I had the opportunity this week to visit my friends at Charisma Media. We spent some time talking about the ways church volunteers can serve with excellence, which, you know is one of my very favorite topics!
You can listen to our conversation in the short podcast below, but I wanted to highlight a few things that came up in our talk.
Motives Matter
Knowing someone’s WHY is important. At Volunteer U we believe that motivated people get the job done. And like I mentioned in the podcast, I’d rather team members be honest with me upfront about their reasons to serve…Even if they’re like my friend, Josh (who we talked about in the podcast), and don’t have exactly pure reasons for coming on board. Why are we so obsessed with our team’s why? Learning a person’s motives is critical in developing a relationship. Volunteers COME for their own reasons. They STAY because of relationships. We can always pivot motives that don’t line up with our vision later on, but, first, we want to know what moves our team.
Culture is Key
We talk about this at length in our book Volunteer U, and we discussed it in the podcast, but I can’t emphasize enough that CULTURE MATTERS. Every organization is different, and it’s important to highlight and celebrate those differences with your team. For some organizations working in jeans and a t-shirt is expected. For others, business casual is the norm. Small details like dress code are important for your team to understand. When volunteers are fighting the culture instead of going with the flow, you might end up with embarrassing mishaps or even worse, your productivity may suffer. Save your team from any slip-ups by focusing on your organization’s unique culture.
Training is Vital
It’s no secret we are fanatic about training here at Volunteer U. The reason is that we’ve seen so much success come from well-trained (and well-informed) teams. Volunteers who have been indoctrinated with their organization’s mission, vision, and culture, and know exactly what is expected of them just perform better. Trained teams are successful teams. Volunteers who have gone through their paces are ready to represent the organization and can share their passion in a way that advances the brand to its best advantage.
Listen to the podcast below and hear the full interview. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Volunteer U Blog and keep up with all our tips on Volunteering, Leadership, and Serving with Excellence.