A few weeks ago we met with all of our KidMin staff and brainstormed for 30 minutes on free or nearly free ways we can appreciate our volunteers. Our goal was to come up with 100 ideas!

After I took out the duplicate ideas or ideas that did not meet our “nearly free” criteria we didn’t quite reach 100. But I’m thinking with your help we will reach it easily.

Leave your idea in the comments below!

100 Ways to Appreciate Volunteers:

1.    Volunteer Picnic

2.    Andy Stanley does your voicemail greeting “This is ___’s voicemail and he’s an awesome volunteer.”

3.    CG in the Main Service recognizing this volunteer

4.    Flash Mob

5.    Button to wear

6.    Backstage Pass for Main Service

7.    ”The Kelsey” award (Our Waumba Host is Kelsey & she would recognize in large group.)

8.    Decorate classroom or doorway for birthdays

9.    Lake Potluck Cookout

10.  Sunday Morning Starbucks run for a volunteer

11.  Facebook updates

12.  Wall of fame - post pics

13.  Walk of fame - they walk through a tunnel of high fives and cheers

14.  Free T-Shirt

15.  Wow Trophy - you make a great crazy trophy award and present on Sunday

16.  Phone Call Appreciation

17.  Personal Shuttle Service to and from car

18.  Acknowledge Anniversaries (both volunteer anniversaries & personal)

19.  Volunteer crown of honor

20.  Volunteer Team Picture

21.  Personal Delivery (of something they love)

22.  Furniture on a Sunday for small group (Our small groups sit on the floor. Furniture for a group or group leader would stand out.)

23.  Serenade from worship

24.  iTunes gift card

25.  Text Messages (Pics from Sunday)

26.  Bulletin Board

27.  Write a song about them

28.  Homemade goodies

29.  Public recognition

30.  Sunday off

31.  Free car wash during service

32.  Impromptu Treats

33.  Their own segway (we must know someone to borrow this from?)

34.  Personal visit (bring coffee to their house our office)

35.  Connections gift card (Our bookstore)

36.  Surprise Mariachi Band (sombreros required)

37.  One-on-one meetings/time

38.  Invite them out to spend time away from church

39.  Meet volunteers and kids at a park

40.  Play and cookout

41.  Birthday hat

42.  Reed Porter “awesome volunteer” report (Reed Porter is a KidStuf character. We shoot video of him almost every month so we would shoot a quick shout out to a volunteer while doing that.)

43.  Team thank you note

44.  Redbox code

45.  Favorite drink

46.  Tweets

47.  Somehow serve them

48.  Homemade cookies

49.  Social at your house

50.  Reed Porter “voicemails”

51.  Pray for volunteer

52.  Valentines with pictures of kids from their small group

53.  Game night

54.  Record rest of the team praising them & email them that week.

55.  Lunch with Lead Pastor

56.  Personalize monogram notebook (hand drawn)

57.  Celebrating people in Sunday’s meetings

58.  High 5

59.  Flair (buttons they wear on their lanyards)

60.  Prayer requests

61.  Jibjab Volunteer appreciation using staff

62.  Written words of affirmation

63.  Hugs

64.  Balloons on Sunday

65.  Letter magnets on fridge in Volunteer Central celebrating a volunteer

66.  Highlight on chalkboard in Volunteer Central

67.  ”Secret Service” escort throughout a Sunday morning

68.  Singing telegram

69.  Intentional help with a move or something like that

70.  Favorite Candy

71.  Email Bible verse

72.  Hallmark E-Card

73.  Recorded iPhone Video

74.  Individual breakfast

75.  Candy Gram

76.  Picture (of them serving their small group or in their roll)

77.  Double ply Charmin in dressing room (apparently this is a problem in the KidStuf greenroom)

78.  Conversation

79.  $5 Starbucks card

80.  Evite Cards

81.  Flowers

82.  Visit from Andy/Lead Pastor

83.  Trivia posted about that person

84.  Waumba Wish (Grant a wish)

85.  Favorite things (Gather a list of their favorite things and bring one of them in)

86.  Birthday cupcakes

87.  Give them colorful shoe laces.

88.  Take a picture of them with their kids and post on Facebook.

89.  Tell parents what a GREAT volunteer they are as parents arrive to pick up their child.

90.   Ask parents to write notes to this volunteer & present them in a gift bag.

91.  Call their spouse and thank them for supporting this volunteer as they serve. Tell them about all of the great volunteer qualitites you see in their spouse.

