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STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS: How to Get ’Em How to Keep ’Em

Understanding Today’s Volunteers

Times have changed, and it’s imperative for leaders to recognize that today’s volunteers are very different from the volunteers of a few years ago.

Studies show that people’s interests, needs, motivations, and limitations have undergone profound transformations in the last 15 years. If leaders don’t keep pace with the changes, we may be doomed to fail in recruiting and maintaining volunteer help.

What has changed?

• Numbers. Baby boomers are aging and appear to be volunteering less. Today there are fewer young adults in the population—and young adulthood is when most people volunteer. That means the number of volunteers is declining.

• Perception. Many young people haven’t inherited the spirit of volunteering from their parents. Also, because they see leaders being daily persecuted in the media, young people are less willing to take on leadership roles than in the past.

• Women working. Most women in today’s society work outside the home. In the past, they had much more time available to be full-time volunteers.

• Technology. To communicate with today’s young adults, you must employ the methods they use—such as e-mail, Web sites, podcasts, and MySpace. Churches must learn to use this technology.

• Time. Today’s fast-paced lifestyle makes time our most precious commodity, and people are careful about how they spend it. Volunteering is about gifts of time—we must respect that gift.

How do today’s volunteers think?

• They want to spend their time doing things that are meaningful and show a tangible outcome or goal. In short, they want to make a difference, not do endless work with invisible results.

• They want to volunteer for short, limited periods of time.

• They want volunteer work that is easy to get into and easy to get out of.

What can we do to attract today’s volunteers?

• Create a volunteer culture. Consider these questions: Is our church open and inviting to volunteers? What do people say and think about helping out at our church? Is there a clear path for people to take to volunteer? Does everyone in the church know how to get involved? (For ideas, see what Jeff and Beth Jones had to say— page 7. )

• Improve recruiting skills. Aim to put the right people into the position that fits them. This requires advance planning and a selective application process. How we recruit will determine who responds. Ask: * What does the “ideal” volunteer look like for this position? * Where do we fi nd the right people? What publicity vehicles reach them? * What message would motivate the right people to volunteer?

• Remember, personal invitations work best. People will more readily say yes to helping if they are asked personally than if they are simply seeing a general public announcement. The number one reason people give for not volunteering is that no one asked them. (People don’t consider a general appeal to be a request for help from them personally.) Encourage your present workers to sell their friends on the idea of volunteering.

Make volunteer jobs attractive

√ Constantly emphasize what each position means to the vision as a whole.

√ Cut the time commitment down into manageable increments—in other words, consider task sharing. (For ideas, see what Matt Beemer had to say— page 8. )

√ Give them an opportunity to try out an area of ministry before committing. (For a great way to do this, check out Steve and Mamie Ogle’s contribution in the Alumni Blog section—page 11.)

√ Define the result or goal from the beginning, so everyone will know when it has been achieved.

√ Make sure the work is meaningful, challenging, appreciated, and utilizing every volunteer’s specific gifts.

√ Important: Adjust positions to fit the needs and interests of the volunteer, rather than offering the job in the same format just because “we’ve always done it this way.”

√ List the benefits. In your publicity, focus on what people can expect to gain from volunteering. Identify and advertise the potential benefits, which can include learning new skills, improving employment opportunities, exploring strengths, helping a cause, making contacts, meeting people, and making a difference.

More Tips For Reeling In Volunteers

• Be prepared. The worst thing we can do is recruit volunteers and not be ready to use them when they show up to help. We must have the workplace ready, the tools in place, and a specific, meaningful job for them to do with clear instructions for doing it and with results they can see and feel good about.

• Have a strong infrastructure. How do we supervise and support our volunteers? How do we recognize their efforts? How do we manage their performance? Every volunteer should know: * Who is responsible for what. * Who everyone reports to. * What is inside and outside of the position’s description.

• Keep the vision alive. Remember, the church doesn’t exist to give volunteers a place to work. It exists to fulfill a mission. Make sure all your volunteers know it and understand their part in fulfilling it.

• Take aim at older folks. Involve seniors as volunteers. They have more time, skills, and wisdom than many younger people, and they may be looking to add meaning to their lives.

Keeping Today’s Volunteers

It does a church no good to recruit and train volunteers, only to lose them and have to recruit replacements. While there will always be some ebb and fl ow as volunteers enter into new seasons of life, you can keep the loss of good volunteers to a minimum.

How can we nurture volunteers?

Appreciate and recognize them. Personal phone calls, handwritten notes, newsletter or bulletin recognition, special parking, talk with them. Offer praise from the pulpit with a special gift that says, “Thank you. We noticed. You served well.” Public appreciation also helps others see what service opportunities are available, and what service does for the server.

Be flexible. Rather than asking for a 12-month-straight commitment, consider a rotating schedule or other flex arrangements.

