4056 Theme 8: Congregational Leadership: Veni, Vidi, Velcro: I Came, Saw, and Stuck Around

Presented by Dr. Wayne Clark, Director, UUA Congregational Fundraising Services

This workshop focused on volunteerism in our congregations. When asked the most common reasons most people commit to volunteer organizations, the audience gave the following responses:

• Interest in a special area or subject
• They felt really inspired and able to make a difference
• They were attracted to the energy of the leaders
• Because they were asked
• The desire to learn and enhance their skills
• To meet like-minded people
• Guilt and/or coercion
• Social interaction

Dr. Wayne Clark proceeded to review what church volunteers want. He quoted How to Mobilize Church Volunteers, by Marlene Wilson:

“Church volunteers are leaving in frustration for all the same reasons that volunteers are leaving other organizations. It takes them a bit longer to burn out, but when they do they are even more disillusioned because they feel the church should somehow have cared more about them than it apparently did.”

Church volunteers want to have a sense of being chosen. They want to be asked in person and be told why they were chosen. Volunteers also want a proper orientation and training, as well as meaningful recognition of their efforts. Religious Education volunteers are the most commonly recognized in the life of the church, but how many other volunteers are regularly recognized? Volunteers don't want to be a BIC – “butt in the chair.” They want to be regarded as unique individuals and accepted as valued team members.

When recruiting volunteers, define the role you wish them to play. Determine what qualifications are needed for the role and then make a list of potential volunteers. Give them a questionnaire or worksheet with allows them to list or check off what they are interested in and also what they have no interest in. If someone says, “I don't have enough time,” it usually means that what you're asking of them is something they don't see as a high priority, because we all have the same amount of time.

The information collected from these questionnaires needs to be collated and used. One participant brought up the idea of having not only a money canvass, but a time canvass to increase volunteerism. A suggested source of information on volunteer recruitment and organization is the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) www.pta.org

One of the handouts was a Recruiter's Evaluation where, using a 1-10 scale, the volunteer recruiter evaluates themselves on things such as calling the person by name, getting acquainted, giving a clear and reasonable job description, and thanking them for their time and consideration.

Another handout lists the five steps to recruiting volunteers. These are defining the role, determining the qualifications, making a list of potential volunteers, interviewing the volunteers, and then appointing the volunteers.

Recruitment tips included matching the right person with the right skills at the right time, and thinking of what volunteer role would interest you and what approach you would find successful. And most importantly, recognize people's efforts.

When discussing the components of effective training for volunteers, Dr. Clark used the acronym, TRAINING:

Task development tools
Resources
Assessment (a self-evaluation)
Input
Nurture
Inspiration
Need-based help
God-oriented – focus on the value of stewardship

What all of this points to is having an intentional approach to volunteers, from how they are recruited, to how they are trained, to how they are recognized.

Written by Shannon Cocheo; edited by Joyce Holmen

Unitarian Universalist Association
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