6 Questions Every Volunteer is Asking

In church world, we’re often scrambling to recruit enough volunteers.  It seems like there are never enough.   Here’s a thought:  What if our volunteers stuck around?  What if we didn’t have to recruit as many volunteers because the majority of our volunteers stayed engaged? What if our volunteers loved serving so much that they stayed involved?  How much more efficient and effective would or ministries and churches become?

Many churches that struggle with volunteer retention find themselves on an endless, stressful cycle of trying to recruit volunteers.  In addition to taking an inordinate amount of energy, the pool of potential volunteers can grow smaller if those who previously tried volunteering had a poor experience and decided it wasn't for them.  As a result, churches find their volunteer numbers looking something like this.

Campaigns to recruit more volunteers can temporarily alleviate some of the stress.  But, in the end, this is a dangerous and anxiety-ridden trajectory.

Alternatively, consider churches where volunteers love the experience and find it deeply rewarding.  These volunteers stick around producing a graph that looks more like this.

I believe this second scenario is possible.  In fact, I’ve seen it happen year after year in our church.

I believe any ministry or church can achieve high levels of volunteer satisfaction and retention by answering 6 questions that all volunteers are asking.

1.         Do I matter?

The first question every volunteer is asking is, “Do I matter?”  In other words, do you value me?  People gravitate to environments in which they feel appreciated and valued.  Volunteers who are treated with dignity, appreciation and respect will often stick around for years.  If you want to keep your volunteers around, thank them, celebrate them and find creative ways to tell them that they matter.  No one wants to be invisible.

How are you telling your volunteers that they matter to you?

2.         Does this matter?

We wall want to be part of something big—something that has significance.  People want to volunteer in ministries and churches that stir their passions.

Are your volunteer roles meaningful?  What is the spiritual impact of these roles?  I bet they are meaningful and the impact is tremendous.  Do your volunteers know how much their roles matter?  Do they know that what they do is helping people fall more in love with Jesus?  Tell them and then tell them again.  Share the vision of why this matters.

At the end of the day, volunteers who believe that what they are doing really matters feel fulfilled and volunteers who feel fulfilled often stay engaged.

3.         Are you listening?

I have found that taking a volunteer out for coffee or lunch and asking them about their volunteering experience is one of the smartest things a ministry leader can do.  These conversations make the volunteer feel valued and heard.  A volunteer who feels heard is likely to stick around.

What are the ways you are relationally listening to your volunteers?  A survey can be helpful, but feels cold and impersonal.  However, a conversation in which we listen to our volunteers can be an incredibly worthwhile investment.

4.         Am I winning?

Deep down, we all want to win.  We hate failing.   That’s exactly why I stopped taking math classes after 10th grade.  We pursue what we are good at.

Our volunteers feel the same tension.  And the truth is that volunteers who believe they are winning feel confident and enjoy their role.  Confident volunteers stick.

Do your volunteers know what winning looks like in their role?  Is it clear?  Also, have you given them the tools to win?  In my experience, churches and ministries with high volunteer retention rates provide very clear expectations and simple strategies and trainings to help volunteers win.

5.         Do I belong?

Remember that terrifying feeling of wandering through a middle school cafeteria, desperately looking for a place to sit?  Feeling like an outsider is simply the worst.  Volunteers who feel like outsiders will not last long because everyone craves belonging.

In my experience, most volunteers who serve with longevity continue serving because of who they get to serve with.  For us, this is the number one factor in our volunteer retention.  Our mantra is this:  “Give them a volunteer community that’s so great that they never want to leave.”

Does your ministry involve relational connection?  Who is investing in your community of volunteers?  Answering these questions will quickly improve volunteer retention

6.         Do you trust me?

The last question volunteers are asking is, “Do you trust me?”  In other words, do you trust me to own this role or this environment?  Volunteers who experience ownership in their role feel empowered.  Empowered volunteers do amazing things, often going above and beyond the expectations.

How do you know if you are offering your volunteers ownership?  Is there any opportunity for creative or unique expression in the role?  Is there a group of people or a set of responsibilities that the volunteer is responsible for?  Is there flexibility in the execution of these responsibilities?  This is what ownership looks like.  Ownership communicates trust.  Volunteers who feel trusted are likely to stick around.

We work really hard to create a structure that answers these 6 questions over and over again, making volunteers feel right at home.  As a result it's not uncommon for us to receive notes like this:

Let’s wrap this up:  I believe that by answering six questions, that every volunteer is asking, we can dramatically improve volunteer retention in our ministries and churches.  I’d love to hear about strategies that you have used in your environment to help improve volunteer retention.