3 Warning Signs That Your Volunteer is a Wrong Fit

February 16, 2012 Leave a Comment

photo by TheBazile

I’m an optimistic person. In fact, I’ve let optimism blind me from realism. This has caused me trouble many times in the past. If you work in ministry, it is your tendency to be optimistic. Why? As Christians, we believe in a faith that brings us hope. Hope of salvation. Hope of peace. Hope.

I have had hopes that a volunteer was going to be a perfect fit in my ministry. They seemed to have all the right skills. They were committed, passionate, and loved their church and God. I can find a place for them in my ministry. Perfect.

Then reality sets in and my optimism is replaced with realism.

Soon after, I discover that the volunteer is not working out as well as I hoped. In fact, I have quickly discovered that this particular volunteer was a wrong fit.

The fact is that I often ignored the warning signs that a volunteer was a wrong fit. What are those warning signs?

1. The volunteer consistently arrives a couple minutes late.

On occasion, we all get in a bind and arrive late to a ministry event or program. That’s fine. The key word here is consistently. I reason with myself, “They were just a few minutes late. No big deal.” But it is. When a volunteer arrives consistently late, that is a warning sign that they are not committed to the ministry. Soon, they begin to arrive ten minutes late, then 15 minutes late. Then they don’t show up at all leaving you and the rest of your team in a bind.

2. The volunteer posts inappropriate comments on social media.

I never go trolling for information on my volunteers on social media sites, but I am connected with some of my volunteers, so naturally, our social media worlds collide. I’ve seen time and time again how people use social media to share with the world their shenanigans. I’m a big fan of social media, but some things should not be said. This is about boundaries. We need to always be aware of appropriate and inappropriate boundaries. I should be concerned if I see things on social media that indicates a lack of understanding on boundaries. We especially have to be careful of comments shared that are contrary to Christian teaching. Lack of boundaries on social media could indicate a lack of boundaries with face-to-face relationships.

3. The volunteer begins to badmouth others.

The moment we allow a culture of gossip is when the entire team of volunteers becomes ineffective. Gossip and badmouthing others should never be allowed. Don’t fool yourself in thinking that if you just address the problem with that volunteer it will go away. Gossips don’t stop gossiping because I confronted them once on the issue. This person is a wrong fit.

 

What are some warning signs that you would add to the list?

Filed Under: Equipping Tagged With: ,

You Attract Who You Are

February 9, 2012 Leave a Comment

photo by Scott Hamlin

Your ministry is growing. You’ve had some success and you are choosing new areas and programs to expand your ministry. You need more volunteers in your ministry.

What qualities would you want in the people on your team? Go ahead. Write down those qualities. I’ll wait…

Done? Okay. Hold on to that list for a second.

One of the more challenging aspects of being involved in ministry is recruiting volunteers. As my ministry grows, my need for great volunteers rises. It’s a direct correlation. Yet, it can be difficult to find great volunteers. They’re out there, but how do I find volunteers that are:

  • Committed?
  • Passionate about Christ?
  • Know their gifts and strengths?
  • Enthusiastic?
  • Live with integrity?

That is no easy feat, but it can be done.

I could spend these next 500 words talking about lots of different strategies about recruiting volunteers to come on my team. The fact is that you are probably well equipped to share with me what works and what doesn’t work.

There’s only one major principle I follow to recruit volunteers:

Be the type of person I would want as a volunteer.

We naturally attract who we are. For example, is it any surprise that most of my friends are involved in ministry? No, because I’m involved in ministry. The best way to recruit great volunteers is to be great myself. Like a magnet, I will attract great volunteers as I practice being committed, passionate about Christ, knowing my strengths, being enthusiastic, and living with integrity. It’s the law of magnetism. Who you are is who you attract.

So who are you? What type of people are you attracting?

Go back through the list of qualities that you named that you would want in your volunteers. Put a check mark next to the qualities that you think you embrace. For example, if one quality you wrote down was “adaptable,” and you think you are adaptable, but a check mark next to it. If you don’t think you embrace that quality, but an X next to it.

Take inventory of who you are as a leader. If I want people who are passionate about their relationship with Christ and the church, I need to be passionate about my relationship with Christ. If I want people with a positive attitude, I need to be that. If I want volunteers who are serious about learning and growing and becoming what God intended them to be, then I need to be that as well!

