Category Archives: Volunteer Project

The 4 Duh’s

Volunteer Project

“Changing the oil don’t fix the broken fuel pump…”

I am always amused when I see someone attempting a repair without ever addressing the underlying cause or condition. My favorite is the suggestion to change your motor oil as a fix to nearly every car problem. Will changing the oil help?  Well kinda, but only if all of the core systems are in functioning order. Changing the oil will have no impact on the fuel, air, spark, or compression which are the requirements for a running engine. Solving volunteer challenges also requires that core systems be functioning smoothly so there is a solid platform for continual improvement.

So when it comes to creating a culture of volunteer satisfaction and retention it is vitally important that we ensure that  core realities are already in place. So here are my four key expectations that every volunteer leader must already have in place before attempting to apply any of the strategies and approaches: Excellence, Mission, Appreciation, and Invitation. Every volunteer already expects these and without them failure is imminent.

Excellence. Your ministry environment must be marked by excellence. If your world is subpar then your volunteers will feel that and be attracted to areas, leaders, or programs that are marked by excellence. Retention pursuits will never work with the “your group is in the basement behind the boiler” mentalities. Our strategies are not nearly powerful enough to overcome  the impact of a lazy, absent, or passive leader.

“If you have an excellence problem, you will have a volunteer problem.”

Mission. Prior to ever working on creating a great culture of volunteerism you must have a foundation of meaning that is worthy of someones valuable time and energy. Failing to have a compelling mission and vision will surely sabotage any ability to experience volunteer satisfaction and retention.

“Nobody invites their friends to go places they hate to go.”

Appreciation. All of our trainings are built upon the assumption that long ago you realized the utmost importance of laviously expressing gratitude to your volunteers. The volunteer leader who must be convinced of the need to express appreciation is light years away from ever experiencing the gift of retention.

“Failure to appreciate reveals an attitude of superiority and pride.”

Invitation. The number one myth that we observe in volunteer management is the assumption that volunteers volunteer. Volunteers do not volunteer, they respond to an invitation to volunteer. The quality leader of volunteers is gifted at sharing a vision and inviting others to join them in accomplishing this incredible mission.

“If what you are doing is hidden, people won’t know you need volunteers.”

If your leadership is marked by excellence, mission, appreciation, and invitation then you have an exciting volunteer platform from which to build a culture of satisfaction and retention.

Why Would 100 Busy Execs…

On the Road, Support, Volunteer Project

Kreisher_dubai

WHY WOULD 100 BUSY EXECUTIVES ATTEND 4 THREE-HOUR VOLUNTEER TRAININGS IN THE SPAN OF ONE WEEK?
That’s the question we asked of the people who attended our trainings in Dubai where we were told to expect a turnout of approximately 50.  These were hard working professionals, many of which have families and demanding schedules.  It wasn’t from boredom or a lack of options.  Dubai is a beautiful city with so much to see and do!  The resounding and repetitive answer that we received was that the trainings were FUN and were impacting their entire lives…who they are at home as a spouse and parent, who they are as a co-worker or supervisor and most importantly, who they are as a follower of Christ.

They came because they wanted to learn how to be more effective in their volunteer role but they stayed for 3 hours and came back for three more trainings in that same week because we were adding value to their whole lives.

It’s so important that we remember that our volunteers are whole people.  They are so much more then the role they fill for our organization.  They are body, soul and spirit.  They’re spouses, parents, business owners, co-workers, friends, and all trying to find their way on their journey to follow Christ!

So, here’s the take-away…before you meet with your volunteers again, besides asking yourself the obvious question, “How can I better equip my them to fill their role in our organization?” try asking yourself the following questions:

“How can I help them to have deeper intimacy with Jesus?”

“How can I help them build and strengthen relationships with family and  fellow believers?” and finally, “How am I equipping them to have more influence with people far from God in their daily lives…co-workers, neighbors and friends?”

And lastly, but so very, very important, “Am I making it FUN?”  Please remember that most of your volunteers already have a job and they probably don’t want another one!  So, make it FUN and add value to their whole lives!  That’s how you retain quality volunteers!  Why would they go anywhere else?  It takes a little time and a lot of intention, but it’s so worth it!!!   That’s how you STOP RECRUITING AND START RETAINING!!!  In the end, it’s a lot less work to keep a volunteer then to continually recruit and train new ones!

Stop. Start.

Volunteer Project

If you lead volunteers, you have probably had this experience. You are wrapping up programming for the week, and one of your most dedicated, faithful volunteers comes to you and drops the big one.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be able to volunteer here anymore.”

Outwardly you act sympathetic and assure the volunteer you understand, but inwardly you are perplexed. It’s only one hour a week. The kids in their small group are adorable. You feed them donuts. You smile and hug them goodbye as your brain screams things like “But I nnnneeedddd you!” and “How will I ever find someone to do that job next week!?”

You invest time and energy into your volunteers. And then they leave. So you pour even more time and energy into recruiting new volunteers. You quickly find yourself in a vicious circle of recruitment, orientation, and departure, followed by, you guessed it… more recruitment. It’s true – there comes a time when all volunteers must move on from their roles. They accept a job with conflicting work hours. Their family moves away. A family member falls ill.

But what if your volunteers love the part they play in your organization so much that when it is time for them to leave, they have already invited and trained a friend to take their place. What if your volunteers are so excited about what they do that it makes others jealous. What if your ministry develops a reputation for treating volunteers so well that people are drawn to you.

What if you never have to beg another volunteer to join your ministry again. Through the Volunteer Project, we want to provide practical resources in four elements of volunteer satisfaction: significance, support, community, and empowerment. Come on this journey with us. Stop drowning in the recruitment cycle, and start retaining.