023: Seriously Unforgettable Volunteer Appreciation

Episode 023: Seriously Unforgettable Volunteer Appreciation

Intro 0:01  
Hey, this is Laurie Graham. Welcome to The Small Church Ministry Podcast.

Laurie Graham 0:15
Hey! It is so amazing that we have small churches connecting together all over the world. At our kids’ ministry conference last month, I got to talk with Teri from Botswana, like part of her team was actually in sleeping bags in her living room, because by the time the conference wrapped up, it would be 1 AM over there. I’m so grateful that we are able to reach all around the globe and connect together for so much hope, and encouragement. So wherever you are listening from whether you’re headed into summer, like me, or south of the Equator, and headed into winter, I’m so happy you’re listening. 

Today we’re going to talk about appreciating volunteers. Now, of course, appreciation happens in every size church. But as I say, small church ministry isn’t less, but it is different, even with appreciating volunteers. Now, the most obvious difference might be that in most small churches, they have smaller budgets. So we can’t always pay for matching T-shirts, or grand appreciation, dinners, or even all the token gifts that we can find all over Pinterest. But in addition to that difference, oftentimes, the appreciation sometimes comes more from one another because there isn’t always a team leader or a Christian ed director, or a volunteer coordinator who’s tasked with making sure volunteers are appreciated because sometimes we all are the volunteers. But more than that, in small churches, a lot of times volunteers are family members. Not only is appreciating family members different, but also we can sometimes take for granted all the volunteer hours that our family members are putting in. Whether they’re helping us or doing a different ministry, even our kiddos. 

So we’re going to talk about what amazing appreciation looks like in a small church. We’re going to dive into some of the basics about appreciation, and then how to do an amazing job with it at a small church. Even if your budget is small, your volunteers or your family members, and there’s not a centralized leader over the team. 

Laurie Graham 2:19
So first off, there’s a difference between recognition and appreciation, and often they get lumped into the same definition. But they are very different and they’re also both really important. So recognition is a thank you for a job, a milestone achieved, a project completed. We are recognizing that you are a volunteer, that you served at an event, or that you did a task, and this is important. Like we want to recognize when people do things. Recognition often involves awards and certificates, and as I mentioned, like recognizing milestones. Celebrating achievements, like completing volunteer training, that’s an example of recognition. And celebrating achievements like that can actually give volunteers more incentive to achieve because they’re recognized somebody’s watching and somebody noticed. 

Now the difference with appreciation, is appreciation is more about the person than the task. So this is when we notice value in who a person is, rather than a specific achievement or job they did. This might look like caring about your volunteers, checking in on them, telling them their awesome, special notes, a little gift now and then, and that also could fall under appreciation. Like not a thank you for a specific task because that’s recognition, but a thank you or thank you gift just for being you. Like “I’m grateful to know you to serve with you.” As much as recognition motivates people to keep serving, appreciation actually ranks even higher. 

When people feel valued, their loyalty increases, they’re more likely to work harder, show up more regularly and even be happier serving. So even though recognition and appreciation definitely have a little bit of overlap, one without the other is lacking. We need to thank people for the things they do for a job well done, but we also need to appreciate them for who they are. So recognition without appreciation is like “Okay, so you like what I’m doing for you. But what about me?” Like “Do you like me?” Recognition without appreciation actually can leave people feeling used, even family members. Now appreciation without recognition is more like, “I know you love me, but did you see what I did? Did you see how much time that looked? How much I sacrificed?” Again even family members.

Laurie Graham 4:59
So when it comes to appreciating and recognizing volunteers, which one do you lean more toward? Because even though many people have a certain preference, keep in mind that a mix of both recognition and appreciation is really the best plan. So here’s the thing, volunteers eventually quit, move or die. Now, although we don’t always like to think about death, none of us lives forever, none of us stays forever. So this will always leave us at some point needing new volunteers. Makes sense? However, I just want you to keep this in mind, you do have a lot of influence over how long volunteers stay. Did you know it’s actually easier to keep the volunteers you have than to find new volunteers? So maybe just maybe, instead of spending so much time and energy, needing volunteers and trying to recruit new volunteers, and I know we need to do this, but what if we spent a little more time and energy on keeping the volunteers we do have?

Of course, this goes beyond appreciation, we need to set them up for success, we need to support them with training and resources, we need to help people grow and find great fits and ministry. But appreciation, it is part of the picture. So there’s two things to think about retention and satisfaction, meaning how long do volunteers stay? But also how happy are they volunteering? Now, you may have a few volunteers who’ve been serving for life, and they’re gonna keep serving because they are committed. But maybe they’re also a little crabby or bitter. Or maybe you have no problem getting volunteers, but when you do get these volunteers, they only stay for a little while before they fade away. And you wonder why didn’t they stay? So both retention, how long they stay, and happiness in serving, both of these issues can be really affected and improved by intentional appreciation. 

