Summer is on the home stretch with the finish line in sight, so now is a good time to begin thinking about your volunteers as you head into a fresh fall season.
I think many youth workers make a fairly basic mistake this time each year: In the push to recruit brand new volunteers, they assume the ones they already have will simply “re-up” for another season. And while this is true for many, I’ve discovered over the years that a fair number of volunteers choose to jump ship right as the new school year starts. And while this will always be the case, it doesn’t have to be the norm.
So while you are in recruitment mode for fresh volunteers, don’t forget to re-recruit the ones you already have! Here are a few simple, fun, ways to let your current crop of volunteers know they are invited back for another run.
FORMAL INVITATION
Go to the stationary store and purchase some fancy, formal invitations and send one to each of your current volunteers inviting them to be on your team for another school year. Other than weddings, few events warrant this type of invitation so it will be a fun surprise that will make them feel valued and valuable to your ministry.
HELLO, THIS IS CODY!
Gather a few students from your youth group together, buy a couple of large pizzas, and give each student a short list of current volunteers. Provide them each with a very basic script (make sure there is room for them to improvise and be natural) and ask them to call the volunteer on their list in hopes of recruiting them for another school season. The script could be something very basic like this:
“Hello, Mr. Smith, This is Cody! I wanted to give you a call to see how you’re doing and to thank you for being one of our awesome youth group volunteers! But I’m mostly calling to let you know that I think it would be great to have you back on board again, this year……”
END OF SUMMER VETERANS PARTY
Invite your entire volunteer team over for a “veterans party”. In addition to fun, food and thank-yous, ask each person to share a memory or “God moment” from the previous season of ministry. Then let them know that you hope they would each prayerfully consider signing up to serve for another season. It’s tough to say no in person….at a party!
DON’T ASSUME
The bottom line is this: Don’t make the assumption that just because somebody has been on board for a year or two…or three or four…they are a shoe-in for another run. Remember, every current volunteer you lose is one more brand new one you need to find somewhere else in your congregation. You know the old saying about a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush…
So go recruit some brand new volunteers! And while you are doing that, be sure to re-recruit the volunteers you already have.
– KJ / @kurtjohnston
Hi Kurt!
It has been awhile! I am currently recovering from back surgery and was logging on to check out some fresh ministry ideas for my youth ministry. Your email was the first thing I saw and it is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for always being so encouraging and personable with anyone and everyone you meet! You are a blessing bro! I will be in touch soon. Keep up the GREAT work!
Larry
Evaluating your volunteer recruitment process may not seem a priority once it’s over, but you will need to do it if your recruitment isn’t going well. There are a number of reasons why these things may be happening and it’s important that you ask the right questions to find the answers.