# How to run a fair waitlist for a camp, class or program

Source: https://backpr.com/resources/how-to-run-a-waitlist. Last updated: 2026-11-12.

By the BackPR team. Published November 12, 2026.

A full program with a waitlist is a good problem, as long as the list is fair and moves quickly. Decide the rules before the first spot opens.

### First come or lottery
First come, first served rewards families who are online when registration opens, which favors families with flexible jobs. A lottery gives everyone who applies in a window the same chance. Use a lottery when demand is far above capacity and fairness matters more than speed.

### Decide who gets priority
Publish the priority rules on the program page. Priority that isn't written down looks like favoritism.

- Returning families or siblings of enrolled children.
- Families of staff, members or a partner school.
- Scholarship families, so funded spots are used.

### How long to hold an offered spot
When a spot opens, offer it to the next family and hold it for a fixed time, for example 24 or 48 hours, then move on. Shorter holds fill spots faster; longer holds are kinder close to the start date when families need to rearrange plans.

### Tell families where they stand
Confirm that a family is on the waitlist, tell them how offers work and how they'll hear, and let them leave the list easily. A list full of families who found something else slows down everyone behind them.

### Use the list to plan
A long waitlist for the same session every year is a sign to add a session, a second group or more staff. Our [enrollment forecast calculator](https://backpr.com/tools/enrollment-forecast-calculator) helps size it.

### How BackPR helps
BackPR has automatic waitlists, lottery registration, priority and early-access registration and access codes for private programs, with capacity per session. See [registration features](https://backpr.com/features/registration).

Want your waitlist done for you? [Create your organization](https://app.backpr.com): free forever if you join by 31 January 2027, and always free for verified nonprofits. Or [book a demo](https://backpr.com/demo) first.