Week #7 Motivating Volunteers

Tuesday 3/3/009
By Nick Smith

I interviewed Bob Woods last Friday regarding these 5 tips on motivating volunteers. He had some really good insights!
1. Look for passions that people have and then ask them to be part of a ministry that involves that passion. Bob told me, “If a person hates kids, then it is going to be difficult for them to get involved with the youth group.”
2. Respect peoples time. If you tell people it is going to take an hour, then do not go over that.
3. When you have a volunteer, make whatever they are doing as easy for them to do as possible. Let them know where all their resources are and that they are more than welcome to ask you questions.
4. Give your volunteers as much information as possible. People a lot of the time do not like to volunteer their time because they do not know what it is exactly that they are doing and they don’t want to feel stupid. If they are doing something as part of the service, make sure they know exactly when to do their part.
5. When recruiting, make it known that they are doing this for the Lord and not for you personally. This gives people a sense of contribution to something bigger than the immediate.
6. Let people know tat they are needed and wanted.
7. Give lots of encouragement.
8. Let your volunteers know that you have their back in case they have criticism.

The tips Bob gave seem very practical. A lot involve taking care of the volunteers that you currently have so that way they will continue to volunteer and also they will tell others about their positive volunteering experience. But, these tips are also good for gathering new volunteers as well.