This is the third installment of the series on getting the most out of your volunteers (If you haven’t already done so, please read parts One and Two). In Part One, we discussed what to expect out of your volunteers and their individual personalities, and how to respond to some situations. In part two, we dove into effective ways to train and equip your volunteers for success. Today, we will break down effective managing and leading of volunteer teams, in order to help you grow as a leader, and for your team to remain successful. As in the first two parts of this series, we will be approaching this 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.
MANAGING, LEADING AND RETAINING
Leading a group of volunteers is hard. The myriad of personality traits and levels of experience we discussed earlier makes your job as a leader and manager much more difficult, especially if you are managing larger teams. While your specific approach to leaders will be specific to you and your ministry, there are a couple of things that you can keep in mind to assist you in being the best leader possible. This method is not my own, I only adapted from a different source. But it does have merit, and so far, it’s been tremendously successful in the various ministries that I have been a part of. It’s called the AH, SNAP! method. Following this method will help you manage your team better, be a better leader for your team, and keep your volunteers wanting to serve with you.
Available
Helpful
Social
Nice
Awesome
Proactive
A – Available. Being available for your team is crucial. If you are hard to get ahold of, distant, bad at communicating or just don’t have time for your team, your team will think that you do not care about them, do not enjoy working with them, or just plain don’t like them. Being available for a phone call, an email, a text conversation or being able to meet for lunch or coffee with your team will help you grow as their leader, and help them to grow and develop under you. As we’ve discussed before, getting to know your team on a personal level is paramount to being able to use them and their talents effectively. Be available to them! It could be as simple as answering a few questions about the ministry, or an opportunity to minister to, witness to, and strengthen them as believers.
H – Helpful. Being helpful when things go wrong, or when a team member is struggling builds camaraderie. If you aren’t willing or able to help in a critical situation, you are ineffective as a leader. Your team will recognize this almost immediately, and lose faith in your and your leadership. Coming alongside one of your volunteers and helping them through a situation, or teaching them one-on-one how to complete a task shows that you are one of them. When your team is able to see that you are willing to do the work, teach them how to do something new, or jump in and fix a problem when it arises, your team will trust you to be able to handle anything. They will follow your leadership and direction without hesitation, not because you are the boss, but because you are their leader, and they have faith that you know what you are doing.
S – Social. Being active and social with your team is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Team Nights, or other social gatherings where your team comes together, are a fantastic way for you to get to know your team, and for them to get to know you. How your team interacts with you as their leader in a social setting can say a lot about your leadership ability. If your team is distant, cold, or introduces you to someone as “their boss,” you’re doing it wrong. If your team likes to be around you, can talk freely with you (or around you), or introduces you as “their friend,” you’re doing it right.
N – Nice. Being nice is one of the best things you can do as a leader. Because, let’s face it: nobody likes working with a jerk. If you are nice to your team, your team will be nice to you. It will be easier to be social with them, and therefore, work with them. Even when tense situations arise, keeping a cool head and being nice to someone goes a long way toward them wanting to serve under you. You don’t want to be the leader who blames everyone else for all of the problems, or calls someone out when they make a mistake. You don’t want to be the leader that can’t handle stressful situations, or can’t keep a cool head. You don’t want to be the leader that isn’t helpful, available or social. You don’t want to be that leader because nobody wants a leader who is like that. If you aren’t nice to your team, you soon will not have a team.
A – Awesome. Being awesome at what you do shows, and your team will recognize you and appreciate you for that. Know how to do everything. Being awesome at what you do builds confidence among your volunteers that you know your stuff, and are able to jump in and fix things that go wrong. But being awesome also flows into being able to teach awesome. Explaining why you did something a certain way is just as important as explaining how you did something a certain way. Often times, this goes beyond just your normal role in the ministry. Tech leaders should know how to operate and troubleshoot all facets of tech that operate within the building. Worship leaders should be able to explain to a drummer exactly what they are looking for. Be awesome at whatever it is you do.
P – Proactive. Being proactive in your ministry builds relationships and experience. Taking an active role in servitude with your volunteers will take your team to the next level. Serving with them, or being willing and able to jump into service with them, shows your team that you are one of them. It shows your team that you are their leader – active and engaged with them and doing the same work that they are doing, and not as their boss – disengaged and merely someone barking orders for them to carry out. Your team will be able to learn from you, just by watching what you do. As stated earlier in this post, if your team is able to see you doing work with them, they will respect you for that. They will want to continue to be a part of your team.
In conclusion, your role as a leader is just that: to lead. If you are disconnected from your team, unwilling to help them learn and grow, don’t understand them as individuals, do not treat them with dignity or respect, don’t know what you are doing to the best of your ability, or unwilling to step into the trenches and do the actual work yourself, then you are not a leader. Just because you are in a position of leadership above them, that does not mean that you are their boss. Before you can adopt the AH, SNAP method, you have to be willing to humble yourself. Leading by example and leading through humility are the only ways to have a successful ministry. If you truly believe that you are above doing work because “that’s what volunteers and interns are for,” or if you belittle your team by passive-aggressively swooping in to save the day, or if you consider yourself to be better than your volunteers because you are a paid staff member, then you are doomed to failure.