Recruiting Volunteers

One of the patterns I’ve seen constantly in ministry is the use of the same list of people when a new volunteer is needed. You know what I mean. It usually starts off with a new need – small groups, children’s church, or ushers. Often, the need is very short term (reactive) instead of medium-to-long term (proactive). So, who do you go to first when you have a new position to fill? Let me guess – the same people that always say ‘yes’, right? If not, give yourself a pat on the back. If so, brace yourself.

You will never have a healthy group of volunteers in a church if you expect the same folks to always say ‘yes’ to every need.

Sounds like a no-brainer, huh? Then, why do we still battle, as we approach 2006, the 80-20 rule for volunteers: 80% of the work is done by the same 20% of the church? I could speculate on a number of reasons, but most often it is that we have in our minds that the people we previously tasked will say ‘yes’, and we don’t have the time or desire to get rejected.

So, how then do we solve this problem? Let’s turn the tables a bit and change our way of thinking. If we don’t want to recruit from the same pool of overworked volunteers, how do we tap into our 80% that aren’t serving? First, let’s dispel some myths:

1. Church bulletins and pulpit announcements are not a complete marketing strategy
2. Handing out flyers in a doorway only makes you seem desperate and chaotic
3. If word of mouth is the preferred method for small businesses to grow, would the same not apply to your ministry?
4. If you want to get the word of mouth out, then you can’t keep talking to the same people every church service

So, here are some tips I’ve seen used successfully:

• Involve your entire ministry, not just yourself and your leadership team – the volunteers in the trenches can be your best marketing devices (or your worst)
• Sit in different areas of the church each week to meet new people – we are creatures of habit, so if you alternate areas, you’ll find new people
• Stay in the high-traffic areas before and after service(s), in your coffee bar, or other hangouts – you may meet someone you don’t know, and you’ll become more recognizable in the future
• Strike up a conversation with someone you have never met – learn how long they have been attending, if they already serve somewhere, and what they do for a living/hobbies
• If they aren’t interested in your ministry, introduce them to another ministry leader that may be a better match
• Coordinate this strategy with other key ministries – small group leaders are especially good scouts
• Define job descriptions for the roles needed, included expectations for skills, hours per week, and telecommuting vs. onsite requirements – this will help you sell the role and provide details about the position to staff and other leaders who may be selling your ministry on your behalf
• Consider setting a duration for the need, no more than 6 months from their start date – people want to know they have an out to do something new in your ministry or another one, or simply to schedule some time off
• Sell the vision – if you ask people to work extra hours, they probably won’t join up, but if you ask them if they want to contribute to something much bigger, they will generally sign up if they can. Get them excited and keep them that way!
• If you are putting together handouts for general consumption, pair up with a graphic artist or do some research on the web and make it look attractive – there is nothing worse than a ministry with a plain handout done in all 12 pt Arial (or worse, Comic Sans). Spend some money if you don’t have in-house resources and share the effort with other ministries to make a single, cohesive looking set of handouts. You could even have fun with it and make golf shirts or t-shirts for the team members to wear during service and at special events.

Next up: What makes a good volunteer?

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