Do you have constant turnover in your children's ministry volunteers?
Do you want to see your volunteers go the distance with you?
Do you get tired of having to replace volunteers who have quit?
Do you want to strengthen your volunteer team?
Here are seven keys to keeping your volunteers long-term.
Build relationships.
How long volunteers stay is directly related to the depth of the relationships they form with you and other volunteers.
At one of the churches where I served, I oversaw nine campuses. I would regularly go and visit the campuses during weekend services. At one of the campuses, I noticed that every time I went to visit, there were lots of volunteers and the volunteers were smiling and happy.
I ask the director of that campus what she was doing to keep her volunteers happy and serving with joy. Whatever she was doing was working and I wanted to pass it along to the other campuses.
Here was her response. She said, "I don't have volunteers...I have friends."
In that moment it became crystal clear. Her volunteers were happy and committed because she had built a friendship...a relationship with them.
Let me say this one more time. If you want to keep your volunteers...build relationships with them.
Put them where they need to be.
Have you ever asked a new volunteer where they wanted to serve and they said "wherever you need me."
The temptation is to place them where you need them. But that often doesn't work out.
Here's the answer.
Instead of placing volunteers where you need them, place them where they need to be.
Where they need to be is in a role that aligns with their gifts, talents, and interest. Sit down with them and find out where they really want to serve. One month after they start serving, connect with them and find out if they are enjoying where they are serving. If they are not enjoying it, then help them find another role that is a better fit.
Put them in their dream job.
This ties in to the previous point. You want to help people find a role that they are passionate about. A simple way to help them uncover this is to ask them this question.
What is your dream job in children's ministry?
Once they tell you, place them in that role. When a volunteer gets in their sweet spot, they will enjoy serving. When a volunteer gets in their sweet spot, they will thrive. When a volunteer gets in their sweet spot, you will see smiles instead of frustration.
Shepherd them well.
If you lead well, you will become a shepherd for your volunteers. They will look to you for spiritual support, care and prayers. They will come to you with prayer requests, and spiritual needs.
Embrace this.
Pray with them. Cry with them. Go to the hospital to visit them. Support them. Remember...volunteers don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Empower them.
Invest in them. Train them. Trust them. Give them responsibility and let them run with it. Don't micromanage them. Believe in them.
Remember this - Don't use volunteers to build the ministry. Instead, use the ministry to build volunteers.
Challenge them.
Volunteers want to grow. Give them opportunities to do so. As they grow, give them more responsibilities and provide them with feedback that will give them clear steps to get to the next level.
Here's an example.
A volunteer starts out as an assistant in a preschool room.
As they prove themselves, challenge them to become the leader in a preschool room.
As they continue to grow, place them in a leadership role that oversees other volunteers.
A next step would then be to place them over an entire hallway of classes.
When a staff position comes open, offer to bring them on board.
At one of the churches were I served, we had 72 children's ministry staff members. Out of the 72, only 5 came from the outside. 67 of them started out as volunteers. As we challenged them and saw them grow, we placed them into staff roles.
I first met Tracy at a guest reception after a church service. I saw potential in her so after the reception I invited her to see our children's ministry facilities. Long story short, she started volunteering. Then she moved into a part-time role in our preschool ministry. As she continued to grow, I gave her more responsibilities. Today she is the children's director at a church campus of 12,000 people.
I believe when you invest in people and challenge them to grow, they will respond and God will use them in a great way.
Communicate well with them.
I often say this.
Don't expect your volunteers to shine on Sunday if you've keep them in the dark all week.
It is important to keep your volunteers in the know. Don't catch them by surprise when it comes to making big changes, dates and plans for events, and weekly need-to-knows. I communicate with my volunteers every week through email, text messages, and phone calls.
p.s Here's a bonus tip.
Appreciate your volunteers. Say thank you on a weekly basis. Write them a handwritten thank you note. Give them gift cards to Starbucks. Brag on them.
Stats show that 65% of volunteers have never heard the words "thank you." This is not the way to keep volunteers long-term.
As you put these keys into place, you will begin to see less volunteer turn around and they will stick around.
Your turn. What are some keys you have found to keep volunteers long-term? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
p.s. Have you read my book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams?" In this book you will get lots of more tips on leading and keeping volunteers. It is available at this link.
