Questions your volunteers are asking (But probably not out loud!)

Let’s face it: churches and not for profits today are constantly struggling with different kinds of deficits. Volunteers are one “commodity” we never have enough of. We have great ideas, but we lack the people to implement them. If you’re like most leaders today, implementing a good idea often comes down to staring at our calendar and evaluating our own levels of energy and over-stretched commitments. So, we often turn again to that small cadre of committed folk who are always there for everything, secretly wondering if this is the ask that will push them into burnout. Or we repeatedly ask the highly talented participant in our community and they repeatedly – graciously but firmly -- turn us down. What’s going on?  Can we think about it differently? Let me add that I never really solved the challenge but the last couple of years have allowed me time and space to reflect.  Maybe, together, we can help you see a solution that I missed.

It seems that one problem is our tendency to constantly add – programs, offerings, ministries, etc. – without ever ending.  We aren’t very good at saying, “This had its season. It was wonderful and faithful and a blessing.  But its time has passed.” Rather than do that, we just add something. One of the noblest things I ever saw was a women’s group who decided that it was time to call it a halt. They recognized that their increasingly limited physical capacity was making it very difficult to do the things they felt proper for their role. They could still be friends without the organization. So, they asked to be decommissioned. We did that with gratitude and celebration. More frequently, we just keep maintaining things. Possibly because we are part of churches that have always grown (at least in peoples’ memories) and stopping things feels like failure. Look around your organization: is there anything continuing that needs honourable retirement?

Another problem is related: once something gets on the organizational chart or the governance structure, we keep trying to keep it filled. In every organization there are people who will not say “no”, especially if a beloved pastor or executive director asks them.  They don’t have an interest or the skills and often the job is not done well or even ignored. They feel badly for letting others down; the leadership feels annoyed because things aren’t happening. Probably there are certain actions and/or roles your organization is required to fill. What about others, the ones you’ve perennially struggled with? What’s the worst thing that could happen if they were left vacant or that work was left undone for a season? Is your mission shaping your organization or is your organizational structure strangling your vitality?

Would you volunteer for your organization?  Tell me the truth. And if your answer is “no” then why should anyone else? If you wouldn’t volunteer, why not?

·             Is this meaningful work? Time and energy are precious factors and if we’re going to invest them in an organization, we want to do something that has meaning. We don’t want to just fill a role in an organizational chart. Duty is quickly losing any effectiveness it ever had. So, is the work meaningful?

·             Related to that is the question of whether the meaning is evident. In a lot of organizations, even long-term participants don’t always understand what a particular role or group means to the big picture. The closer to the organizational centre we are, the more tempting it is to forget that. We know why this is important, so we assume others do.

·             Does this organization foster healthy relationships? The answer to that should be obvious, but I’m afraid it’s not. Years ago, a noted evangelical preacher published a short article about the fellowship and acceptance in the local church compared to the local bar. Guess which came off worse? If the work situation where we are employed is poisonous, at least we console ourselves with the pay cheque. In the local church, what’s the balancing factor? Increasingly I hear of congregations and organizations instituting codes of conduct or manners of behaving (by different names). That’s a good start. Now, do you enforce them or uphold them in some way? Many people may feel a deep commitment to your organization’s purpose, but they recoil from the behaviour and language of those involved. If you are a leader, how are you going to call that to account? Start with clear, direct, respectful communication.

·             One thing I regret not doing more of is helping volunteers to grow. We were usually so absorbed with the task at hand or the pressure of time, that education, spiritual nurture, skill development and so on, came far behind. If people are also receiving from their volunteering, there’s a much better chance of them sticking around and encouraging others. How are you helping your volunteers to grow?

·             Do you say, “thank you”? Regularly, routinely, sincerely? Do you praise people and find ways for others in the organization to celebrate the contributions of those who are often unsung?

·             What about training? I shudder to recall the number of times I got people to take on a role and then swept on to address the next problem, simply assuming they would know what to do. Volunteers are often good people, skilled and capable, but our organization may be new territory for them. They need some direction at the start and some ongoing attention now and then to help them improve.

·             Personally, I hate it when leaders are disorganized! That’s the biggest turnoff for volunteering I know. My time and energy are worth something and you honour it by being prepared when I show up to volunteer. Too often, people arrive and there has been no preparation for them. I regularly tell my students that the much maligned “administration” is genuinely a ministry: making sure that those in the organization have the resources they need to fulfill their calling. So, as a leader, how organized are you when volunteers answer your call?

·             Are terms of involvement clear? Many people are leery of volunteering because they’ve been burned too often. A “simple task” has all sorts of hidden hooks. For instance: if you take this task it also means you’re on this other committee. Or, we won’t tell you, but this is really a life sentence. Or, the only ways to get out of this role is to die or quit because we have no succession plan. We want you to do this but there’s no budget. Oh, didn’t we tell you that the role involved organizing this major event – and everyone feels free to criticize you? No, there’s really no one you can turn to for answers, but be careful you don’t make mistakes. Position descriptions, expectations, resources, terms of office – these are crucial for the effective care and feeding of capable volunteers.

If we struggle to find and keep high-quality volunteers, some of the solutions may be found as we wrestle with these questions.

©2020 I Ross Bartlett