Part 1: Understanding and Recruiting
Lately, I have seen a lot of emails and posts from social media and other forums regarding volunteers, and effectively recruiting, training, managing, retaining, equipping and getting positive results from them. Over the next couple of weeks, we will tackle this subject, and with any luck, help your teams grow in a positive manner, both spiritually and professionally. In Part 1, we will explore some ways that we can better understand our volunteers so that we can grow together, as well as some simple ways to recruit and grow your ministries. We will be approaching these subjects from the point of view of a production manager, director or other leader, and not as a volunteer ourselves, so please keep that in mind while you’re reading. If you are a volunteer reading this, what is discussed here today may help you better understand how and why leaders and leadership make the decisions and respond to situations the way they do, so that you can become a better volunteer. Volunteers understanding leadership is just as important as leadership understanding volunteers.
DISCLAIMER: There is no singular right or correct way to handle volunteers. The scenarios and methods we discuss today may not be suitable for your environment and volunteers, and it is important to keep in mind that not all volunteers will react positively to changes you may make for your teams. What we will discuss today has had success in a multitude of churches with a multitude of volunteer personalities and demographics. It’s not a “cure-all” for a struggling part of your ministry, but it can boost your team’s professionalism and spiritual health.
UNDERSTANDING VOLUNTEERS
Getting the most out of volunteers can be a tricky process. Volunteer personalities are as varied as the stars. As leaders, we have to be understanding of that. Senses of humor, personality traits, quirks, experience and work ethic all come into play at different levels for each volunteer. While it is probably not necessary to give each of your volunteers a DISC Assessment (workplace personality test), it is necessary to understand that each volunteer will be different, and thus react to certain situations and people in a different capacity. Likewise, how you respond to them as a leader impacts how they will react to you. In the end, your goal as a leader is to get the most productivity out of volunteers. Building relationships, both personally and professionally, with your volunteer team will help you to understand them as individuals, as people. That personal knowledge and understanding of your volunteers will be absolutely paramount in everything else we discuss here.
RECRUITING
There is no “best” way to recruit volunteers. Although it’s dependent on age, experience and personal desire, word of mouth from existing volunteers is your best bet. When your volunteers are excited to be working on a given weekend, they’ll want their friends to join them. Ask your core group of volunteers who they’d like to serve with, and they will probably be able to spout of at least one or two names. Seek those people out, or have your volunteers seek them out. A community of people who are friends and can work well together creates cohesion and a positive work environment. Your personality as a leader has an enormous impact on how many volunteers seem to find their way into your orbit. If you are personable with them, and can make the workplace a fun and engaging atmosphere, people will want to serve with you. I know that this can be difficult for some people- tech people have a tendency to be introverted, and strong personalities have a tendency to be all-work-and-no-play, but I promise you that if you make an effort to provide a place where people want to serve, people will serve. Another great source of recruits is the people who will come and want to chit-chat with you after every service. If they’re wanting to talk to a tech person or a musician, chances are they are also tech savvy or musically inclined, and are willing to volunteer on your teams. Messages from the stage by your pastor requesting volunteers to sign up, or volunteer are also handy in finding volunteers, although, I have found that the personnel that this method brings in tend not to last long (“helping out” does not always translate into a lasting commitment or “being a team player”).