“I don’t feel like I’m needed anymore.” I just stood there. I was disappointed, sad, shocked and angry all at the same time. Didn’t this volunteer see that I needed him? He was feeling useless. And the reason he felt useless is because there wasn’t clarity around what needed to be done.
Volunteers will leave your ministry if there is no clarity with their role. The solution is quite simple. You need to create a job description for each of your volunteers. That means writing down:
That’s what needs to go on the job description; however, you also need to make sure you can:
Don’t create an endless list of tasks. Create more clarity and impact by summing up all that you want them to do in one sentence. It gives them the bottom line behind their purpose. It will come off simple and take away any intimidation people face when signing on for a ministry. To get started answer the question, “What does your position exist to do?”
You want to make sure volunteers are clear on what to do. You also want to make sure they are clear on whether or not they are succeeding. Affirming feelings is important. But, you also want to give them tangible goals they can measure. Create mile markers of success. Share with them examples of what you are looking for. By tracking success people will know they are heading in the right direction. This will build momentum.
Sometimes you need to treat your volunteers like employees to create a sense of ownership. Give them a physical job description. Write it out, post it on your website and hand them out when recruiting for potential volunteers. A tangible job description will bring clarity and confidence. A confident volunteer is an effective volunteer.
If you are not sure where to start look for someone in your church who reviews, or creates job descriptions for a living (i.e. a human resources professional). Or, you can download the two we use with our volunteers. When your volunteers see that you’ve taken the time to think out why they matter, they’ll be sure to live up to (and possibly exceed) expectations.
What are essential task to include in a volunteer job description? Share your thoughts.
To download a copy of a High School Small Group Leader click here.
To download a copy of a Middle School Crowd Leader click here.