Home Youth Leaders Articles for Youth Leaders 11 Ways to Empower Your Volunteers

11 Ways to Empower Your Volunteers

You will always need more staff. The problem comes in funding staff! Some of you right now have a list of people you want to pay, but you just can’t find money in the budget to make the move. Early on, I learned that I had to find ways to build a staff before I could pay a staff. You can’t wait for budget money to build a great team; you have to decide to empower high impact volunteers now!

Once you put this team of paid and volunteer staff around you, the journey to learn how to empower and lead them begins! Here are a few lessons I have learned over the years …

  • Let Them Lead—Don’t ask a high impact volunteer to join your team if you’re not ready to let them lead. Make room for your team to actually lead with you!
  • Take Time to Listen—If you have a high impact team around you, create time to really listen to what they are experiencing.
  • Be Patient—Volunteers have limited time, so remember to breathe and be a little more patient.
  • Share Clear Expectations—Make sure your team knows exactly what you need from them and what they are responsible for.
  • Continually Cast Vision—Our teams need us to continually point them back to the mission and vision … not just to their ministry to-do list!
  • Say Thanks—Everyone needs to hear it. Find many different ways to say it.
  • Communicate Consistently—Keep them in the loop with what you are thinking. Keep your team up to speed.
  • Work Together—Take time to work on projects with the different people on your team! Time working together is great time to train.
  • Be a Problem Solver—Work to remove obstacles that are in your team’s way!
  • Celebrate Wins—Slow down and take time to celebrate with your team.
  • Find Creative Rewards—You may not be able to pay all your team, but find small ways to reward them.
If you are a next generation leader and you want to gather with other leaders passionate about investing in marriages, families and the next generation, then make plans to be with us at The Orange Conference. We have crafted leader tracks that are beyond incredible and will link you with other like-minded leaders. Go check out this gathering here!