You attract who you are. Work on being the type of volunteer you would want. Start with the list of qualities you wrote down.

What qualities do you look for in a volunteer? Do you embrace that quality?

Filed Under: Leadership Tagged With: ,

When Volunteers Fail

January 25, 2012 Leave a Comment

Have you ever had this experience: A great person becomes a volunteer in your ministry and then does not follow through. He misses meetings. She doesn’t complete the task that was given to her. He flakes out on a lot of things. In the end, you end up doing the things that were assigned to this person.

Frustrating.

So you think to yourself: why is it so hard to find good volunteers? Why can’t she just do what she said she was going to do? I always have to do everything!

Yup. Frustrating.

I can’t control people’s behavior. People will do what they do. But what I have discovered in situations like this is that it’s usually my fault. You heard me right. Someone else not fulfilling their obligations is my fault.

Here’s why:

  • I didn’t set clear expectations. I find that I often bring a volunteer into ministry with a high level of excitement and energy, but I don’t provide enough clarity. When people get excited about the vision of the ministry, it’s easy to get prospective volunteers to jump on board. What I have found helpful is a simple job description that describes the expectations. Time commitment, skills needed, and expected responsibilities. A half page to one page is enough.
  • I didn’t offer enough support. As a leader, I not only need to offer good direction, I need to offer ongoing support. I need to consistently check in with my volunteer team to see how they are doing and what they need from me. This is about servant leadership, which I think is the highest form of leadership. I need to do whatever I can to help my volunteers be successful in their ministry roles.
  • I didn’t offer enough praise. I once heard someone say that the last time most people received applause was at their high school graduation. This means praise and affirmation need to become a daily part of my ministry as a leader. I need to find creative and consistent ways to affirm those that work with me. One caveat: don’t fake the praise. It needs to be authentic.
  • I didn’t properly interview them. That means this volunteer was a wrong fit. These are the types of things that are good to know before I bring a volunteer team member on board, not after they are on board and make mistakes. Never underestimate the power of a simple interview with a volunteer to find out a little about them and see if they are a good fit. The other side of the stone is to invite the prospective volunteer to check out the ministry first before they say yes.

Okay, enough focusing on my mistakes.

What are some things you do to avoid these mistakes?

Filed Under: Equipping Tagged With:

Simple (& free) Ways to Appreciate Volunteers

December 8, 2011 Leave a Comment

Guest blogger Stephanie Kurtz shares a volunteer’s perspective on appreciating our volunteers. She is the kind of volunteer every ministry would want and was once a youth ministry coordinator.

I recently wrote a blog about appreciating volunteers and started thinking how that is easier said than done.  In the busy world of ministry, there is often a lack of time to get everything done as it is, and when we want to add another task, it can seem daunting!  Not to mention, if affirmations don’t come naturally to us, it can be difficult to share those with others.  I’ve developed a list of ideas that are either free or nearly free that can help make our volunteers feel appreciated for their work.  Trust me, as a volunteer, it’s some of these little things that help us feel valued as your volunteers.

Ideas to say “Thank You”

  • Say it before the event
  • Say it during the event
  • Say it after the event
  • Tweet it & tag your volunteers
  • Facebook it on your FB page
  • Thank volunteers in your parish bulletin
  • Text a random thank you on an “off day”
  • Send an email
  • Ask your pastor to thank your volunteers
  • Host a thank you dinner after a big event

Ideas to acknowledge your volunteers:

  • Talk positively about your volunteers
  • Spend time at volunteer meetings to acknowledge their successes
  • During parish announcements at mass, share a highlight about one of your volunteers
  • Post a “volunteer of the week” acknowledgement in a section of the parish bulletin
  • Make others aware of how much your volunteers help you

Ideas to show you care:

  • Remember special occasions in your volunteer’s lives (birthdays, anniversaries, the day their grandmother passed away)
  • Send birthday cards to volunteers
  • After a big work project/test that the volunteer was doing, send a note to ask how it went
  • Get to know volunteers: who is their spouse, family, favorite food, etc.
  • Pray for your volunteers

I hope these ideas help you and make your volunteers feel appreciated for all the work they do to support your ministries.  Comment below and share some of your own unique ideas with us on how you have shown appreciation to your volunteers!

