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Set up potluck signup with InviteBird What to Bring

Create an online potluck signup list in InviteBird: add dishes and supplies, set quantities, let guests claim items during RSVP, and track who's bringing what.

Last reviewed 4 min read

On this page8 sections
  1. Turn it on
  2. Coordinate the details
  3. Build your bring list
  4. How guests claim items
  5. Track who's bringing what
  6. Download the list
  7. Common questions
  8. Related articles

To create an online potluck signup in InviteBird, open What to bring on your event dashboard, list the dishes or supplies you need, and set a quantity for each. Attending guests can claim items during RSVP; you and your co-hosts track the claims in Who's bringing what.

The What to Bring overview shows how the shared list fits into your invitation and guest replies.

Turn it on

In What to bring, answer "Want guests to help bring the food & drinks?" with Yes, let's do it. Turning the feature off later keeps the list saved.

Coordinate the details

Your bring list keeps the items, quantities, guest claims and coverage together. Add an optional deadline, structured dietary labels and a day-of status when those details help you coordinate the spread. Coverage and deadline summaries help you spot gaps, and you can see which attending guests don't yet have a claim.

You and your co-hosts can manage claims, download the list as a PDF, and undo an item removal without losing its saved claims.

Build your bring list

The main form is Category · Item · How many:

  1. Pick a category. Six are ready to go: Mains, Appetizers, Sides, Desserts, Drinks, and Supplies. Choose Add a category… for your own.
  2. Type an item, such as Green salad or Bag of ice.
  3. Set how many you need, from 1 to 99. You cannot lower this below the quantity guests have already claimed — the minus button stops there. To go lower, reduce or remove their claims first in Who's bringing what.
  4. Optionally set Needed by. The item stays open through that full calendar date in the timezone where you set it. After that, guests can no longer take it or change it, but they can still give it back.

If the same item is already listed, InviteBird warns you but lets you keep an intentional duplicate. Rows save as you edit. Fix typos cleans spelling and grammar only; it does not invent items.

Removing an item that guests have claimed asks you first, because it comes off their list too. Removal hides the item without destroying its claims — choose Undo in the message that appears and the item and every claim come back.

How guests claim items

Attending guests see "Want to bring something? (optional)" in the RSVP flow. A single item takes one tap. For a multi-unit item, the guest chooses how many to bring and may leave a short note. Guests never see who else is bringing what — a fully covered item just shows as taken. Only you and your co-hosts see names. The last available unit is protected even when two guests tap at the same time.

The live invitation's What to bring panel includes Review or claim an item, which returns a guest to the same saved bring step. If a save fails, the guest stays on the step, sees which item failed, and can retry. InviteBird does not advance while silently dropping the choice.

Bringing something is optional. A guest may skip the step and simply attend.

Track who's bringing what

Who's bringing what shows each item with the guests who picked it. It refreshes when you open it and each time you return to the tab. Owners and accepted co-hosts can:

  • Adjust a claim quantity.
  • Reassign a claim to another attending guest.
  • Remove a claim.
  • Assign a bringer who confirmed offline. If that guest already has some of the item, the number you assign is added to theirs.

Management changes show edited by host or the co-host's name. Reassigning onto a guest who already claimed the same item merges both pledges into one row.

Download the list

Use Download the list (PDF) on the Overview pane for a printable, category-grouped copy. It still works after the event has ended.

If you prefer to collect signups on paper, use the free printable potluck sign-up sheet. That separate blank sheet and host checklist are maintained by hand; they do not update your InviteBird bring list.

Common questions

How is this different from the menu? The menu is what the host is serving. What to Bring is what guests volunteer to bring. You may use either feature or both.

Can two guests bring the same thing? Only up to the quantity requested. The server serializes claims, so two simultaneous requests cannot both take the final available unit.

What happens if a guest changes to "not attending"? Their claims are released automatically. Deleting or merging an RSVP also repairs every affected coverage total.

Can a plus-one claim separately? The bring list is party-scoped in this version. The primary responder manages the party's claims; a named plus-one does not receive a separate claimant row.

Can guests update a claim without RSVPing again? Yes. The live invitation and the guest's manage page link to the saved bring step, where a claim can be changed or given back without a second RSVP submission.

Can a co-host manage the list? Yes. Accepted co-hosts have the same item and claim management controls as the owner. Billing remains owner-only elsewhere.

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