Church Volunteer Recruitment

If you’re looking to grow your church volunteer program, it may be time to reevaluate your recruitment methods. The best way to recruit volunteers is organically. That is, you shouldn’t have to sell the idea of volunteering. Rather, you should reach out to those have expressed a genuine interest in helping those in need. You may find that members of your congregation want to volunteer, but just haven’t signed up yet. In many cases, recruiting church volunteers is about making your program more accessible. We’re sharing 5 of the most important strategies for how to recruit church volunteers who are engaged and committed to your mission.

1. Make Volunteer Opportunities Clear and Accessible

Volunteers shouldn’t have to dig through your website; here are a few tips for making your church volunteer opportunities list stand out:

• Give each opportunity a job title and description of key responsibilities.
• Feature a visible “Volunteer” heading in your website’s navigation menu.
• List all your events and church volunteer opportunities in one place on your website.
• Spotlight a particularly exciting event on your homepage.

2. Offer Simple Sign-Up

Once prospective volunteers find opportunities they’re interested in, they should be able to register for your church volunteer program painlessly. If there are too many hurdles as part of church volunteer application, you may accidentally discourage future volunteers. Respond promptly when members express interest in your program. Send a thank you message with details on clear, actionable next steps, so they know exactly what to do to participate in your program.

While sign-up should be simple, you should not skip necessary steps like vetting and background checks. These processes should, however, occur punctually. We recommend a church volunteer management and scheduling software like Galaxy Digital’s Get Connected. The platform offers eSign waivers, simple volunteer sign-up, and automated responses when individuals sign up for your volunteer program.

 Download FREE church volunteer recruitment templates >>

3. Conduct a Church Volunteer Interest Survey

Your best volunteers care about the work they’re doing; make sure you have plenty of opportunities to suit their passions, interests, and skills. Why not conduct an interest survey to gather important insight into the kinds of causes that matter to your volunteers? They’ll feel like their voices are heard and will be more likely to find an opportunity that they’ll commit to.

Here are some important volunteer interest survey questions to ask your members:

• About how many hours per week do you hope to volunteer?
• Which days of the week are your available to volunteer?
• Which of the following causes are you passionate about?
• Which of the following service areas interest you most?
• What are the best ways for encouraging church volunteers?
• What professional or technical skills to do have that may aid volunteer activities?
• What are your goals for volunteering? What do you hope to get out of your volunteering experience?

Download free recruitment email templates!

Each of your volunteers has a special gift. Understanding the skills and passions of your volunteers will help you to match them with the most appropriate roles.

Note: A volunteer management software like Get Connected can capture volunteer interests and skills and recommend opportunities automatically so volunteers are more likely to stay engaged with your program!

4. Promote Your Volunteer Opportunities

Spread the word about exciting volunteer opportunities using a variety of outreach platforms! Here are a few ways to step up your outreach game:

• Announce upcoming events on your organization’s social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
• Encourage your volunteers to share their photos from your event. Remind volunteers to use your hashtag to generate a collective buzz!
• Highlight some of your opportunities in your nonprofit newsletter!
• Don’t forget about more traditional outreach platforms. While social media is a simple way to reach a larger audience, many of your church members may get their information from newspapers and radio. Check out this article on tips for writing your next press release. 

With every mention of an opportunity, be sure to include clear church volunteer job descriptions, a call to action to register, and a link that leads directly to the opportunities page so prospects are only a click away from joining your church volunteer program!

5. Make Volunteering Social

Encourage volunteers to invite friends and family! It’s the best way to ensure volunteers have fun and feel good about the work they’re doing. Meanwhile, you’ll recruit new, engaged helpers! Offer incentives for volunteers who bring their friends (volunteers will love coffee and treats). Our Connect software makes it easy for groups to sign up for your opportunities together.

These essential tips will help you grow your volunteer program. A robust volunteer management software like Get Connected can help you recruit and engage volunteers so that your church can make an impact in your community. Learn more about Galaxy Digital’s church volunteer management software for your volunteer program.