Filed Under: Attitude, Equipping, Leadership, Relationships Tagged With: ,

Turning a “No” Into a “Yes”

October 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

Guest blogger Stephanie Kurtz shares a volunteer’s perspective on balance, appreciation, and when to say no. She is the kind of volunteer every ministry would want and was once a youth ministry coordinator.

I have a magnet on my fridge, which reads, “Stop me before I volunteer again.” Obviously a silly magnet for someone who has been a volunteer in ministry for ten years, but it serves as a reminder that sometimes I need to say “no.”  That reigns especially true during the times when I’m already committed to other volunteer activities or when work is extremely busy.  As a former Youth Ministry Coordinator, I know how tough it is to find quality volunteers.  While we all have volunteers who have long tenures with our programs or parishes, it is easy to forget that they might get tired, burned out, or not want to volunteer for every retreat, dance, carnival, or youth night. As passionate and dedicated volunteers, they are an easy target, since it is clear they are dependable, faith-filled, and willing to serve. Speaking from experience as a former YMC turned lay leader who is asked to volunteer a lot, it can be overwhelming to decide what I can and cannot fit into my busy schedule. Working 50+ hours a week, my days are busy enough. Then add in the 2-3 volunteer projects I am working on at any given moment, this leaves me little time to spend with friends, family, relaxing, and most importantly with God!

What can you as ministry leaders do to help turn an overloaded volunteer’s “no” or “maybe” into a “yes”?  Below are some helpful hints that have always made me want to say “yes” when asked:

  • Appreciate my time:  Please don’t forget I work.  Please don’t try and schedule all of your meetings during the day-time, since I work full time Monday-Friday.  Any meetings before 6pm are out of the question for me. When team meetings are proposed for the day-time, it is clear you’ve forgotten who I am and my lifestyle.  Also, be accepting if I can’t be at every event. I will try my best, but we all know that not every date will work with every person.
  • Appreciate my sacrifice:  That pesky job again… I don’t get the benefit of taking a comp day after I’ve spent the weekend helping on a retreat or get to go in late when a meeting is held from 8-10pm.  While retreat ministry is definitely my calling and I will happily give up any weekend to serve the teens, please don’t keep me up until 1am each night and up at 6am because it will be really hard to function on Monday morning at work.
  • Ask me again:  Just because I said no once, doesn’t mean I don’t ever want to volunteer again.  I can’t say yes if you never ask! I may have said no last time, but that’s probably because I was already overloaded with work, life, or other ministry positions.
  • Give me an option: One of the most thoughtful invitations to ministry I’ve received made me want to say yes instantly because I knew the leader appreciated my time and she wanted me to make the right decision for myself.  When I asked what the deadline was for my answer to a retreat directorship, the coordinator replied, “You can let me know after you’ve prayed on it and are ready to answer.”

All ministries depend on volunteers. As ministry leaders, you spend a lot of time to seek out new volunteers and retain current ones. These tips work on me and help me feel appreciated and supported for the work I do in ministry. I know they will work on others.

Filed Under: Equipping Tagged With: , , ,

The Preamble to Recruiting Volunteers

September 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

I recently gave a presentation on “The Preamble to Recruiting Volunteers” to some young adult ministry leaders. It was a learning experience for me because I started to really evaluate what are the things that motivate volunteers to volunteer. I told this group of young adult leaders that I could go on to talk about steps and ideas that would help us recruit volunteers, like personal invitation, job descriptions, etc… Here’s the problem, though. The steps can change and shift on you as time changes.

Often times when I do blogs or workshops like this, I dive straight into the ‘what.’ What do I mean by that? I mean, we delve straight into the practical ‘how to’s’ to make whatever it is we want to happen… happen. And that’s okay. But we always need to talk about the why. Why do what we are doing? In this case, the question is as follows: why would volunteers even want to get involved? This needs to be answered before we go into the practical steps of ‘what.’ The ‘what’ can change. The ‘why’ is constant.

In my experience, the two best ways to get volunteers to volunteer are…

1. Have an exciting vision about the future of the ministry
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Without vision, the people will perish.” Now maybe that is too dramatic, but maybe it would be better stated: “Without vision, the people don’t volunteer.” People get excited about a vision that speaks of a future that’s awesome. The problem is that we often start asking for volunteers before we have a clear sense of the vision for ministry. If I can’t show people the future, why would they want to jump on board? As a leader, it is our job to be the keeper of the vision. It needs to excite and motivate people. John Maxwell says, in his book 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, that “Leaders usually have the role of capturing and communicating vision. They must see it first and then help everyone else see it.”

