“No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.” Church volunteers do extraordinary work. They put their hearts, time, and effort into sparking faith in your communities – oftentimes leading the charge in building connections with kids and families and creating programs, like Sunday school, that keep them engrained in your community.
It can be challenging to find volunteers (and retain them!). Here are three ideas for recruiting church volunteers in your church:
Send out a survey
Whether it’s after service or when you see them at the grocery store, it’s easiest to tap into your community when they are in front of you. Oh! I’ve been meaning to reach out to you; we’ve been looking for a volunteer to help us . . .
For the person you’re engaging with, it can quickly turn into a difficult conversation as they don’t want to commit to something without thinking it through.
Sending out a survey (you can use a free tool like Survey Monkey) gives you an option to catch people at the right time. They can fill it out at their leisure and provide feedback on why they may (or may not) be interested in committing volunteer hours.
Taking a look at the data, you may be surprised to see what commitments people offer! Perhaps there’s a committee you can form with a group of people that can only dedicate a few hours per month; or you can find a leader to take over some responsibilities.
Create clear visions and goals for volunteers – and share!
As mentioned earlier, some people are nervous to commit to being a church volunteer because they aren’t sure of the expectations. Do they need to commit so many hours per week? How long will this commitment last? What happens if they go on vacation and can’t go in for a week? Is there someone that can share this role with them?
Answer all of these questions by creating a job description of sorts for your volunteers. Be specific and let them know what their responsibilities will be, including expectations for number of hours and length of volunteer position. In addition, it can be helpful to outline what they will gain from the opportunity as well.
For instance, if you are looking for someone to manage the church social media accounts, an aspiring marketing professional may find this as a great opportunity to marry their faith with their career goals – giving them experience for their resume while they’re able to help their church and community.
Check in with your current volunteers
Volunteers wish to be heard and respected. As they are often serving on the frontlines for many programs, they have insight that can be used to continue to grow and support your community in their faith. Whether it’s a monthly or quarterly potluck or a quick text every few weeks, checking in with your volunteers can make a world of difference.
Plus, the best way to recruit new church volunteers? Through your current volunteers! Let them help you find and recruit new volunteers to fit your ministry needs.
Listen in as one church volunteer shares her experience! Find out what she loved most about the experience and what keeps her engaged as a volunteer today.