92.  Take volunteer’s picture with your mascot and post it. (Grizzle Dizzle from KidStuf.)

93.  Write a cheer for this volunteer. Send it home with kids to learn. Let kids perform it on the stage for their volunteer leader.

94.  Write a “You Rock” song (simple and silly with motions), record it simply in house and send it out to all of the kids. Let them perform it on the stage for their volunteer leader.

Here’s what happened:

• Launched the Big Idea of Honor
• Watched KidStuf Live
• Hosted visiting churches for Sunday’s at North Point
• Observed the crowded hallways between services
• Listened in as a large group team debriefed
• Talked through a tough situation
• Cleaned up when a child threw up in the hallway (or our amazing facilities crew did!)
• Photographed our team dressing up for the Disney event
• Welcomed our amazing volunteers to a Disney training event

Here’s a few pictures!

We all know strong healthy relationships are important when building high functioning, compassionate and committed volunteer teams. I think our team excels in their friendships and true compassion for the people who serve with them. So I asked them to share their Top Tips!

Here are the Top Tips from our team on building relationships with volunteers:

• Pay attention! Pay attention to what is going on with them. Ask questions. Write things down so you can remember to ask about them later. Volunteers want you to know what’s going on in their life - it’s the quickest way to feel connected to them.

• Come up with a system so you don’t forget. Lindsay on my team will write a note next to the person’s contact information on her phone. So if she runs into “Leighanne” and finds out she has a big job interview this week, she writes a note on her phone next to Leighanne’s contact info. Lindsay will then shoot an email the day of to let her know she’s prayed for her, or she’ll remember to follow up on the next Sunday.

• Don’t assume you’ll remember! Write things down, and then take time during the week and especially on Sunday to catch up with them. This becomes more complicated when multiplied by 100’s of volunteers but you can do it!

• Nothing is more important than spending time with volunteers. I could rush around on a Sunday and get more “stuff” done, but sometimes the best thing to do is to talk with them while they finish their coffee or doughnut.

• Take the time to text the little things. This builds personal friendships and brings you closer in the long run. Ex - “I just ordered a sweet tea and thought of you because you love it so much.”

• Don’t be so much about the task that you can’t stop to really listen on Sunday.

• Be willing to put yourself out there. Tell them about you so they feel like they know you and want to work with you. Listen to them. Value them. Learn from them. Build respect.

• Invest in the friendship. Stop and take the moment to talk to them, and hear how they are doing. By stopping and having an actual conversation you’re showing them how important they are in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

• Take time to have lunch with them during the week.

• Every volunteer needs to be heard every week. Make sure they are heard! Ask questions about: personal events, volunteer role, suggestions and observations. A person who is heard will come back even when things don’t go as planned. A person who has a challenging personality can be communicated with the right way because there is relational capital to communicate truth that is not critical of character.

• Show interest in their personal lives outside of Sunday. Ask questions about them personally, and follow up another time.

• Encourage them in their volunteer role. “I saw you greet that child by name, thanks so much”, or “I appreciate you encouraging that student volunteer. That goes a long way. Thanks so much”

• I try to write down something that a volunteer tells me about on Sunday, and follow up during the week (surgery, special date, birthday, sick family member, etc.)

• Get personal. Volunteers have family and work stresses like all the rest of us. Investing time to find out how life is beyond their volunteer environment promotes relationships that last longer than just a volunteer season.

• Be intentional; take the extra time to ask a volunteer about them (how they are, how their week was, ask about kids, school … let them know you remember details of their lives). Over time this builds into a trust relationship, because people want to be known, and you took the time to show them they’re seen even in the craziness of Sundays.

