Volunteer Communication & Development System
The next system you should create is Volunteer Development & Communication. Here are some reasons why these systems are important.
The unequipped will quit.
One of the biggest reasons your volunteers underperform or stop volunteering is that they either don’t see how what they are doing is making a difference or they don’t feel qualified to do what they’re doing.
Communication Builds Trust
Another one of the biggest reasons volunteers underperform or quit is that they just never knew what was going on.
You need to have a system for communicating with your leaders: how you do it, when you do it & what you are saying. You should also have a system for developing your leaders. They’ve said yes to a nearly impossible task. Much of their onboarding should be preparing them to lead well, but it can’t end after they’ve started. How do you continue to give them the tools & support necessary to do what they’ve agreed to do?
Here are some examples of what this communication system could look like. Again, not saying this is the only way to do it…but maybe this sparks something for you.
Send a weekly email newsletter
The focus of this email is to inform & resource them.
Use mail chimp or something that gives you open rates & other statistics.
Learn the best times to send it & send it weekly.
Clarity over clever. Be clear & concise.
3 sections to the email
What’s coming up this week
What’s coming up in the future
Resource
Create a leader only Communication channel (Facebook Group, groupme, etc)
The focus of the group is connecting & celebrating.
Don’t post your emails here.
Share stories of wins (ask leaders to share).
Post articles, memes, GIFS.
Text Messages
The purpose of texts should be urgent reminders & personal connections.
You could ask the question “how was your group this week?” in a mass email & you might get a few responses. But if you pick 2-4 people each week you text individually, you’ll get a much higher response rate.
Okay. So your leaders know what is going on & you’ve created some ways for them to share wins & stories with each other.
Now, how do you continue to give them the tools they need to do this impossible job you’ve asked them to do…for free?
Here are some ideas for a volunteer development system:
Weekly Resources.
You’ve already started doing something great in your communication system & that is you are giving them a simple resource on a consistent basis. It doesn’t have to be weekly, but something that regularly challenges them to grow as a leader. I’m biased, but always loved the resources from Orange Leaders for this.
Additional resources
You’re sending articles & resources throughout the year. Maybe once or twice a year, you wan to think about some additional resources. Maybe it’s a book at Christmas or to start the new school year that will be a focus for the year.
Onsite Training
Most of the time when we think about volunteer development, we tend to think it has to happen in an onsite training. While there’s clear value there, I’d advocate for no more than 2-3 on site trainings at your church each year. And when you do it, make it as easy as possible for your leaders. Do it while they’re already there. Feed them & their families & offer childcare.
Digital Training
You’ll be doing good to get 50-60% of your leaders to show up to an onsite training. Use technology to equip your leaders. Maybe that’s with something like DYMU Maybe that means you do a video version of your content from an onsite meeting or maybe there’s a video you want everyone to watch. Technology is your friend with this kind of stuff. Don’t feel like you have to recreate the wheel if something already exists.
Off Site Training
Go big or go home. I think both are right when it comes to this. At least once a year, you should go big with your training. Maybe you can’t take everyone, but take a few folks every year somewhere off site for a retreat or conference. Maybe it’s just a couple hours away or maybe it’s further, but make it special.
Just like a trip can change the faith of a teenager, getting away from normal life & focusing on developing them as a leader can have a compounding effect. But also, go home! Invite them to your house for something every year. Host a Friendsgiving feast, board game night or Christmas party. Don’t be afraid to allow it to just be fun sometimes. No other agenda.
Celebrate
A big part of developing leaders is taking time to celebrate them. This needs to be done in small ways like the facebook group, but also be sure to do this in big ways. At my last church, we did a big all nextgen celebration in June of every year & then we had a youth ministry Christmas party. A big piece of the budget went toward these. We tried to go all out & make them feel like they didn’t want to miss it.
6-month Check In
At the end of every semester, create a 6-month check in for each of your leaders. Have a list of questions where they rate how passionate they are about their group, how well they’re connecting outside of church, how well they’re reaching out to parents, where they feel like they’re winning & where they need help. Use these as a catapult for your 1-on-1 conversations when you debrief each semester with them. Here’s an example.
Age Focused Gatherings
One more idea is to have some focused gatherings once or twice a year. The idea of this gathering is doing some group troubleshooting that you might not be able to do in the full gatherings.
Maybe it’s all of your 9th grade leaders. Maybe it’s your MS girl leaders. Whatever works for you. Get them all coffee & encourage them to bring their frustrations & issues with the groups. Be ready to give them some helpful resources & tips, but you’ll quickly notice that others are just as helpful with ideas as you are.
There is a tightrope to walk with all of this. You have leaders who need the tools to lead their group well, but you also have leaders who are busy & who are already giving you hours of their time each week. So, do your best to find the best rhythm of your context where you are intentional about equipping them, but in a way that is helpful for them - not overwhelming.
That’s it for the volunteer development & communication. Click here to head back to the main blog. Click here for more on parent communication & development.
Click below to deep dive into another system.
