Every leader wants healthy volunteers who are reaching their full potential.
There is nothing worse than losing a great volunteer. Many people simply disappear when they are struggling rather than reaching out for help. Fortunately, great leaders can notice symptoms and make positive changes that lead to healthy teams.
So how do you know if your volunteers are getting discouraged, burning out or struggling to fulfill their responsibilities? Your volunteer teams may be struggling if…
1. People Have Limited Margin
Today, people are attending church far less than they ever have before. Sports, school activities, weekend travel and other events are certainly competing for people’s time. If people are struggling just to get to church, they are also less likely to have time to serve. Instead of recognizing this trend, many churches continue adding even more programs and events.
The more ministry programs and events you try to pull off, the more volunteers it will take. And, unfortunately, when people feel overwhelmed, serving is one of the first areas to go. Great volunteer teams have leaders who are intentional about reducing programs and events in order to produce paths that lead to healthy growth.
Great volunteer teams have leaders who are intentional about reducing programs and events in order to produce paths that lead to healthy growth. Click To Tweet2. People Don’t Have a Clear Growth Plan
Volunteers, particularly high capacity leaders, can easily get discouraged once they master a given responsibility. Many times, once a volunteer is able to fulfill a need, they quickly get bored with doing the same task again and again.
Great volunteer teams are intentional about establishing a clear strategy for equipping and empowering leaders to grow their leadership capacity. Consistently give your teams basic training and resources to help them be fantastic at what they’re doing.
Great volunteer teams are intentional about establishing a clear strategy for equipping and empowering leaders to grow their leadership capacity. Click To Tweet3. People Are Not Living Life Together
People will not volunteer long-term without community. It is very important for teams to be intentional about providing volunteers with opportunities to develop relationships. Yes, they need to learn about serving and accomplishing their roles, but they also need to understand the importance of living life together.
4. People Don’t Know How What They’re Doing Fits Into the Bigger Picture
People need to know that what they are doing is making a difference. Every volunteer has made huge sacrifices to be on the team. They already have “normal” jobs. Some of them work in manual labor positions every day, ten hours a day, five or six days a week. Obviously, by the time they finish their work week, they are wiped.
But something energizes them: They live for their roles on Sunday. They live to be with and pray with their teams. So great teams always take time out to share the “why” behind what they are doing.
People need to know that what they are doing is making a difference. Great teams always take time out to share the “why” behind what they are doing. Click To Tweet
"How to Engage More Volunteers & Leaders This Fall"
As we approach Fall 2022, how can we attract and engage more volunteers and leaders to our ministry teams? And once we’ve engaged them, how do we approach onboarding and caring for our volunteer teams?
We invite you and your staff team to join The Unstuck Group for this free one-hour training event.
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As organizations strive to make a positive impact on their communities, the use of volunteer teams has become increasingly popular. However, not all volunteer teams are created equal. While some teams thrive with a strong sense of purpose, teamwork, and communication, others can quickly become unhealthy and ultimately hinder the success of the organization. Unhealthy volunteer teams can be identified by a lack of commitment, poor communication, and a lack of diversity.