Good Volunteers
One of the most difficult things for Churches (and, really, all non-profits) is finding good volunteers. There are many people that raise their hands to volunteer and then fail to follow through completely. I am not a psychologist, but I have a theory about this: I think people want to volunteer, I think they love their church, and I think they want to follow through. However, volunteers sometimes like the idea of being a volunteer more than actually being a volunteer. This is the case for board membership at large non-profit organizations just as much as preschool volunteers at the small local church.
5 Tips for Being a Good Volunteer
So, how can you be a good volunteer? Glad you asked. Here are my 5 tips for being a good volunteer:
- Remember You are not the Boss – It doesn’t matter if you run the most successful business in town, when you are a volunteer you are there to help the leadership of your church – PERIOD. This is where lots of people get tripped up. The leadership at your church might just need you to help them glue stars on posters, or they might need you to proofread the newsletter. Some churches have very sophisticated volunteer programs, however, this is not the norm. So, while you might want to volunteer in a certain area there probably won’t be a guarantee that you will have that opportunity. When you show up to volunteer, be fully available to do whatever they might need you to do. And remember, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples…they probably aren’t going to ask you do something like that. So lighten up and be a helper.
- Keep in Touch - One of the largest complaints from church leaders is about volunteers that “disappear” for days or weeks at a time. If you agree to help out with something at your church and you have something come up…let someone KNOW!! One of the biggest frustrations of church leaders is when they think they have someone that is going to be doing something and they don’t show up. This requires the leadership to stay later to complete the task or it requires lots of last minute phone calls to get that area covered. We all know things come up at the last minute from time to time, but if at all possible do all you can to stay in touch with the leadership.
- Follow Through – If you say you are going to do something…DO IT. No one likes a volunteer that only does 1/2 of a job. If you are supposed to blow up 130 balloons and the big day arrives and you have 90 balloons and an IOU that isn’t going to cut it. If you think you will have trouble meeting the deadline let someone know. If you have just wasted time then you should probably apologize to the leaders who will have to pull volunteers out of other roles at the last minute to blow up balloons. The program as a whole will suffer because of your inability to complete tasks.
- Know your Abilities - If you are asked to complete a task and you know that you do not have the ability to do the task, speak up. Don’t be embarrassed, it will be less embarrassing in the long run to just let them know ahead of time. Think about all of the wasted time and energy it will take from the leader if you are unable to do a task and accept it anyway. The end product will probably not be as good as it could have been and no one wants that.
- Recruit – Another of your responsibilities is to recruit other volunteers. Church leaders cannot be the only ones looking for volunteers. If you know others who have time, energy, and talent approach them about volunteering. You should also feel responsible for teaching them about how to be a good volunteer. Churches run on volunteers. Large or small things just wouldn’t get done without volunteers. The more volunteers church leaders can count on the better the programming can be at your church.
Feel Ownership in your Church!
The Church is made up of the Body of Christ. If you are a Christian, you are a member of the Body of Christ and you should feel some ownership in your church. For you volunteering should not be an optional expression of your faith. Volunteering is just as important as tithing in the long run. Jesus gave himself for us, and we should want to give of ourselves in return. It is easy for us in the United States to give our money, but much more difficult to give of our time.
If this sounds like you, I would encourage you to begin to pray about how you can better use your time to further the Body of Christ in your local church. This doesn’t mean you need to be at the church 6 days a week. However, you should make a commitment to participate in the work of the church at some level. Just ask your church leaders where they could use your help, odds are they have a laundry list of things they would love to have some help doing!
Church leaders: Did I miss a key point for volunteers? Church Members: Do you hate me now?
Excellent post! Our Education Director gave a letter out to SS teachers yesterday; you said it better. (don’t tell him, I’m married to him!).
May pass this onto our Pastor who has said this as many different ways as he can. I’d LIKE to post it on the the front projector screen next Sunday, but that might be a bit like hitting folks in the head. Am I getting worked up? Sorry. I’m calm now.
Actually it IS getting better.
Great Post!
Ha! I totally understand your frustration! It can be hard to find good volunteers. That’s why I favor a volunteer training approach where you build good volunteers from the ground up!
Let me know if you would be interested in having me come up to do a volunteer training session! I LOVE that stuff!
That’s so funny! Actually, if we brought in a complete stranger, we could probably pack ‘em in. I trained volunteers for 12 years, although in a totally different field. Our D.O.M. has been up a few times to train people, and you know the same people show up over and over.
A.
Just did a huge Church Council restructuring, with 9 directors “over” a certain area, and designates assistants/helpers whatever. Hardest thing was after the list of all the church does was complete, was getting people to understand that ALL THOSE THINGS ARE BEING DONE ALREADY! H-E-L-L-O! Seems as long as their NAMES aren’t written down anywhere, they’re eager to jump in.
Which reminds me, I’ve got to finish the minutes – as i’m the volunteer secretary & bookkeeper!
Well, spending a week in Montana is on my Bucket List…so just let me know, ha!
I totally agree that sometimes it just takes an outsider to say the same things as leadership and all of a sudden they “hear” it for the first time.
I think you’re spot on, especially with Point B. I won’t get into details, but I understand the frustration of people not showing up when they’re scheduled to do something and worse yet, not even calling to say they can’t make it. Either they don’t know or simply don’t care how it affects so many other people.
Great post.
Yeah, sometimes the worst thing isn’t them not being there…its not knowing they aren’t coming.
Most people can find a good replacement if given proper warning…its trying to pull something off with no warning that is the most frustrating and demoralizing.
As a ministry leader I’m always seeing and reading blog posts and articles on how to be a better and a more effective leader. And I can never read enough of those articles. However, it’s great to something posted about volunteering. Thanks for this.
You are more than welcome! Any other topics you feel aren’t covered enough? I’d love to tackle some of the more off beat topics!
Ya know what, I’m gonna print this out and take it to a meeting I’m having with my coordinators later this week. Also may use this during one of our training sessions.
Why thank you!
Sylvia….you rock!! Bring it to the meeting, I think this is great!! Sylvia is an awesome leader!!
Austin, this article was great!! I love “taking ownership”, which I think is a big component in getting volunteers to come and STAY.
Thank you!!
ok wait, I love the “taking ownership part.” But not just by me, if we get the volunteers to feel like they are taking ownership, I feel that that would feel as if they are making a difference.
The more they feel invested the higher the retention rate, and the more they will want to invite others to be a part of the organization.
It is a cycle you can begin to instill in your volunteers and you will hardly find a shortage of volunteers anymore!