20 Ways to Get More Volunteers

How can I get more volunteers?

That’s among the top five questions I hear on a regular basis. Here are twenty quick ways to bring in new people (none of ’em involve putting on a chicken suit).

1. Shoulder tap.
2. Encourage every existing volunteer to invite one new volunteer to serve in the next year.
3. Personally invite one new person a month to serve on your team.
4. Talk about it from the stage.
5. Tell volunteers’ stories.
6. Provide regular orientation opportunities.
7. Let potential volunteers observe what they’ll be doing (with zero commitment).
8. List opportunities in your worship guide.
9. Put up rotating slides before the service.
10. Highlight the chance to build community, not just to serve.
11. Spotlight a “volunteer of the week” on your social media accounts.
12. Talk about serving as opportunity instead of duty.
13. Help people discover their passion.
14. Tell “hero stories” of how volunteers created wins for guests.
15. Provide “one-off” serving opportunites.
16. Make serving easy: pay attention to your on-ramps.
17. Talk about serving in your membership class.
18.  Create spaces where families can serve together.
19.  Help potential vols think through their schedules.
20.  Stick with new volunteers until they’re comfortable in their role.

Want to discover more?

We frequently dig deep to solve these issues and many more in our One-Day Workshop on Volunteer Culture. If you lead vols, need vols, or are a vol, you’ll benefit. Get more information.