So how would appreciation keep people from quitting? You may be like “they’re quitting because they’re busy.” And I just want to tell you, that’s not why people quit. Here are the five main reasons volunteers quit, and as I mentioned, you’re not going to see they’re too busy on the list because it’s not why people quit. In fact, it’s also not why you are short volunteers, or why they’re not signing up. Because people make time for what they value. Okay, so here are the five main reasons people quit. Number one, they don’t feel needed. Number two, they don’t feel capable. Number three, they don’t have good relationships on the team. Number four, they don’t feel their input is valued. And number five, there’s no good leadership. 

Laurie Graham 8:02
So if you think about the first two on the list, they don’t feel needed, or they don’t feel capable. Please notice it’s not because they aren’t needed or they aren’t capable, they quit because they don’t feel needed, or they don’t feel like they’re capable. So why is that? Recognizing someone’s work actually speaks to that. If someone did a good job, and nobody notices, no one said, thanks, no one seemed to care if it was done. Well, why would you keep doing it? Like maybe it’s not needed? What a waste of time. But if somebody recognizes that you did a job well done. Honestly, you also feel capable, because you did it well. So I did it. The job was needed. And I did it well. So I feel needed, and I feel capable. That’s how recognition speaks to the first two reasons why people quit. 

Now, the third reason on the list was they don’t have good relationships on the team. Well, let me just say, appreciating somebody for who they are, that is very, very much a part of building a relationship. Like, wouldn’t you agree? When somebody sees who you are, like beyond what you do to who you are, don’t you feel seen and loved? Like not only do they see you, but they let you know it. It’s not only encouraging, but it builds a relationship, they see the beauty that God put in you.

So the fourth reason people quit is believing their input isn’t valued. So we’re going to get to that but that is actually a big part of appreciation. The fifth reason people quit is there’s no good leadership. Well, let me just let you know, recognizing and appreciating your team, that is part of being a good leader. Whether they are paid, whether they are volunteers, or whether they are a family member. Great leaders are known for loving on their teams, they are constantly outpouring they’re, building others up, they’re empowering them both with recognition and appreciation. So if appreciating and recognizing our volunteers literally speaks to all five of the top reasons why volunteers quit, then let’s look at how we can do this better. 

Now we’re gonna save recognition for a future podcast episode because again, recognizing people is about what they do and that’s really important. Thanking them for a task, recognizing milestones, service anniversaries, thank yous in the church bulletin, so important. But today, we’re going to focus on the other side of appreciation, which is about appreciating people for who they are, not just for what they do, and this is something that we all can get better at. 

Laurie Graham 10:48
So you do not need a budget at all to do great volunteer appreciation. Now, if you Google Ideas for volunteer appreciation, you’re gonna find a bunch of ideas on Pinterest, and most of them cost money. Maybe it’s a little money, like the candy bar that says “You’re Sweet” or the succulent plant that says “You Helped Me Grow.” And there’s nothing wrong with these cute token gifts like they’re sweet. But do they really speak to the deeper appreciation like “I see you as an individual.” “I value not just what you do, but who God created you to be.” Token gifts really can’t ever replace the bigger expressions of seeing people for who they are and celebrating that. So let’s go deeper with this, let’s do better. 

The biggest expressions of appreciation cost $0, and not surprisingly, they’re also very Jesus-like. So here are some things that mean a whole lot more to volunteers, than the cup of coffee that’s filled with candy. So the first one is this: trust your volunteers. Giving volunteers meaningful tasks and significant ministry jobs is appreciating who they are. Trusting your volunteer makes them feel valued, you are giving them more things to do than just being a helper, but you’re giving them significant things that grow them as people of influence. Another way to appreciate your volunteers, surprise them by seeing them. Like, develop your vision to see beyond what they do to who they are, and let them know about it and be spontaneous. 

So what I mean by this, people expect a thank you note after an event, or at least a verbal “Thank you,” they might expect a token gift at the end of the year. But when you can surprise them, like “Hey, I love working with you, I see this in you. I appreciate this about you.” It can be a handwritten note. But it doesn’t have to be it could be a text, it could be a call, it could be mentioning their name at a team meeting. Like they’ll remember that “Charlie, what I love about you is this.” But make sure when you do this, it’s about who they are, not what they did, because that’s appreciation. I can’t emphasize enough that this is unusual to do this, it is actually surprising to be seen in a world that is so jumbled with busyness and self-preservation. But if you can be somebody who sees people like Jesus sees them, it’s really beautiful. 

