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Noting his son-in-law’s management style, Jethro pulled Moses aside and encouraged him to enlist some volunteers – quickly! By doing so, Moses was able to focus on large, urgent spiritual needs, while his newly chosen volunteer staff assisted with less critical issues. Thousands of years later, church leaders continue to utilize volunteers to assist with varied tasks.
Actually, most churches are run by individuals who provide unpaid assistance in some area of church administration. Fact is, the percentage of non-paid help in any given church far outnumbers the staff assistance. If you look closely, you’ll spot volunteers helping with everything from church office operations to membership growth and development (pastoral care) to education and music ministry, to housekeeping and non-member outreach. Clearly, volunteers are vital to the local church. But, how can a church find and mobilize volunteers today? Answers lie in the areas of recruitment and retention.
Churches that are successful in attracting and retaining volunteers understand that since volunteers are unpaid, their assistance is an ongoing confirmation of their support for that church’s vision and leader. Thus, savvy church leaders take a proactive approach to recruiting volunteers. That is, they don’t wait until they need volunteers, but are always on the look out for candidates who are interested in serving in the church.
These candidates can be found: (1) within the congregation and (2) among people who consider themselves “friends of the church,” including members’ family and friends. Other potential volunteers include members of the community that a church serves. While some of these residents may attend other churches, they may be interested in helping with one-day events like neighborhood rallies and block parties. If a leader uses these resources, they may be surprised that willing workers abound.
Finding volunteers is one thing. Keeping them is another. To maximize retention, churches that successfully retain volunteers continually provide ways to show their appreciation, including holding annual or semi-annual volunteer appreciation events.
Some of their other secrets of retaining volunteers include:
1. Communicating goals effectively;
2. Making the volunteer experience meaningful;
3. Matching volunteers to their interest, not just church need;
4. Making volunteering easy (i.e., respect time constraints, offer to pay for lunch, or transportation expense); and,
5. Providing ongoing support, encouragement and feedback.
Churches who tap into these secrets will find it easier to attract and retain volunteers.
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