• Have a plan! If I’m not intentional often times my day-to-day and week-to-week gets too busy! It always helps to put it on the calendar and in my weekly/monthly to-dos like anything else.

• Stay updated with what’s going on in your volunteers’ lives, and ask for prayer requests (it allows you into their world and to know what’s on their heart). Pray boldly for them and let them know that you’ve been praying specifically for them. Follow up with them when they’ve shared what’s on their heart/going on with their family (are they struggling at work? Did they have a big exam? Do they have a sick family member? Are they looking to buy a new house? etc.). Just checking in with people and letting them know how much you care and that you’re praying for them goes a long way!

• Be genuine, and get to know them personally.

• Truly listen and remember things volunteers mention in conversations. Then, send an email or card to check on them, and let them know you’re thinking about them outside of our environment.

• Spending intentional time going deeper with conversations, getting to know them beyond their service to the environment.

• Praying together during meetings and asking volunteers to share stories.

• Send a personal note or email after a Sunday to 2-3 volunteers.

• Ask questions, and take the time to get to know them. Don’t keep it just business, but rather about their families and personal lives. Take time outside of Sunday… coffee, lunch or I even do get-togethers at my house once a month, or every other month, and invite all of my coaches. Everyone brings a snack food, and we just have a fun night catching up with one another.

• Hang out after large group to chat, check in, and ask how the production went. Basically, make the first move!

• Use the volunteers’ name when speaking to them, and stop what you’re doing to give your full attention while in conversation.

• Making sure you speak to every volunteer each time they are present, thanking them for their time and commitment to your department. Never let any of your volunteers feel invisible or unneeded.

• I stay connected with them on Facebook. It really helps generate natural conversations on Sunday when you can find common ground or similar interests.

• Ask them for their prayer requests. You can get to know a lot about someone in a short amount of time when you find out what they are specifically praying for.

What is your Top Tip for building strong relationships with your volunteers?

*Next week let’s share Top Tips for having fun with your staff. The staff that plays together works hard together!

Hundreds of kids and parents arrived at our campuses ready jump in. Some came for the first time.

Preparation for this day takes months. We really aren’t preparing for just one day. We’re preparing for the whole year.

Where does most of our preparation lie? Volunteers!

We find them, recruit them, meet with them, train them, screen them, apprentice them, and hopefully inspire them.

This year we started the year with a HUGE kick off event!

We planned fun, we asked our campus pastors to communicate, we inspired, we celebrated, and we informed.

Here’s what the program for the day looked like:

1. Opening Video and Live Band Combo.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Of this song:

Click here to view the embedded video.

We created the percussion track using the noises of items found in our children’s environments. The band came in live as the percussion built.

2. Kidmin Staff came out and welcomed everyone.

3. Then we showed this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

4. The Talk. It was given by each campus pastor.

The bottom line of the talk was to encourage our volunteers to be more than just skilled at their role. We wanted to challenge them to engage in the individual stories of the children and families that they would encounter in the coming year. We are not herding the masses, we are leading each individual child into a growing relationship with their Heavenly Father. We have an opportunity, this year, to be a part of each child’s story of faith.

5. The Closer. Live performance of Van Halen’s Right Now.

We created a video similar to this - but with our message.

Click here to view the embedded video.

6. Meet Your Team.

Everyone went to their classroom and met their team, got their t-shirt, and their small group roster.

It was a GREAT day that got us off to a great start for the year.

How did you prepare your volunteers for the upcoming year?

It’s just a fun way to remind our volunteers of a few important things.

Click here to view the embedded video.

New Volunteers have a lot of questions!

We need to ease their concerns and provide answers. It is very important that all of our volunteers are trained and prepared to do a great job. It’s difficult to make sure that every new volunteer receives the same information in the best possible way.

If you want to deliver an excellent and consistent outcome - create a system! This is our system for New Volunteers.

To read the entire process, you will want to check our Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

That last few steps:

Step 7: Staff will follow up the Monday after the volunteer apprentices. The Groups Director will personalize the “Apprentice 1 Follow Up” email. This email  will ask to set up a time to talk about his first experience in the environment as well as a time to personally interview the new volunteer.