Every vision should have the following:

  • Significant purpose: What business are you in?
  • A picture of the future: What will the future look like if you are successful?
  • Clear values: What guides your behavior and decisions on a daily basis?

2. Have some success under your belt
This is all about evidence that the vision is working. Early on, people can begin to sense victory. When that happens, volunteers begin to give more then they normally would. They sacrifice to succeed. Impending success is a huge motivator. On the flip side of the coin, volunteers can begin to sense defeat early on. When this happens, they give as little as possible and look for excuses.

Sure, we can talk about all the practical ways to recruit volunteers. However, if we have these two things in place, people will more likely say ‘yes’ to you and me.

Filed Under: mission, Success, Teamwork, vision, Volunteers Tagged With: , , ,

Mentoring for Ministry Success

May 18, 2011 Leave a Comment

As someone who supervises both volunteers and staff, one of the areas I need to develop most is my ability to mentor people. I truly believe that if I can mentor someone to do a specific task at 80% of the level that I can do it, it’s time to hand that task over to them. However, the struggle lies in helping people get to the 80% level of competence. It takes intentional mentorship and learning to make that happen.

Here’s been my ineffective way of mentoring:

  • Give the volunteer or staff member an orientation.
  • Leave them alone and expect them to excel.

Needless to say, my success has been, well, non-existent. Yet my passion and desire to have them succeed is off the charts! The mentorship process can be simple, but it takes time. The simplest strategy I’ve learned over the years is the following:

  • I do it.
  • I do it, you watch.
  • We do it together.
  • You do it, I assist
  • You do it

For many tasks, this process can take months to get to the point where a mentee can do it on their own without me being present.

Larry Osborne, who wrote Sticky Teams, states that there are three stages of learning that we must take into account while mentoring:

  1. Exposure: This stage takes into account the “I do it, you watch” phase. For learning to happen, a mentee must be exposed to the experience of whatever it is we are trying to help them learn. For instance, when I am a mass coordinator (sacristan), it’s important that I invite a mentee who I want to learn these skills to experience all aspects of the mass.
  2. Familiarity: This stage is all about the “We do it together” phase. The next time I coordinate mass, I want to walk through all the steps with the mentee so she can see exactly what I am doing to prepare before the mass, during the mass, and after the mass. I’m going to have her to do many of the tasks with me and not just watch.
  3. Understanding: This embraces the “You do it, I assist” and “You do it” phases. At the next mass, the mentee begins to understand why we do certain things at mass. For instance, why do we say certain prayers from the Sacramentary on certain days. This allows her to understand why it is important to bookmark the Sacramentary to the correct sections.

As she is assigned as mass coordinator more often, she will begin to understand the dynamics of mass and begin to feel more confident as time passes.

And remember: mentorship is a two way process. For a mentor to be successful, the mentee has to be enthusiastic and motivated! It’s important to choose wisely who you mentor, because we can’t mentor everyone.

What strategies do you use when you mentor volunteers or staff?

Filed Under: Leadership, Success, Volunteers Tagged With: , ,

Interviewing Volunteers

February 14, 2011 2 Comments

If you’re like me, you are totally excited when someone comes up to you and says they want to volunteer. I automatically say, “Yes! You’re in!” “By the way,” the new volunteer says, “I’m an axe murderer!” Oh…

Most of the time, we have the volunteer in the door before we are able to know anything about them. I’ve learned not to rush the process and to give myself a chance to get to know the perspective volunteer. There are a lot of things I want to know to make sure of the following things:

  • They are a good fit on the team.
  • The gifts they possess to put them in the right role.
  • Their motivations for being a volunteer.

I always recommend interviewing anyone that wants to volunteer for your ministry. (By the way, we should also be doing background checks on volunteers as well, especially if they are working with people under 18 years of age.) Here is a list of questions that I have found helpful to get the information I am looking for.

  1. What were some of the things you liked about your last volunteer job?
  2. What skills would you most like to use in your volunteer work?
  3. Are you comfortable in leadership roles?
  4. Do you enjoy serving on committees?
  5. What do you dislike doing?
  6. What work settings appeal to you?
  7. How much time would you like to donate?
  8. What do you need from us to succeed?

