Catching Volunteers Up to Speed!

If you lead a ministry inside a church there is a 100% chance you lead a team of volunteers. One of my favorite breakouts from the Orange Conference came last year from Darren Kizer as he helped us process how we catch volunteers up to speed. Check these notes out from last year >>>
If you work for a church you manage many team of volunteers to make ministry happen. I have yest to meet any ministry making a difference that was not powered by and amazing team of volunteers! This afternoon I had the chance to hear Darren Kizer talk about the process of helping new volunteers get plugged into our ministries quickly and up to speed with our organization. Maybe the question we should be asking is how do we get ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS up to speed without cutting corners and cheating the process...Here are some thoughts from this afternoon...

People choose to volunteer because they are motivated by the idea of DOING GOOD. People continue to volunteer because they ENJOY WHAT THEY ARE GETTING FROM THE EXPERIENCE. What it takes to get them involved is different that what helps they stay for the long haul! Volunteers need...

Organizational Support / people need us to set the course and provide personal support and resources

Group Integration / people need a TEAM, volunteers need each other!

Participation usefulness / people need to know it matters; they have to see the WIN. ARE WE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Empowerment / people need responsibility and a real mission to achieve, real expectations and clear expectations

Some BIG Questions to ask your volunteers and yourself as the leader of a volunteer team…
I know what is expected of me?
Do I have the material and equipment to do my job?
Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best? Do I enjoy what I do?
Someone cares about me as a person?
Do my opinions count?
Is our team committed to quality work? (other volunteers doing sub-par work drag down volunteers)