All posts by Steph Whitacre

The Volunteer Project: Three Observations From Year One

April 13, 2016Community, Empowerment, Our Experiences, Significance, SupportSteph Whitacre

This month, we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the release of our book The Volunteer Project: Stop Recruiting. Start Retaining. I know, it seems weird to celebrate a book. But when you’re a first time author, and you invest hours and weeks and months into jotting down words and fine-tuning your ideas, you spend a lot of time asking yourself: Is anyone actually going to read this stuff?

It turns out that, at least for The Volunteer Project,the answer is yes! Within our first month in the marketplace, we met 50% of our goal for first-year sales. To date, we have more than tripled that goal. Apparently church and nonprofit leaders are itching to figure out how to make their volunteer cultures the types of environments where volunteers not only stay involved, but invite their friends to join them as well.

Something that makes The Volunteer Project unique is our Zero Recruitment Model (ZRM) Survey. The ZRM is an online assessment tool for measuring volunteer satisfaction. It captures data from both leaders and volunteers, and provides a picture of areas within the four strategies (celebrate their significance, provide first-class support, fuel meaningful connections, and empower their passions) where leaders can invest to improve their volunteer cultures and ultimately their retention rates.

Over the past year, over 100 ministry teams have participated in the ZRM. These ministries have varied from volunteer groups of 10 people to 1,000s of individuals. Some of the leaders who utilized this tool are seasoned veterans with 20+ years of experience, and many are young leaders who are striving to create a fresh culture for their volunteers. Many of you reading this post may have even taken the survey and benefited from your personalized results. Today, I want to share some big picture ideas we noticed when we combined data from all of the churches and nonprofits that have participated.

In the volunteer portion of the survey, we ask volunteers to respond yes or no to the question:Do you see yourself continuing to volunteer at this organization six months from now? 95.2 percent of volunteers said yes. That’s great news! 95 out of 100 volunteers plan to continue serving! However, what about the other five percent? We wondered if there are some commonalities among those choosing to leave. So we compared their scores to those who indicated they planned to stay. The results were revealing. In all categories, the five percent scored lower than those who indicated they planned to continue in their volunteer roles.

Here are three of the observations we made this year, in light of the combined data provided by the churches and organizations that have participated in the survey:

1. Volunteers aren’t making the connections they expected to If you want to raise your retention rate, the lowest hanging fruit is to provide better connections among your volunteers. We discovered that, across the board, from leaders to volunteers, nobody thinks this is happening well. One of the benefits volunteers expect when they sign up to volunteer is stronger friendships. The greatest thing you can do to help your volunteers feel more satisfied in their roles is to elevate their connections to one another.

2. Leaders think they are providing great support, but their volunteers just aren’t feeling it.While everyone agrees that we’re not knocking it out of the park when it comes to connection, there are some areas—like providing support—where leaders think they are doing great, but volunteers often disagree. Among the five percent who chose to terminate their participation as volunteers, many say they did so because they didn’t feel supported or empowered enough.

Have you ever seen one of those commercials for air fresheners or deodorant in which the individual no longer realizes that their living space, car, or body stinks? When it comes to supporting volunteers, many leaders think they are providing more resources and training than they actually are. If you want to raise your retention rate, ask yourself the question:If I was informed that an anonymous, undercover volunteer was serving in my ministry next month, what elements of support to volunteers would I immediately change, improve, fix or speed up?

3. Everyone agrees volunteers are making a difference—however, ongoing feelings of underuse will eventually override the staying power of significance. Establishing feelings of significance within your volunteers is a powerful thing. People love knowing they are making a difference. It’s obvious that what you do at your organization matters! Unfortunately, this won’t retain volunteers if they don’t feel empowered or that they are in roles that fits their gifts and skills. If you want to take your volunteer culture to the next level, lean into empowerment. Help your volunteers to achieve their goals and to find ways they can grow both in their roles and as individuals.

Thank you to everyone who engaged with The Volunteer Project this first year, shared it with your teams, and participated in the Zero Recruitment Model Survey. We’ve had a lot of fun hearing your stories and interacting with the volunteers you lead. Our team is excited to continue to learn and explore the intricacies of what makes volunteers stick.

Shut the Revolving Door!