Apprentice 1 Follow Up:

Hey!

Thanks for coming to observe yesterday. I hope you enjoyed your time with (grade). I’d love to connect with you this week to see how things went and for a short interview.

Please let me know what day, time, and number would be best to reach you. I look forward to talking with you!

Name

Everyone MUST be interviewed before apprenticing the second time!

Step 8: Call or meet with the apprentice for the interview. Use the “SGL Interview” sheet. Complete the document and place it in his file.

Small Group Leader Interview Sheet:

Step 9: Confirm his second apprenticing time. Send him the “Apprentice 2″ email. This email will notify him of where and when he will meet to apprentice as well as inform him of any paperwork that is still incomplete. During this apprenticing time he meets with staff or a coach. Attach the curriculum for the age group that he will be apprenticing with.

Apprentice 2 Email:

Hey!

It was great getting to know you and hearing your story. You signed to apprentice this Sunday, at the service.

Please arrive at . If you want to, come a little early and grab breakfast in Room .

If you get lost or forget the room number, there will be someone at the UpStreet front desk to help you find the room.

We still need the following from you in order to complete the volunteer process:

Top of Form

Reference Form

Bottom of Form

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Staff Name

Step 10: Staff or Coach meets with the apprentice and covers everything on the “Staff Apprenticing Checklist”. This list includes things like general “need to knows” about UpStreet (example: donut room), and important things like the evacuation process, safety policies, etc.

Staff Apprenticing Checklist (for a new Small Group Leader):

1.Morning Schedule

Time to arrive 8:20/10:20; Time to be in your classroom- 8:30/10:30

Breakfast- you can come earlier and grab breakfast

Emphasize importance of being on time

There is a meeting in your classroom on Sunday morning with your coach before opening room to check kids in

2. Setting up for your morning

Staff will hand each person curriculum and pass out supplies and walk them through this.

3. Curriculum

Early Arriver

Kids arrive at all different times. Early arriver is design to be self directed giving you the opportunity to greet each child individual as they arrive and make them feel welcomed and comfortable

Opening Activity

This activity hints to setting up what they will be learning (Bible Story in lg)

4. Large Group

Model worshiping God and listening during the Bible story

Stay with you group of kids at ALL times

Please make sure your kids are participating and monitor any distracting behaviors

Importance of staying with their kids- fire or emergency

Younger grades- adults kneel during worship so kids can see

5.   Curriculum

Catch On

Do not go back to opening activities unless it is something you are using after large group

Prioritize activities according to the kids in your group- however we try to prioritize them. (Bible Story review, Bottom Line Activity, Prayer, Memory Verse Activity)

Personalize- talk about the importance of being prepared and thinking through examples from their own life to help their kids get to know them

Jump Start- kids asking questions in their group to direct them and their parents to attend (kept in all classrooms and prompted in the curriculum at least once a quarter). Don’t steal parents thunder.

6. KidStuf

1^st Sunday of the month

Happens after 9am and 11am service hours

Parents pick kids up from UpStreet and attend together

7. Pick Up

Importance of kids staying seated during pick up time

Take the opportunity to say hi to parents as they come to pick up their child from your group. Getting to know the parents of your kids could help us find a sub for you when you are out ; )

8. Straighten Up

Make sure your area is picked up and read for the next hour

LG rooms with tubs- remember you share it with another group so keep it cleaned out

*Restroom- let coach or greeter know; no one in a bathroom w/child

*SGL commitment/overview sheet

*Kick Off Meeting: (list of kids, classroom placement, t-shirt)

Step 11: Staff will follow up the Monday after his second apprenticing. The Groups Director will personalize the “Apprentice 2 Follow Up” email. Staff will personalize this email as to whether the volunteer is ready to start immediately or not until August. Staff will decide if additional apprenticing is needed and schedule accordingly.

