Kids

What are your best practices when it comes to leading volunteers?

Once a month we meet with the Groups Directors from every campus for leadership development. It’s the time that we’ve blocked to get together to “work ON it and not just IN it.”

A Groups Director is the leader that connects, trains, evaluates, encourages, supports, and develops the volunteers that teach and lead our kids. You can read more about this position here.

One thing that we did last month was have our leaders share two or three of their best practices.

Here they are in no particular order:

Keep a 3×5 card in your pocket and write down observations, thank yous, and improvements. Act on these things on Monday morning.

Read all of the content again on Saturday night so that you are looking at what is happening that morning through the lens of the importance of what you are teaching that day.

Review all of the details for Sunday: volunteers who will be out/follow-up that needs to happen/special curriculum needs/etc., on the Thursday before the upcoming Sunday.

Write 3-5 thank you notes each week to volunteers.

Carry a clipboard on Sunday morning to record stories and positive interactions that parents, kids, and volunteers share with you.

Schedule time each week to pray for a specific volunteer. Let them know you are praying for them.

Be intentional to connect personally with a specific volunteer for a longer amount of time each week. Chose a different volunteer each week.

Arrive extra early to walk through my classrooms, read through the curriculum one last time, and get excited about the kids coming!

Pick a specific room and a specific small group activity that you will observe each week. Share what you observe with the team on Monday.

Make a point to have a personal/meaningful conversation and not just talk about “work” or what you can do for me.

Print a master list of volunteers & mark off their name as you rotate through writing them thank you notes so that you don’t miss anyone.

Text your volunteers to remind them of personal events going on in each others lives.  Example: surgery, someone’s birthday

Get new enrollments done first thing Monday morning.

Keep communication emails concise and to the point.

Listen first - Talk last.

Follow volunteers on Facebook. This is especially effective with teenagers.

After a Sunday conversation with a volunteer, always follow-up with an email, call, or card.

Pass along any devotions that I’m using to my volunteers.

Write specific thank you notes to those that I “caught doing something extraordinary” on Sunday - first thing Monday morning.

Connect with and maintain a “float” group of volunteers that I have personal relationships with and will always help me out in a pinch.

Pray with coaches before the morning starts.

Make sure that coaches have everything they need in their baskets before the morning starts.

Personally check each room - make sure that everything is ready to go.

Check email Saturday night and first thing Sunday morning to minimize last minute surprises.

Always respond relationally…especially when a leader doesn’t show or frustrates.

Update small group lists. Highlight newly added kids. Give the leaders in the room postcards to write a welcoming note.

Arrive early and have a potluck breakfast with my coaches once a month.

We have about 20 full-time/part-time Groups Directors. Most of these guys have served in our ministry for several years. They are a smart and talented bunch and would be the first to tell you that it’s the little things that you do that make the biggest difference.

Do you spend time together as a team learning from each other?