Finishing up our series on volunteers, here are three practical tips for making them feel like a million bucks:
Be their friend. First, remember their name and other things they tell you like where they work, how many kids they have, etc. Recalling that information to them helps them to know you care about them as a person and aren’t just using them for their talents and abilities. Chat with them every week and see how things are going. It’s not about their work in the children’s ministry anymore, it’s about life.
Invite them into your home. There is nothing quite like hosting someone in your home. You are letting them see into a huge part of your life. You are inviting them, essentially, to be a part of it. You’d be surprised how much closer you feel to someone who has seen where you eat dinner and watch tv at night.
Call them for reasons other than to get them to switch days or volunteer for another event. You know it happens…volunteers see your name pop up on their screen and it’s like they can’t find the “talk” button. Call every once in a while just to see how their day is going. Call to invite them to lunch. Call to let them know you are praying for them. It will mean the world to them.
I hope this series has been helpful to you. These are all things that I’m sure you have thought about before, but maybe haven’t been able to implement. Start small and work your way up to being a person that everyone wants to work with!
If you missed the last 2 segments of this series, here they are: