by Al Newell
“Begging” for volunteers makes long term recruiting worse. Desperate pleas create diminishing returns, dulling the ears of prospects. Worse yet, “begging” cheapens the value of the ministry position itself. Consider a dad of a teenage girl placing a sign in his yard, “Won’t someone please date my daughter?” You can imagine the prospects.
But what if we could switch the tables and get volunteers to “beg” us to be involved? What if the ministry experience was so compelling volunteers were lining up to take part?
In 2 Corinthians, Paul testifies about the Macedonians passionate response to the opportunity to take part in the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem. In chapter 8:4 Paul says “…they gave…beyond their means of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part. (ESV)
…THEY BEGGED to get involved! What if that were your ministry’s culture?
It’s a Privilege to Serve is a key HI tenet. This week 570 High Impact volunteers will converge on a major US city. The volunteer conference held by a key long-term client is sold out!! Not only do these incredibly vested volunteers sacrifice a better part of a week, but also attend at their own expense. Is something wrong with these people? Why do they do this?
Another client in the process of culture change now has over 120 of their 180 High Impact volunteers attending affirmation banquets this spring.
How does culture change take place? First, we hold the volunteer ministry positions up high with great dignity. We don’t beg. We show prospects how by serving how they can experience Jesus at a deeper level and how they can partner with God in incredibly compelling kingdom work! One of the secrets of culture change is revealed in 2 Corinthians 8:5… they gave themselves first to the Lord, then to us. We carefully select volunteers whose hearts are aligned “first to the Lord” who are called to serve.
Biblical, Proven, Christ-Centered, Practical. Bring your team to the Executive Course in Volunteer Ministry Development April 8-10 in Charlotte/Concord Mills Courtyard Marriott and experience the course that God has used to transform the volunteer ministries of countless organizations and churches.
- Learn how to create a compelling volunteer culture?
- Why NOT to say thank you to volunteers?
- Understand 8 key High Impact principles
- Unearth the powerful difference between transaction and transformation
- Learn secrets of highly effective volunteer teams
- Understand Volunteer Equity and four key ways to build it
- Learn the secret weapon of recruiting
- Discover seven biblical criteria for selecting high performing /low risk volunteers
- Why the skill of resolving conflict is a must for every leader of volunteers
- Understand the crucial role of Volunteer Relations
- Discover Six Monster Recruiting Mistakes
- Avoid costly volunteer ministry pitfalls
©March 2019 Newell and Associates