HuddleUP

Support

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.