March 10, 2015SignificanceSteph Whitacre

At the heart of volunteer retention is a desire to hear volunteers exclaim, “I love this role because I get to make a difference!” There is a direct correlation between how volunteering makes an individual feel and how long he or she will desire to stick around your church or organization. Volunteers begin to experience significance when they see a return on their investment. This very principle is what makes it important that we slow down and cheer volunteers on by elevating stories of life change and helping them understand why what they do matters.

If we forget to celebrate the progress being made by current volunteers, instead turning the majority of our attention to a need for more volunteers, we will lose already established volunteers through the back door as quickly as new ones come through the front door. The big reality we have to remember is this: volunteers are not a renewable resource.

So here’s what to do:

Be specific when you say thank you. Volunteers need to hear the words thank you. But thank you becomes even more powerful when it is said like this, “Thank you for getting down on the floor to play cars with Joey. His mom told me he gets excited to come play and makes coming to church more enjoyable for their entire family!”
Enlist senior leaders in celebrating volunteers. Your volunteers love you and care about what you think of them. But let’s face it – we all love a pat on the back from the big dogs. At Parker Hill, we saw volunteer satisfaction increase from something as simple as our senior pastor peeking his head into a classroom and saying, “Thanks for being here today!”
Be available to answer questions and provide resources. Well resourced volunteers are released to be agents of change. If they know in advance what to expect and what to do, they can focus on being present with those around them, and on what their role calls them to do.
Have fun! We will say this over and over – volunteers do not need another job! They have busy lives and you want volunteering to be so satisfying, so rewarding, so fun that it’s a can’t-miss on their calendar.

Creating Community: Get It On the Calendar

February 19, 2015CommunitySteph Whitacre

On several occasions, I have driven home from weekly programming or an event and thought, “Our volunteers are amazing!” or recounted to my husband the heroism of a volunteer going above and beyond. The problem is thinking on the awesomeness of volunteers and telling their stories behind closed doors doesn’t advance volunteer culture one bit!

You want your volunteers to recognize your community as a place where they are encouraged and appreciated. Your volunteers are incredible and you would never be able to complete your organization’s mission without them! It’s just that in the rush of making sure everyone has what they need, greeting families, and making programming happen, we can sometimes forget to say to volunteers what we most want them to hear: Thank you! You’re amazing! Lives are being changed because you volunteer!

Busy schedules and hectic programming times are what make it crucial to get volunteer appreciation and community building on the calendar! Here some ideas for how to get volunteer appreciation and community in your routine:

Set a goal to verbally praise one volunteer every week. Watch for a story where you are awed by how a volunteer handles a situation, and tell them what you saw.
Put aside a half hour each week where you write notes of thanks and encouragement to volunteers.
Have your staff team wear t-shirts that say “We love our volunteers!” on a day you can call We Love Our Volunteers Day!
Schedule an annual event where you appreciate volunteers and share stories of wins. At Parker Hill, we call this our Appreciation Bash. Every year we choose a different theme like a cruise, game show, or unique environment.
Recruit others on your staff to join you in cheering on your volunteers. We saw special success in this when we asked members of our lead pastoral team to take one Sunday a month to stroll through the family ministries hallways and personally thank volunteers for serving.

Whatever you do, be intentional. And remember: what gets rewarded, gets repeated.

Carey Nieuwhof’s “Just Turn Down the Microphone” Post

March 20, 2014Empowerment, SupportSteph Whitacre

When leading volunteers, we are often called to make tough decisions. Sometimes these decisions mean difficult conversations. We appreciate our friend Carey’s post from earlier this week about helping people find a place to serve… and leading them out of the wrong place. Check out the link below to read Carey’s refreshingly honest thoughts:

CareyNieuwhof.com: Why “Just Turn Down His Microphone” is a (Really) Bad Leadership Strategy

On the Road: High School Students <3 Volunteering

March 6, 2014On the Road, Our ExperiencesSteph Whitacre

This past weekend, I had the cool opportunity to volunteer alongside a dozen high school students who participated in our student ministries’ annual 30Hour Fast. On Saturday of the event, over 120 middle and high school students and their leaders were turned out into the community to help local charities, camps, and other non-profits who serve the Scranton area.

We feel like our group hit the jackpot of service projects! Our group was assigned to help our local Children’s Advocacy Center with a fundraiser they were holding to raise donations for and awareness of the services they provide. The women who organized the event were incredible leaders of volunteers. They met our group at the door and explained the purpose of the fundraiser. They then asked questions about what the students enjoy, so they could plug them into roles they would excel in and have a blast doing! Some of our students who are into sports helped with a football toss. Those who enjoy art helped at an arts and crafts table. The friendlier of our bunch were placed at the door to welcome and provide direction to guests.

