finished reading this.

You'd be one of the five founding sites — a full year free, and $150 a year locked in for good. The offer

You'll get an email with the link that sets your password; the walk-through then asks about your season, your hours and your people, one screen at a time. The 60 days count from the first day of your season, so setting up over the winter costs you nothing. Nothing is switched off at the end without a conversation first.

Questions people ask

Do we need someone technical?

No. Setup is done for you, and everyone else uses it from a phone or a browser. The guided walk-through is built for people who don't like software.

How much time will it save us?

That depends on how you do it now. Add up last season: the evenings building the schedule, the calls when someone couldn't come, the hours totaling timesheets, the texts when the weather closed the site. Cana Crew does each of those for you, so most of that time comes back.

Is our people's information safe?

Cana Crew never asks for Social Security numbers, bank or card details, pay rates, birthdays or home addresses. It keeps names, an email and phone number, start dates, the days people work and the hours they clock. Each place has its own separate database, passwords are stored scrambled, and administrator powers need a two-step code on each new device.

Does it do payroll?

It does the part that feeds payroll: clock-ins, manager-approved timesheets, and hours reports. Your bookkeeper or payroll service does the rest, as they do now.

Where does our data live?

In your own private copy of Cana Crew, separate from every other site. You can export your roster, schedule, and hours whenever you like.

Is there an app to download?

On Android, yes — Cana Crew is free on Google Play, and it opens straight to your own schedule. On an iPhone or a computer it's a website: add it to the home screen and it behaves like an app. Phone alerts are free either way, and reminders and cover requests also arrive by email.

What if our season looks different?

Hours, seat counts, roles, badges, and the words on screen are all settings. A museum with docents and a gift shop and a lighthouse with a shuttle both fit.

How is Cana Crew different from When I Work, Deputy or Homebase?

Those are built for hourly employees in restaurants and retail. When I Work and Deputy charge per person, per month, so a seasonal site with 12 staff and 30 volunteers pays for 42 people every month; Homebase charges per location. Cana Crew is $150 a year with unlimited staff, volunteers and locations, and it's built for how small attractions actually run: seniority picks, volunteers choosing their own days, docent and tour slots only certified people can fill, and a manager on duty each day. The full comparison

How is it different from SignUpGenius or a volunteer spreadsheet?

Sign-up sheets hold volunteers only. Cana Crew puts paid staff and volunteers on one calendar, finds cover automatically when someone can't make it, tracks certifications, and keeps timesheets — and everyone sees the schedule in their own Google Calendar.

Can it schedule tours, docents and special events?

Yes. Ongoing tours can have set times each day (say, four tug or lighthouse tours) with AM, PM or full-day shifts for guides. Special events — bus tours, festivals, night tours, school groups — get their own group size, payment details and staffing, and only people holding the right badge can fill certified slots.

What about weather closures and emergencies?

Each site sets its own Weather Safety Protocol — lightning within so many miles, wind over a limit, heat or cold. Cana Crew watches the free National Weather Service feeds, closes that site when a rule is hit, alerts everyone working, and gives the manager a countdown to confirm the closure or stay open with a logged reason. For everything else — a medical emergency, an aggressive visitor, a biohazard — anyone working taps the Panic Button: what's closed, why and for how long. Booked groups are emailed only once a manager approves, and every closure is logged.

Does it work for more than one location?

Yes. An organization with several sites (a museum and a lighthouse, say) gets a site for each, sharing people who work at both, one pay period, and administrators who see everything.

How much does it cost?

$150 a year — for unlimited staff, volunteers and locations, setup included. No per-user charges, no texting fees, no long-term contract: stop whenever you like. The first 60 days are free, no card needed. The first five places to sign up get their first full year free.

Ask about Cana Crew

Tell me a little about your place and your crew. You'll hear back from a person, not a sales funnel.

On time. On watch. Never in the dark.