Volunteers, a precious resource we can’t afford to lose. —Denise Penn
Do your volunteers know how much you appreciate them? They should. Lack of volunteer appreciation is a major reason for high turnover rates among volunteers, and appreciation can be directly tied to retention. Retention is huge for all organizations that heavily rely on volunteers but especially for youth ministry for three reasons:
When you evaluate the cost of losing volunteers, can you afford for volunteer retention to not move up your priority list?
People feel appreciated and are motivated in a variety of ways. Here are some things you can do to show your appreciation, based on the three primary ways people are motivated.
Some folks are competitive and therefore motivated by accomplishments, so you can appreciate these folks by:
Others are motivated by social interaction:
Finally, there are those who are motivated by influence/power:
Of course, people overlap into more than one of these groups. I bring these up to remind us that not every form of appreciation works with every personality type. Take time to think about how each of your volunteers might best be acknowledged and appreciated.
The things that are truly a priority in your ministry are the ones on your to-do list. So, if volunteer retention is a priority, then make sure its on your to-do list.
Appreciation can be done in hundreds of different ways. Here are 10 that I’ve found effective. Add your suggestions in the comments section below!
CYMT is excited about its newest endeavor, Theology Together. Theology Together educates both teenagers and youth workers as they engage in theological reflection, spiritual practice, vital service, and vocational discernment. The Theology Together process produces reflective action that is embedded in the fabric of youth ministry in all of its contexts. We believe strongly that youth are theologians and belong at the center of tough, life-changing dialogue around faith, relationships, and life. We place teenagers in the driver seat alongside their youth pastors and leaders, equipping each individual to think differently about youth ministry, to provoke a sense of awe and wonder: a WOW moment.
Youth theology is theology built upon the simple doctrinal principle of the priesthood of all believers, and takes that principle right down to its natural conclusion: that all believers, including youth, teens, adolescents, etc. are theologians. It is theology that values all youth as theologians. Here we will share with you how to engage with youth theology in your own ministry.
A few weeks ago, we shared the launch of Theology Together 2.0. Today, Dwight (the director of Theology Together) will be sharing with us one experience […]
One way that I show appreciation to my volunteers is by making <a href="http://www.pinmart.com/pins.aspx">Custom Pins </a> for each of them. It's a simple way to say thanks and to recognize all of the hard work they've done.