4 Simple Ways To Keep More Volunteers

Last time, we discussed “2 Simple Ways to Get More Volunteers”.

But all church leaders know “Keeping” their volunteers is just as important as “Recruiting” them.

And an honest leader will tell you it’s just as frustrating.

“It seems as soon as you recruit one volunteer, another one is deciding to leave”.

But what if there was a strategy to shut your back door while you are welcoming new volunteers at the front door?

That’s what we’re focusing on today.

With a few changes, I believe you can turn your volunteers into long-term teammates ready to go to battle for you and your ministry. 

Here are 4 Simple Ways To Keep More Volunteers:

1. Volunteers Need To Know They’re Making A Difference.

The book of Proverbs tells us that “without vision the people perish”.

The same is true for your team of volunteers.

To keep them, you will need to instill in each one the passion you have for your ministry.

They will need to share your vision and love for the people you’re helping.

This will give them the confidence that their time and efforts are making a difference.

Here are some ways to start:

1. Be intentional about sharing how God is using them to change lives.
2. Repeat, repeat, and repeat your God-given vision for the ministry to them.
3. Take them along with you as you journey further toward your goals. Don’t make the mistake of leading from a mile ahead.
4. Pray together for the ministry.

2. Volunteers Need Clear Communication About Your Expectations Of Them.

No volunteer will stay around for long without clear guidance on what they are to do.

Excitement and passion only go so far before confusion and frustration take over.

If your volunteers don’t know how to serve you and your ministry, they will find another area in the church to serve in.

If you’re seeing this happen, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do my volunteers have a clear job description of what I expect from them?
   • (You can find great templates of these to start with online. Just Google “church job descriptions”.)
2. Do my volunteers know what direction I’m taking this ministry toward?
3. Do my volunteers know they can come and talk to me if they have questions?

Sometimes we focus so much on recruiting new volunteers that we neglect the ones God has already given us.

This leads to the next tip …

3. Volunteers Need To Know You’re Going To Invest In Them

To keep more volunteers, you will need to learn that servanthood has to go both ways.

A lot of church leaders view volunteers as just pawns on a chessboard.

After they fill one volunteer position, they move to the next one without looking back.

A more “Biblical” way to view your team is found in the ministry of Jesus.

Jesus didn’t just pick out the apostles to do jobs for Him.

He viewed them as His disciples and helped them get closer to God and become the leaders they needed to be.

Your team of volunteers are your disciples.

You should be investing in their lives as well as training them to become better leaders.

This happens in many ways, but here are a few to start with:

1. Simply walking beside them as they go through life’s highs and lows.
2. Scheduling regular leadership meetings where you share a short devotion from God’s word, and go over different leadership principles that will build them up.
3. Making time when they need something.
   • (Your open door means more than you know.)

4. Volunteers Need You To Recognize Their “Wins”

The last tip I have for keeping more volunteers is to pay attention to the “wins”.

A “win” is something that they are doing right.

It doesn’t matter if it’s small or great; you need to celebrate it.

With most church leaders being so busy these days, they tend to only look up when something goes wrong.

I admit I’ve struggled with this in my own ministry. 

I can get so focused on all I have to get done, that I don’t honor my volunteer’s “wins” enough.

If you deal with this like me, here are a few steps to help:

1. Put a reminder on your device that alerts you weekly to look for “wins.”
2. Write down these “wins” when you see them. 
3. Then find a way to celebrate your volunteers’ “wins” publicly.

Call to Action

As church leaders, we need volunteers to help us reach the God-sized vision He has put in our hearts.

But to keep them, we also need to remember that our volunteers are looking to us for guidance, mentoring, and balance.

Try to put at least two of these tips into practice this week as you disciple like never before. 

What Do You Think?

What about you? 

Do you have another tip not mentioned? 

Feel free to share in the comments section below!