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Volunteers are an essential part of growing the ministry. Not only do volunteers give 2X more to the church than non-volunteers, but they also inspire giving! When you enlist enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to greet new visitors, answer questions at welcome booths, and help organize generosity campaigns, you’ll notice giving and participation ignite. Plus, with more hands to help, services and special events are more organized and run smoother.
The challenge for many churches when it comes to volunteers is inspiring people to sign up. To help, we’ve created a quick guide with useful tips.
Reduce the commitment level
Did you know that over 90% of Americans want to volunteer, but only 1 in 4 actually does? Roughly half of Americans say the primary reason for not volunteering is lack of time. When recruiting volunteers (especially first-timers), keep the commitment level small, so it’s easy to fit into busier schedules. Consider recruiting more volunteers to help for few hours versus enlisting fewer volunteers that work more extended hours or have multiple responsibilities.
Let people know that volunteering once doesn’t obligate them to do it a second time. By giving people a chance to test it out, you’ll encourage many to sign up again because they’ll already know it’s low-pressure.
Be noticeably organized
Even the most passionate volunteer can be deterred from signing up if the event doesn’t come across as organized. People need to know specific information to make the right decision for their schedule. By giving people clear information, you’ll get faster responses and have fewer last-minute cancellations.
Here are some initial pieces of information to share when recruiting volunteers:
- Arrival and departure times for volunteers
- Event/service hours
- Dress code
- Volunteer positions and assigned hours at the position
- A thorough description of responsibilities
- Communication tools for requesting breaks and asking questions during the event
- Training requirements for positions
- Contact information of event/service leaders
Provide training
To ensure volunteers understand their responsibilities, training is helpful. Even a brief session to go over duties before the event can go a long way.
For instance, if a volunteer is assigned to work at a welcome station for a community outreach event, review how to use giving kiosks. Other areas to focus on are common questions new visitors ask about the church and dates of upcoming events. This allows volunteers to guide guests when they want to give using a credit card and sign up for future events, as well as answer questions with confidence.
Provide a helpful amount of training that keeps people engaged. Get them excited about the rewards of volunteer work by sharing the results of past events and Sunday services.
Make it easy to sign up
About 25% of people that want to volunteer haven’t simply because they weren’t asked. When you see an active churchgoer that would be ideal in a volunteer position, don’t hesitate to extend a personal invitation. During church services, mention how people can sign up to volunteer like on giving kiosks and at sign up stations. The easier you make signing up, the more volunteers will be inspired to do so!
Let easyTithe help your church inspire volunteers and organize outreach events with giving kiosks and online giving tools. Contact us at 1-888-778-4843 or email sales@easytithe.com to learn more!