Provide guidelines. Uncertainty breeds anxiety and saps people’s energy. Make sure your volunteers can state what you want them to do. Write it down and make it plain.

Give them ownership. Contented workers are those who know the project is theirs to complete.

Respect their time. Remember, most volunteers are juggling other responsibilities in addition to what they are doing for you. Respect people’s time constraints. Don’t expect too much, or you will burn them out.

Value them. Asking volunteers for their opinion or insight can help you and validate them as well. They need to feel their opinions and performance are respected and needed.

Allow mistakes. Give people the freedom to fall short occasionally. If you aren’t sure what someone is capable of, first give that person a task you can afford to let him mess up.

Give them time off. Everyone needs a break. Make sure your schedule allows people a chance to rest.

Celebrate together. Look for reasons to have a party and recognize accomplishments. People who enjoy good times together will laugh more, complain less, and trust each other more.

The biggest key: provide ongoing training

Regular training sessions keep workers sharp and convey the attitude that what they do is valuable. The most effective training is done right before something needs doing (not months in advance). Aim to provide training in small doses (minutes rather than hours) and in the location where volunteers will actually do the job (for example, ushers shouldn’t be trained in a classroom, but in a sanctuary). Also, enlist the help of people in your congregation who may be professional trainers on their jobs.

Training can contain these elements:

• Continuous education and training, by department. Make sure your workers learn and stay sharp on people skills, delegating techniques, rules and procedures in their department, and what it takes to do their job better.

• Problem solving. First, provide a way for workers to air their concerns and work together to solve problems. Second, train them to bring an idea for a solution when they want to address a problem.

What about awkward situations?

When a team member leaves, whether happily or unhappily, there’s a delicate distinction between secrecy and privacy. Some matters are truly private and best left that way, but when things aren’t explained, people are left to come to their own conclusions. Sometimes it’s better to err on the side of candor. Here are some thoughts:

• Public explanation. If possible, work with the person who is leaving to write a joint statement, and read it to the congregation. This can go a long way toward a healthy departure for everyone concerned.

• Allow closure. Churches sometimes pay too little attention to good-byes. When closure is neglected, unhealthy patterns may develop that cause problems with future relationships. Consider a farewell service or party— a time for letting go of the past, embracing the future, and restating the vision of the pastor and the church.

• Read it. Any time you have to tell the congregation about a difficult situation or transition, write downexactly what you want to say. Have someone else read what you have written first, so you can make sure it is clear. Then, read it verbatim from the pulpit, without deviating. This technique will prevent you from stumbling around or saying something regrettable off the cuff.

How can we prevent staff infection?

• Before hiring or appointing staff, get to know the candidate in different settings and observe them in interactions with other staff members. See if they fit in your environment. Don’t just believe a resume, interviews, or someone else’s word. And never ignore your gut instinct.

• Use personality inventories* to capitalize on people’s strengths, and to forecast or handle potential areas of conflict. • Make sure everyone has a detailed job description, so that expectations are clearly outlined.

• Haveweekly face-to-face meetingsor friendly chats. Find a way and a place where concerns can be aired and a common heartbeat can be established. Don’t let resentment or frustration build due to lack of communication.

• Consider getting together socially. Visit each other’s homes. Be a family.

• Honor each other’s time. Avoid unnecessary meetings. Start meetings on time, and don’t waste time by being unprepared. Stay on task.

• Assist your helpers in maintaining their spiritual life. Encourage them to be in services, read their Bible, and keep their personal devotional life strong.

• Express appreciation, and expect a lot. People tend to live up to what is expected of them. Have faith in your helpers, and respect them. That way, everyone wins.

The 10 worst things you can do to a staff member or volunteer:

1. Never communicate to them (either about your expectations or how they’re performing).

2. Assign them a task, and then do it for them.

3. Never acknowledge, reward, or appreciate their hard work or ideas.

4. Never consider their suggestions.

5. Don’t give them a job description (overall, or for specific jobs).

6. Give them a responsibility but no authority to carry it out.

7. Ignore the fact that they have outside interests and responsibilities. Never give them time off.

8. Don’t train them or help them do their job more effectively. (Then, point out their shortcomings.)

9. Make sure there’s no way they can reach the leadership or express their concerns or questions.

10. Resent them if people like them or if they excel.

*Some possible personality inventories:

Personality Plus. Defines temperaments as choleric, melancholy, sanguine, and phlegmatic.www.classervices.com/FlorenceLittauer.html

Myers-Briggs (MBTI). Looks at four areas of behavior and motivation: introvert/extrovert, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. www.myersbriggs.org

DISC. Examines personality through the traits of dominance, influencing of others, steadiness, and cautiousness/compliance. www.discprofile.com

Animals. Defi nes four basic personality types: the lion, otter, retriever, and beaver. www.new-life.net/persnty.htm

Motivational Gifts. Identifies various gifts based on Romans 12. www.heart2heart.org