Apprentice 2 Follow Up Email:

Well, you’ve done it! You’ve jumped through every hoop to be a UpStreet volunteer. I know it’s a long, thorough process. Thank you for being patient. We just want to make sure we have great, qualified volunteers working with our children. We’re very excited that you will be serving with us.

When we talked, you said you’d like to start serving right away. I’d love to have you join (grade), Room .

will be your coach. (He/She) will be your main point of contact going forward. Of course, you are welcome to contact me, but (he/she) will be your team leader!  He/She is also the person you will inform when you are not available to serve on a Sunday. Here is ’s contact information:

Email:

Cell phone:

OR

When we talked, you said you’d like to start serving on Promotion Sunday, August 14. You’ll be receiving additional information in the mail as the date gets closer. We’ll also have a “Kickoff” event on August to give you everything you need to get started and to meet the team you’ll be serving with in UpStreet. Please save the date. You won’t want to miss it!

Over the summer, many of our volunteers go on vacation and we need extra help in the classrooms. Would you be willing to serve a few Sundays this summer? Please let me know if you would be available.

Can’t wait to have you on our team! It’s going to be a great year on UpStreet.

Name

Step 12: Staff places the volunteer in his new position. Hooray! If the volunteer is starting right away, staff assigns him to a classroom, small group, and coach. She also sends the “Coach’s Intro” email so that he can be introduced to his team. The coach will have his contact information and take it from there!

Coaches Intro Email:

Hi!

My name is and I am your UpStreet Coach. I am so excited you’re on our team and I’m looking forward to getting to know you!

Each week, I will send you an email to share announcements, updates, and (curriculum) for Sunday. If you know you will be unavailable on a Sunday, please contact me so I can make sure we have someone to replace you.

If you have any questions or need anything throughout the year, I am here for you.

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Name

Cell number

Email

This is a 3 Part series. You might want to read Part 1 and Part 2.

Question: What is one thing you do to make sure that your new volunteers are prepared to do a great job?

It can be challenging to keep up with where potential volunteers are in the process, and to make sure that all new volunteers complete every step. A clear system will help!

We are right in the middle of talking about our New Volunteer Process. If you missed the first few steps, you can find them here.

One thing that we’ve learned is that we only communicate the NEXT STEP to our volunteers. We try not to overwhelm them with too much information at one time. If they feel overwhelmed, they might walk away.

We break it down into steps they can handle and only tell them what they need to know, when they need to know it.

So far our New Volunteer has expressed an interest in serving, attended an orientation, and completed paperwork.

Here’s what happens next:

Step 4: Staff member follows up the next day after the orientation.

If he did attend, there is a form email that we personalize called the “Orientation Follow Up”. This email gives him his apprenticing dates, and introduces him to the person who will be walking through the process with him.

Orientation Follow Up Email

Hello!

Thanks so much for attending the orientation yesterday! My name is ____________ and I am your Groups Director. I will be walking you through the process to become a new volunteer and will be able to answer any questions or concerns you might have along the way.

Your next step in becoming a volunteer with us is to observe in a classroom. You have signed up to observe with us on the following date:

I will send you a reminder email the week before with information on what time to arrive and where to go. In the meantime, please make sure to get your Reference Form completed.

Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions.

We are excited for you to join our team!

Thanks,

If he did NOT attend, there is a form email that we personalize called the “No Show Orientation”. This email gives him the available dates and times for future New Volunteer Orientations.

No Show Orientation Email

We’re sorry we missed you at the UpStreet New Volunteer Orientation yesterday. We’re really looking forward to meeting you and getting you plugged in to serving with us!

Our next available orientations are:

Please let me know which date works best for you!

Thank you,

Staff Name

Step 5: Choose the BEST person/room for your potential volunteer to observe/apprentice.

You want your new volunteer to get the BEST training. Not all of your existing volunteers are good at this.

Prepare the Coach, Small Group Leader, or Greeter for what he needs to go over when he is apprenticing.

Have the coach give the “Classroom Apprentice Card” to the Small Group Leader (or whoever is doing the training) for him to refer to and write notes as needed.