I couldn’t help noticing that the students I was serving alongside felt valued. They respected the event organizer and felt comfortable asking questions to help prepare them for their volunteer roles. They were given t-shirts that even said VOLUNTEER across the back. As the group was checking out their cool blue t-shirts in the mirror, one student exclaimed, “I feel so important!”

Our group would like to say a big thank you to Children’s Advocacy Center for modeling what it looks like to mobilize others in fulfilling a bigger purpose. It is a good feeling to watch the next generation fall in love with volunteering.

HuddleUP

October 31, 2013SupportSteph Whitacre

We felt like failures. It was a Tuesday evening, and we were standing in the back of a room with 100 chairs. As we looked at the back of the heads of ten of our most faithful volunteers, we whispered ashamedly, “Where is everyone?” We had planned a volunteer training and less than ten percent of our volunteers came. The next morning we agreed to no longer schedule volunteer training that way again.

As we re-worked our training process, we turned to our friend Christine. She suggested we hold our trainings at times when volunteers are already gathered in our buildings. Out of this mindset, we developed Volunteer HuddleUPs. Our goal for HuddleUPs is to engage 85% of volunteers for 40 minutes 2x a year. Here’s how we do it:

We hold HuddleUPs in the Fall and the Spring. In the Fall, we focus on reminding volunteers of policies, guidelines, and emergency procedures. In the Spring, we focus on the heart of family ministry and why we do what we do.
Our church holds worship gatherings at 9:30 and 11:15 am, so our HuddleUPs take place two consecutive Sundays during the 9:30 hour. The information shared is identical both weeks, giving opportunity for half of the volunteers to attend one week and the other half to attend the next. That way our children’s programming can continue, but our volunteers still have time for training and team building.
It is crucial that HuddleUPs be fun, make volunteers laugh, and communicate information that is vital to the roles in which they serve. Even more importantly, training should always be beneficial to volunteers outside of their serving role. We work hard to provide content that enhances the home and work life of our volunteers.
When we communicate HuddleUP to volunteers, we never call it a training! Instead invite volunteers to a time of community and appreciation.

Since we began the HuddleUP model of volunteer training, participation has sky-rocketed. Volunteers are excited to be a part of these times, and we no longer feel the weight of standing in the back of an empty room on a Tuesday night.

Read last week’s preface post Let’s Get Together.

Let’s Get Together!

October 24, 2013SupportSteph Whitacre

One of the most challenging elements of leading volunteers is finding time apart from when programming is happening to cast vision, communicate information, and provide opportunities for building community. Volunteers’ schedules can be busy and the time they invest in your organization is invaluable, so it can often feel imposing to ask them to come out for additional meeting times.

Yet without these additional times of training and team building, your organization can quickly sway off-course and away from the mission. E-mail reminders and encouraging high fives in the hallway can go a long way for a short time, but what your volunteers need most is to hear from you face to face. They need an opportunity to hear your heart and vision, and be reminded of what priorities will drive your organization forward.

Don’t skimp on opportunities for volunteers to meet together outside of programming time. Be strategic on when you will gather your volunteers and what mission-critical elements you will include in these times. Take advantage of times together to have fun as a group and praise your volunteers for what they invest each week! Tell stories of big wins that connect with the mission. When done well, training time with volunteers can be more than “just another training.”

Check back next week as we describe how we (Darren and Steph) use HuddleUPs to invest in volunteers in our ministry.

Volunteers Leading Volunteers

October 3, 2013Our ExperiencesSteph Whitacre

Several months ago, I was approached by one of our pastors and asked if I would be willing to lead a volunteer team for an upcoming event our church was hosting. The event was a fundraiser for our partner the 410 Bridge, and featured the Daraja Children’s Choir and Love Does author Bob Goff. I was ecstatic! I love leading volunteers! I love the Daraja Children’s Choir! I love Bob Goff!

But what I didn’t love was how the start of the fundraising event was a mere 24 hours after I would land from a 13 hour plane ride. Knowing I would be out of town the week prior to the event, I was forced to decline the opportunity. As I was explaining why I would be unable to lead the volunteer team, my mind began whirling around the names of friends who are incredible volunteers and excellent leaders. I finished the conversation with, “I can’t take on this responsibility, but I know who should!” I immediately recommended Freedom, Kelly, and Molly!