Laurie Graham 12:19
Another way to appreciate volunteers is keeping them in the loop, constant communication. Now, if you’re in the inner circle of anything, you know what’s going on, and where we’re going. If you’re never sure what’s going on, then you are on the outside. Can you think of that in your own life? Like when you’re never quite sure what’s going on? Don’t you feel on the outside? Do you know that many times, team members are kept on the outside? Like they’re called on to help, but they’re never quite sure what we’re doing or why. If you value your volunteers, if you appreciate them, you won’t just keep them in the loop but they actually become part of the loop. Like ask for their input, listen to their concerns, their hopes, their dreams, include them on decisions as they’re made so they don’t hear after the fact, even with dates of events. So it’s not just you keeping them in the loop, they’re actually part of the loop. 

Okay, now another sweet way to show your volunteers some appreciation, now this does involve a little token, but share a symbol, like something that symbolizes your team or your ministry. Think about something like that would be part of your mission. It’s even better if there’s like a personal story attached to it, something ordinary like a penny or stone or plastic potato head part. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it can actually be quite ordinary, but something that comes out of the why of your ministry, or even a story of a life changed. But whatever it is, this little symbol, this tangible reminder of the why helps people feel part of the team. And it’s even super special if it’s an ordinary item that becomes special because of the story attached to it. 

So let me give you one example. For every person who joins the Small Church Academy, we give them a little sailboat charm. Now to anybody else, you’d be like, “Okay, why is there a sailboat attached to the Small Church Academy? Like, what is that about?” If they left the charm sitting on a table or clicked onto a keychain, no one knows what that was about. But the sailboat for me and the Small Church Academy, it means something. I don’t know if you’ve heard the story of the runner and the sailor, but that’s what it’s all about, it’s reminding us that God is the wind and the waves, that it’s not our power. That we’re just tending the boat. Now, this symbol, for us is a symbol of the why you’re part of the team like somebody is praying for you. Only people in the Small Church Academy get this little sailboat Isn’t that beautiful? 

Laurie Graham 16:22
So what do you think would be a symbol for your ministry or your team? And again, even if it’s two people, something that you both have, it’s the same. Like I said, it could be a penny, it could be a stone, it could be a scripture, that’s just your scripture that’s attached to a symbol. But whatever it is, if you have a symbol that stands for you and your ministry, and you share that, it’s very personal, and it’s very beautiful, and not only will it help your volunteers or your team, like feel connected to you, but it will connect you to your team in a really beautiful way. 

All right, Another way to appreciate volunteers is training. Did you know that training your volunteers, actually is part of appreciating them because it shows value? First off, it shows that you value the position they’re filling, what they are doing. That it’s important enough to do it well, but it also shows that you value your volunteer because you want them to succeed. And also it shows that you believe they are capable to do this job well. Think about it. If anybody can do a job, then why would you need them? Why would you need them as an individual? But if you elevate the position enough to really believe that it should not only be done but it’s done well, you invest in them you invest in training. Don’t forget to celebrate them upon completion of the training to that’s a recognition tool. But it’s a really cool thing to do.

Now, if you are listening to this podcast, and it’s just you. Like it’s just you serving, you might be thinking, “Wow, if I had a volunteer to train, I would so do that.” Or maybe you wish you had volunteers to appreciate. Let me tell you, I totally get that. We are all in small churches, but I also want to encourage you that it’s okay to start with one. In fact, it’s awesome to start with one, because if you are the only teacher for all the kids like K through six, because you only have three kids, you aren’t alone. That’s very typical in a small church. If you’re the only person who serves in Men’s Ministry or on the missions committee, I get it, I’m in a small church too. 

But I just want to implore you to find one helper, one partner, someone to mentor somebody to partner with you, maybe somebody to be your backup, just find one and start there and start well. Like you can develop a habit with one person, of trusting them with a significant ministry. You can develop a habit with one person of surprising them by seeing what Jesus sees in them and telling them. You can support and appreciate one person by not just keeping them in the loop, but making them part of the loop.

Laurie Graham 19:11
Find a symbol, maybe it is just the two of you. How special will that little token symbol be? Train them, elevate them, because if you start this with one person, I’m going to tell you, you won’t have a bunch of bad habits to break. Like you’ll start this off right from the start and it will be so beautiful. And I also want to mention, even if you feel like it’s just you. Most of us have a family member that helps us, a daughter that comes early, or a spouse with a listening ear, or a friend that will just listen to us when no one else will. So who is that one person?