Step 6: Potential volunteer comes to his first observing/apprenticing time.

Staff personalizes the form email “Apprenticing 1″ the week before his first apprenticing date. She attaches the curriculum for the age group and the week he will be apprenticing. She also copies the COACH of this classroom on this email so that she knows to expect an apprentice to her classroom and knows his name.

Apprenticing 1 Email:

Hi ________,

The next step in becoming a volunteer is to observe on Sunday morning in the grade/area in which you would like to serve.

You signed up to observe this Sunday, , at the           service. Here’s what you need to know:

Please arrive at           . If you want to, come a little early and grab breakfast in Room .

You will be in (grade), Room        . If you get lost or forget your room number, there will be someone at the UpStreet front desk to help you.

Introduce yourself to the Coach in the classroom. They will be expecting you! _______________ is the coach for this room and can answer any questions you might have.

To help you prepare for Sunday, I’ve attached the curriculum for you.

I’ll be in touch with you next week to talk about your apprenticing experience. Please let me know if you have any questions.

See you Sunday!

Staff Name

Staff also sends the Host Team Director a list of apprentices that are coming for the day along with the service hour they are coming to observe and their room assignments. This allows Host Team to help any apprentice that forgets the room number or is unfamiliar with the environment.

Have a “volunteer” name tag/lanyard ready for the apprentice when he arrives. This lets him know that we’re expecting him and that he belongs. Put the nametag and the “Apprentice Checklist Card” on the coach’s clipboard.

This will be a 3 Part series. You can catch Part 1 here.

Question: How do you give your new volunteers “hands-on” training?

It is challenging to get hundreds of new volunteers moving in the same direction with excellence!

We are in the thick of recruiting, training, orientating, apprenticing, and placing new volunteers for the fall. EVERYONE on our team has some responsibility for new volunteers.

We know that our ability to place volunteers who feel prepared, want to stay, and do a great job has EVERYTHING to do with our New Volunteer Process. If we don’t do a good job through this process, then they probably won’t stay. If we don’t do a good job through this process and they do stay, they probably won’t be prepared to do a great job.

There are 12 STEPS in our process.

You might say, “Yikes!” But once you read through them, you will see that you probably follow very similar steps. Between all of our campuses we could easily have 1000 volunteers going through this process. It’s important for us to be specific and systematic so we don’t lose anyone in the process.

I’m sure MOST of the steps are going to seem obvious.

Our teams created them together.

We wrote them down.

Everyone has them.

Everyone does them.

Here we go:

Step 1: We get the name of a potential volunteer. We can receive a name from the push we do in the main service once a year, from another volunteer, from a card that someone fills out requesting more information, from our website, etc.

Step 2: Staff member emails this person and invites him to a New Volunteer Orientation. We use a form email for this step that our staff personalizes.

Orientation Invite Email:

Hello!

Thank you so much for your willingness to volunteer in UpStreet at North Point Community Church. UpStreet is our environment for kids k - 5^th grade. We are excited about the possibility of serving with you.

I am sure you have a lot of questions about how to get involved. The first step is to attend an orientation. At the orientation, you will learn all the details about serving.

Our next orientation is _____________________(date/time). The orientation will be held in ___________________ (room).

Thanks again, and we look forward to talking with you about joining the UpStreet team. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Staff Name

Step 3: Volunteer attends orientation. At this orientation we will cast vision for the environement, discuss job descriptions, let him know where our greatest needs are, and talk about next steps.

We also collect the following paperwork at this point in the process: Application, Background Release Form, Next Step Card, and Reference Form.

We will talk about the NEXT steps in our New Volunteer Process in Part 2.

Question: What is the FIRST step in your New Volunteer Process?

Sometimes we combine both potential new Waumba Land (preschool) and UpStreet (elementary) volunteers into the same orientation. This means that the communicator has to be well versed in both departments and create an outline that encourages people to get involved in the area that best suits them.

This orientation must be rich with a compelling vision for why they need to get involved.

We created this video to help communicate and celebrate the connection and value of both environments.

Click here to view the embedded video.