Sure, there are other questions I ask when I am getting to know them. I always want to know about their family, their background, etc. But I find these questions get to the heart of helping me work with them to find a volunteer role that fits well.

What are some questions you like to ask when you interview a volunteer?

Filed Under: Volunteers Tagged With: ,

Do You Have Faith…In Your Volunteers?

January 31, 2011 Leave a Comment

People know. Yup. People know whether you have faith in them or not. Working in ministry is not just about having faith in God. It has to be about having faith in the fellow staff members and volunteers you work with on a regular basis. Many of us are responsible for helping empower these individuals to take ownership of the ministry and make a difference. They can only do that if their leader has faith in them.

Here’s what I know:

  • Most people don’t have faith in themselves.
  • Most people don’t have someone who has faith in them.
  • Most people can tell when someone else has faith in them.
  • Most people will do anything to live up to your faith in them.

Here are a few ideas that will help you have faith in the people you work with in ministry:

1.     Put a 10 on their forehead.

Treat every volunteer as if they are a 10 in your book. Unconsciously, your mind will control your actions that will show this volunteer that they are worth something to the ministry. Treat them as a 10, and they’ll work hard to live up to your expectations.

2.     Give your volunteers support AND direction.

As ministers, we are really good about supporting our volunteers and letting them know they are doing a great job. Sometimes we lie and tell them they are doing a great job even if they are not. Why? Because we don’t want them to leave the ministry! When we get volunteers, we often shy away from telling them exactly how to do something. In turn, they have not been given enough direction to be successful in their ministry role. We are not assertive in this matter because we don’t want to lose them. Be assertive. Be their cheerleader, but also give them all the information they need to succeed. Our volunteers want to succeed, and it is up to us to give them clear direction to help them win. Sometimes, that means walking them through a task step by step. This is less about telling them what to do and more about training them on how to do it. It is time consuming, but at some point they’ll be better then you are at the task. They’ll feel good about their ministry and you can move on to develop other areas of the ministry.

3.     Help volunteers discover their strengths in ministry.

Many volunteers know what they are good at. They just don’t know how to apply that to ministry. Make the connection. Every strength that God has given people can be used for ministry in some way. As a leader, our job is to think outside the box of typical ministry roles and find ways to utilize everyone’s strengths. Are they a numbers person? Maybe the can be responsible for helping you develop your budget. Communications manager at a big tech company? Have her help in developing a ministry communication plan. Stay at home Mom who cooks the best dinners ever? Well, that’s a no brainer. Name their strengths. Develop their strengths. Apply those strengths to ministry.

Have faith! You will see an incredible difference in your ministry and volunteers.

Filed Under: Leadership, Strengths, Volunteers Tagged With: , ,

Newborn Babies and Adult Volunteers

November 21, 2010 3 Comments

At the time of this writing, we are celebrating my daughters one week birthday. As I spend time being a father, caring for my daughter and attending to her every need right now, I find myself reflecting on how caring for a newborn baby is very similar to being a leader.

I used to watch parents and chuckle inside when I would see them praise their baby for everything little thing that they did. Now that I’m a parent, I can understand why. Everything my daughter does is the first time that she has done it. And it takes time to learn all those things. With each attempt, I find myself praising her efforts and affirming her. She stops crying after I change her diaper. “Good job!” She starts to control her head movement a little. “Yay!” She burps for the first time. “Way to go!” She grabs my finger with just a little more pressure and force. “Wow! You are awesome! You are so strong!”

These are mundane little things that I am praising her for. But are they really mundane? For a newborn, they are a big deal. Yet, when we work with adults in ministry and they start to learn new tasks, we don’t praise them. Why? That adult volunteer learning to lead a small group of teenagers for the first time is just as big of a deal as my daughter lifting her own head.

We find it so natural to affirm our children for all the new things that they are learning, even when they fail at it. But with adults, we can’t bring ourselves to do the same thing. Not that we need to treat the adults we work with in ministry as newborns, but we should be intentional about praising and affirming them when they are learning new skills and become better leaders.

Make a list of the adults that you work with in ministry. Next to their name, write three to five things that they should be praised for. Next time you work with them, affirm them for one of those things that you listed. You will find that they will be more motivated next time to do a better job at their ministry role and work to become better leaders. Why? Because we all respond to positive praise and affirmation.

Just don’t talk to them like you would a newborn.

Filed Under: Affirmation, Leadership, Volunteers Tagged With: , ,