Please and Thank You
By Clair Mucha, Stewardship and Development Office Intern
Recruiting volunteers is a perennial challenge.
Inviting parishioners and others to participate in meaningful volunteer opportunities is essential to creating an engaged parish and school community. Too often we hear, “We can’t get people to volunteer.” So how do we recruit and retain the volunteer and leadership support we need? Here are just a few things to consider:
Establish a culture of invitation. Volunteer sign-up sheets in the back of church or announcements in the bulletin just don’t work like they used to. People need a personal invitation that says to them that their particular gifts would make a difference. Personalization is key. It is much easier to walk by a sign-up sheet than it is to say “no” to a fellow parishioner who asks us to join him or her in a particular project.
Everyone knows this already, right? So why don’t we do it? Perhaps we’re afraid of rejection. This past summer we heard an excellent and entertaining talk at the Global Leadership Summit from Jia Jiang who spoke about overcoming the fear of rejection. Here’s a TedEx version of his talk, which we strongly recommend for your or your team’s viewing pleasure. It will blow your mind.
Communicate impact and community. Use your communication vehicles (bulletin, newsletter, enews, website) to show photos of people working together to make a difference. Here is where to showcase the joy of stewardship. Include testimonials and list the names of all involved. Seeing other people enjoying their work together to build the church will inspire others to answer “yes” to an invitation they receive.
Express gratitude. Gratitude makes all the difference. Volunteers should hear gratitude from leadership and staff. Our very own Archbishop Lucas is a great example of how to do this. Publishing monthly spotlights on an individual or a family in parish bulletins or directly thanking them in person lets you express your appreciation while encouraging their return. A simple phone call can go a very long way.
The life of a Christian steward yields numerous benefits for those in need and those fulfilling the need. When someone is personally invited into the mission of the Church they are given the chance to increase their level of engagement, develop new and important relationships, and build their sense of ownership of the mission.
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