Managing Volunteers

Day-in, day-out. Week-in, week-out. Month-in, month-out. What is keeping your volunteers going? What makes your volunteers stay when, unlike their day job, they have every right to leave at any time? There may be one or more reasons:

1. A desire to serve in a worshipful response to their salvation
2. They are already familiar with a particular topic or skill and wish to contribute their talents (e.g. childcare or PC support)
3. To learn more about a particular topic or skill that they do not already know (e.g. creating web sites or audio/visual)
4. Out of obligation of friendship or kinship to one or more people in the ministry
5. Because of a guilt that, if they do not serve, there may be consequences

Volunteers may sign up for any one of these reasons, with the top item being the most healthy and the rest (most often) leading to a future stumbling block. As we discussed previously, interviewing volunteers is criticial in finding the right kind of volunteer. If you are carefully selecting and building your team, then you have the right start.

So, how does a leader keep their volunteers happy? Often, it can be a kind word or a small reward for a job well done. Here are some suggestions that may help you say “thanks” to someone that has become important to your ministry:

• Thank them in person, eye-to-eye, with a handshake
• Send them a handwritten card to thank them for their time
• Budget or donate gift cards to their favorite restaurant or store – be sure to provide enough for a spouse as well, as a family often makes a sacrifice for a single member to serve at church
• For specialized skillsets (graphic artists, IT specialists, and childcare workers), consider paying them a small amount one time or reoccuring – if it is important to the church to have dedicated people doing it, it should be important enough to compensate the volunteers

Whether you are a lay leader or a staff member, take some time a review your list of volunteers. Consider how you can bless them this week by a kind word or a small note to lift their spirits and let them know that you care about them and what they have to offer to your ministry.

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