Effective Leadership of Volunteers

 For as long as I can remember I have volunteered in ministry efforts. First it was with my local church, then in short-term mission ministries, and for the last thirty years with ministries in sport. Across those years I have observed a few keys to effective leadership of volunteers, particularly in ministry efforts. A summary of those keys follows.

1. Give the volunteer one responsibility fitting his or her skills and gifts. Just one. If you give him or her too much, or if the responsibility is a poor fit, the volunteer will become overwhelmed, frustrated, or fail. Worse, the volunteer will simply walk away disappointed.

2. Give the volunteer clear instructions and expectations for the area of responsibility assigned. To fail in this leads to similar frustration, conflicts, and to the volunteer finding something else to do. If the instructions and expectations are too vague, the volunteer will be either too timid to serve well, or will overstep boundaries that were never clearly communicated.

3. Do not micromanage or become overly demanding of the volunteer. Give the person the responsibility and let him or her serve. To micromanage or to become demanding is perceived by the volunteer as a lack of trust and respect, and will result in withdrawal from your ministry.

4. Help the volunteer experience God's presence and pleasure in the activity. Pray with them. Thank God for them. Share exciting results with them. Acknowledge how the Lord is working in them through their selfless service.

5. Welcome their suggestions. I cannot emphasize this enough. Many of the most profound improvements in ministry policies, procedures, and processes have come from volunteers' suggestions. This will not happen if you don't create an avenue for receiving suggestions, and it won't matter if you don't have the humility to hear from people not "on staff."

​6. Celebrate their service and express thanks for it. One size does not fit all, but finding appropriate ways to celebrate volunteers, and expressing thanks frequently is a very important part of leading volunteers well. Some are very gratified to be acknowledged from the platform, while others would far prefer a handshake and a simple, "Thank you." Receiving a handwritten card is always welcomed by volunteers.

​It has been my experience that when these keys are followed, volunteers have great, even life changing experiences with ministries. When that happens, the volunteer will continue to serve week after week, month after month, year after year.

I still volunteer with a ministry I first encountered in 1982. I spend time, money, energy, vacation days, heart, and soul engaged with other volunteers and a very small staff because all six of the aforementioned keys are experienced each time.