In this season the subject of ‘volunteer teams’ has been a hot topic for ministry leaders. You can check out some of the articles I’ve written recently about volunteers HERE, HERE, HERE. I’ve even recorded some videos, you can watch HERE. One of the specific questions that I am hearing come up repeatedly is regarding volunteer retention. I thought I’d take some time today to share my top 5 Reasons Why Volunteers Exit and questions you can ask if you lead volunteers, so more of them will stick around!
Have you ever experienced the ‘revolving door syndrome?’ This means that after amazing new volunteers join the team, the quickly become less than ‘all-in’ or even exit the team altogether a short time later. If so, this article is for you!
It is also for anyone who returned after months of being closed and found that a high percentage of their volunteers have not returned with them.
Retaining volunteers is a far easier task than recruiting and training new volunteers. Even if neither of the above situations pertains to you, but you want to help ensure you retain your amazing volunteer team, this information will be incredibly beneficial to you.
Of course, there will always be reasons volunteers exit, or temporarily stop serving that are out of your control. The purpose of this article is to point to things that we can control. SO MANY volunteers exit because we don’t do all that we can, to encourage them to stick around! Let’s get to it…
5 Reasons Why Volunteers Exit
1) Volunteers who feel unappreciated or undervalued, will exit.
Each volunteer on your team is going to have different things that make them feel appreciated and valued. Hand-written thank you cards, verbal praise, shooting an ‘I’m praying for you text’, setting aside time for coffee and connection, or a phone call to check-in, goes a long way.
There are many stories from this season of individuals who were volunteering regularly at their church at the beginning of 2020. When the building doors closed, so did all connection and communication they had with their team leader. When it became time to reopen the building, they were pursued for the first time in months, in order to start serving again.
This is likely unintentional on the leaders part, but without realizing it, what has been communicated to the volunteer is that they are valuable because of WHAT they do, and not because of WHO they are.
The extent in which we care for our volunteers, even when they are doing nothing ‘for us’ speaks to the value we see in them as people.
Volunteers who are appreciated, often do more than is expected.
Do your volunteers feel seen, known and valued?
2. Volunteers who don’t feel fulfilled, will exit.
In my experience a lack of fulfillment often results from not seeing how their role or investment is having an impact. It can be a challenge for a volunteer to see how changing 10 diapers in the nursery connects to life change. We have to help them make the connection. Celebrating ‘wins’ that happen through your team is a big way to connect their role to the vision and mission. Give them the language. Help them identify how THEIR life, their time and their investment are making a difference.
Also along these same lines, is serving in a position that is not the right fit. Volunteers who are serving in roles outside of their gifts or abilities and/or their passions will often struggle to feel fulfilled.
I do not recommend acting on a person’s offer to put them ‘wherever is the greatest need.’ Everyone has gifts that God placed inside them. They have skill sets and passions. Ask the right questions and do work, up front, to get volunteers connected to the right positions.
Sometimes what a new volunteer may believe is the right position, won’t be. As a leader, you get to call out the gifts you see and challenge them. Don’t be intimated by this. You may encourage someone to ‘try’ out a position they might not otherwise consider. Some of the highest capacity leaders and volunteers I have served with, have found their greatest fulfillment because their gifts were called out and they rose to the challenge.
Are your volunteers serving in the right place and can they verbalize how their role is connected to the vision and mission?
3. Volunteers lacking a relational connection, will exit.
We are relationally driven. So many volunteers join a team because they are motivated to make a personal connection. They want to do life alongside people who love Jesus and will link arms with them. Be intentional about making introductions and creating opportunities for volunteers to connect on a personal level. Everyone should have someone (in leadership) that knows them.
Does every volunteer have a leader that notices when they aren’t there and who they would say they connect with on a personal level?
4. Volunteers who are not equipped and/or challenged, will exit.
Volunteers arrive on our team expecting to show up, be trained, receive the resources they need and be released to serve. When any of those are repeatedly lacking, they often will exit.
Do we send out curriculum when we say we will? Are our volunteers showing up to serve in an environment that is prepared and ready for them? What opportunities exist for volunteers to learn new skills, be challenged in their role or step into new leadership responsibilities? A leadership development plan can be a great asset to a team that is looking to retain high capacity volunteers.
Is your team provided everything they need, in a timely fashion, to fulfill their role? How are we challenging volunteers to use their gifts and abilities so they can all that God put inside them to have the greatest possible Kingdom impact?
5. Volunteers who are overcommitted or overwhelmed, will often, eventually exit.
It is so easy for a leader to identify who the ‘yes’ people are. They are the ones who show up to serve and work at every event, every outreach, every service. Likely there is someone on your team, that you know you can count on. If you have a need, you can call ___, because they will say ‘yes.’
If we are not mindful as leaders, we can overwhelm and overcommit these individuals. Most of the time, in my experience, they have a heart to please. When they get to a place where they NEED to say ‘no’ to something, they won’t. They don’t want to disappoint anyone or leave a need unmet.
Eventually, they will get burned out. As leaders, we have to shepherd the volunteers on our team. Encourage them when they need a break. No one should miss every event or every church service. Let’s be guarded against taking advantage of someone’s ‘YES’.
Also, sometimes our volunteers our overwhelmed due to things happening in their personal life. This is easily identified when they are doing life with a leader that is checking-in and praying for them. It goes back to the importance of a relational connection. We speak to the value our volunteers have as people, when we give them a break from serving while we continue to walk alongside them through the season.
Who may be feeling overcommitted or overwhelmed on the team? (Who are the YES people and are they being especially cared for? )
Warning Signs/Check Points
As a bonus, I thought I’d share some warning signs or check points that can draw our attention to areas of concern. Evidence of one or more of these (in the absence of a reasonable explanation) should be considered a red flag.
- volunteers who show up to serve only 50% (or less) of their scheduled weeks
- no one on the team is inviting friends to serve alongside them
- the overall culture is negative (stress vs. joy -or- ‘have too’ vs ‘get too mindset)
- volunteers struggle to verbally identify the ‘wins’ coming from your ministry or their time serving
- timeliness is not respected (volunteers show up late consistently or no-show)
- lack of response to emails, text messages, social media prompts & phone calls
I have heard this season referred to as a great ‘revealer’. Some of what was laying just beneath the surface has been exposed. In some instances the team we have right now, reveals to us the volunteer culture or the health of the team we had at the beginning of 2020.
The advantage in revealing what was beneath the surface is that we can address anything that could be detrimental to the health of our team.
One of the biggest shifts in my leadership and my volunteer team culture happened when I prioritized retaining volunteers. They stuck around longer. The team became healthier. People felt more fulfilled. We reached more kids and families.
I have full confidence that you can do it too. The results will have an eternal difference both for those you are trying to reach and those who are serving alongside you!
As always, if I can partner with you or your organization, please leave a comment or reach out through the Contact Form.
I’m routing for you!