Home Youth Leaders Articles for Youth Leaders 6 Ways You Can Multiply Your Volunteers

6 Ways You Can Multiply Your Volunteers

Parents love next generation ministries packed with volunteers they can trust. When parents drop their kids off and they see volunteers they can trust, they feel better about partnering with your ministry. I know you are an incredible leader, but the effectiveness of your ministry will be measured by the volunteers you empower!

Slow down and ask yourself what’s your greatest need in the ministry you lead? You may automatically say more volunteers. What you need more than just “more volunteers” is MULTIPLICATION of your most trusted volunteers! You need your key leaders developing other new leaders and multiplying. We need our existing leaders investing in the new volunteers we bring onto our team. Here are six ways we can go beyond adding new volunteers and start multiplying …

Invite … there is power in serving alongside others. When we invite new people to join our team, we are saying to them I BELIVE IN YOU. Everyone wants to be on a team. Why not view the area you lead as a team … get leaders on your team who have potential to REPLACE YOU.

Intentionally Teach … explain what you are doing even when no one asks … say, this is why I did this. This is how I prepare. This is how I respond. When we intentionally teach we do not leave development to accident!

Remind … you need to be repeating the vision and mission of your ministry areas as much as any staff member, maybe more. Ministry with kids can be rewarding and tiring all at the same time. We need to continually help the people we are developing see why this matters, why we do this strategy, why this is making a difference, why they matter as leaders.

Seek Advice and Listen … get input from new leaders, ask for advice … get feedback. If you want to let someone know they matter, then just ask them for advice. A simple, What do you think is so empowering for a new leader.

Give Leadership Opportunities … your team needs a chance to serve as you watch, give them a chance to make a mistake! Sure you can teach or run that activity better and that may help the DAY move smoother, but it never helps a new leader step forward. You have to give people a chance to mess up.

Encourage … help move your team to new levels of leadership. Some people just need to be believed in. If leaders are going to move forward and take new leadership roles then they need to hear us pushing them forward, letting them know what they are good at. We need to become FANS of new volunteers who have potential.