Freedom and Kelly are the first people my husband and I met when we began volunteering at our church. Kelly was a high-capacity volunteer who oversaw the children’s program in which Tim and I got our start as volunteers. Kelly’s husband Freedom is a produce broker and is a master at supplying potatoes, onions, and all kinds of vegetables to people nationwide. As their young children grew older, Kelly stepped out of her full-time volunteer role of leading volunteers, and began leading a small group of middle school girls. When she took on this group, I had just come on staff at the church and was the leader who oversaw this ministry. Freedom and Kelly are incredible volunteer leaders.

Molly graduated from college in May and is pursuing a career in the non-profit sector. Like Kelly, she is a dedicated small group leader for students. Molly is young and bright, and shows keen judgment in approaching projects. As one of my best friends, I’ve learned to lean on her wisdom as it pertains to catalyzing change and mobilizing others.

When I walked into the event venue on Monday night, fresh back from volunteer trainings in Dubai, I was blown away to see my three friends modeling what Darren and Christine had been talking about for the past week. They were well organized in advance, ready to greet and resource volunteers as we arrived. Each volunteer had a specific job description and the information necessary to carry it out. The environment was fun and the mission was clear.

The morning after the event, I received an e-mail from Freedom, with a personalized thank you for volunteering, and a recap of how the mission had been accomplished. I sat back in my chair and thought about how the best leaders of volunteers are those who have experienced being volunteers. Freedom, Kelly, and Molly mobilized piles of people to carry out a big vision. They are rockstar leaders… who volunteer.

Coaching in Dubai (Part 5)

September 28, 2013On the RoadSteph Whitacre

Last night we wrapped our training sessions with Family Ministries volunteers from Gateway Church. Over the week together we covered things like Orange philosophy, being present, establishing ongoing connections with kids and parents, and the role of the church in the life of a family.

For our final session, we played. All week we sensed that Gateway’s volunteers are good natured and full of fun, but they rose above and beyond our expectations! Eighty adults were running around the room, screaming with delight, escaping aliens, imagining monsters, and cramming twenty people on a 25 x 30 inch life raft.

After lots of laughter and nonsense, the group watched Reggie Joiner’s session on FUN from the Playing for Keeps training resource, in which he says, “It’s ok to have fun for fun’s sake. The best way to play for keeps is to actually play.”

Fun over time equals connection, and last night leaders focused on how fun could change their small groups, their sharing of Truth, and their families. Darren, Becky, Christine and I are thankful for the fun and love shown to us this week. We have laughed and cried as stories have been shared, and are grateful for our time spent with the wider Gateway family.

This blog post is part of a week-long series from an Orange Coaching team partnering with Gateway Church in Dubai. The team is comprised of the following church ministry specialists: Darren Kizer (Parker Hill Community Church, 1Semester) , Becky Kizer (Orange Specialist), Christine Kreisher (GT Church), and Stephanie Whitacre (Parker Hill Community Church, 1Semester).

Coaching in Dubai (Part 4)

September 27, 2013On the RoadSteph Whitacre

Walking into the large group room of Blast Kids this morning felt like a familiar experience. Tons of laughter. Adult leaders in silly costumes. Colorful posters describing the monthly life app (Courage: Being brave enough to do what you should do, even when you are scared). As someone on staff at a church who thinks Orange and uses 252 Basics, these are things I see every Sunday morning. Only this morning something was a little different…

Today was Friday. Kids should be in school on Friday. And did James the storyteller have a British accent? And what about that miniature Pharoah – is he of Indian descent? Suddenly I remember I am not in Pennsylvania, but in Dubai at Gateway Church. What I love most is that the kids in this room right now, are hearing the very same Truth that kids will here in my home town on Sunday! A wiggly 8 year old Moses will be crossing the Red Sea while a miniature Pharoah chases him. In Dubai this morning, and in Pennsylvania on Sunday, children will learn they can be brave even when things seem impossible.

Before we left on this trip, friends would ask me what could possibly connect me to Dubai. The simple answer is this: The Church and Family. As children learned upstairs, their parents sat in Gateway’s weekly service and heard from Darren and Christine as they cast vision for families and church leaders to partner together. All week long, a mission has continually surfaced that Gateway become known as a church that loves and supports families. A mission like that is what connects me and our entire team to Dubai. That’s thinking Orange.