I did want to talk about family members and best friends just for a second. Many small churches have core families. Now sometimes it’s the pastor’s family, but sometimes it’s not. Oftentimes, there’s a few other core families. These are families who served together, they bear a lot of weight in your church, are you one of those families? Because a lot of people who listen to this podcast are part of those families. If that’s you, I want to encourage you to do something special to appreciate a family member, or a best friend this week. When I say families, sometimes it’s a couple of really good friends who serve a lot together and pour a lot into their church. But just find something special to appreciate one of those people in your life this week, like take them out for lunch, or have a special date, write a sweet note, or send an unexpected text. Again, whether it’s a friend, a spouse, a kid, a father, an aunt, it is pretty easy to take our family members and even our best friends for granted. Those people who pitch in just because they love you, right? Not about the job all the time, but because they’re trying to help you. 

Now if you are not that family or that person, but you see that family and you know exactly who those core people are I’m talking about. When you see those kids when you see those people who work behind the scenes, would you please let them know you see them and you appreciate them? As a pastor’s wife, who has served in a lot of ways, and I’ve raised kids who have served in a lot of unseen ways, I have not always done a great job of appreciating all of that they are or recognizing all that they do. And I don’t think I’m alone in that. So if you have kids or friends who set up, tear down, clean up, scrub toilets, waited on people in every way imaginable, please see them and let them know that you do see them.

Laurie Graham 21:55
If you do have those kids at church, you know the ones I’m talking about, they may not be pastors’ kids, but those core family kids, please make sure to give a shout-out or a special thanks to those we tend to take for granted, especially the ones who are under 18. Okay? And for those who are your faithful few who might be a bit older, you know, the ones who keep the kitchen clean, or we the grounds when no one is looking. Maybe send a little appreciation their way to again, not for all that they do, but for who they are. That’s appreciation. 

And I just want to say this, if there is no ministry leader taking care of you or there is no ministry leader in your area, it doesn’t matter. Throughout Scripture, we are called to love one another. It doesn’t just say appreciate those who serve under your leadership, it says love one another. Michelle Mueller is one of our speakers coming up at our upcoming pastor’s wife conference. She and her husband have a church that is 100% volunteer-led and they love that phrase. They’ve actually coined a little phrase, they say we do a lot of one another-ing. One another thing, I kind of love that; serving one another, loving one another, helping one another. So let’s do some one another-ing with our appreciation. You don’t need to be a ministry leader to appreciate or recognize someone else who’s serving in your church. That’s one of the reasons I love this last amazing idea that I’m going to share with you for volunteer appreciation, it’s actually set up to be one another-ing. 

So here is the number one my most favorite, most seriously, unforgettable volunteer appreciation idea that never gets old. You can use this idea at VBS, at a retreat, with children, adults, on a Sunday morning, or whatever. So just think about care cards. Now. It’s much better than any thank you note. We’re going to talk about care cards, it builds community and deepens relationships. They express amazing appreciation in a way like no other and they are also a great way to teach and empower others to extend appreciation too. Your volunteers, if you do this, they’re going to develop more appreciation for each other and also learn some skills and gain confidence in sharing their appreciation. Doing care cards like this. It also breaks down barriers it builds and deepens relationships, and that is the core of ministry right relationships. 

Laurie Graham 24:39
So let’s talk about care cards. A few years ago, my kids came home from a youth mission trip with some paper lunch bags, that honestly looked like they had seen better days. But inside these unassuming paper lunch bags, there were invaluable treasures; scraps of paper that would be worthless on their own contained valuable time because of what was written on it. There were things like, “Hey, I loved meeting you”, “You have a smile that lights up the room”, or “Thanks for helping me with this” or “You’re smart and funny”, or “You did such a great job on this”, or “I love this about you”. Now, each little note, the bag had a bunch of individual notes in it, each note was signed by somebody from the trip; leaders, peers, new friends, old friends. My kids held on to those crumpled bags for years. Those notes inside are priceless and irreplaceable. 

So if care cards could work on a mission trip, why not with my vacation bible school staff? A few years ago, I transported this idea into our Vacation Bible School, it was the most amazing display of appreciation we ever had. So I’m going to share it with you. Here’s how to use this. The idea is to encourage people to appreciate each other one another-ing. For VBS, we chose a display location where parents could even pop in and leave notes of appreciation. But for sure the team leaders and the room leaders, we put them on the task, and we were all appreciating one another. 

We included every name of the everybody who served with VBS, the snack leader that greeters all of that. So be intentional about when you want to use these care cards like maybe it’s once a year or at a special event, or just a chosen time when you’re talking about appreciation, but make it special. You may even use this for the team to appreciate each other at the end of the year or maybe for your whole church. 

So this is how to set it up, you’re going to need a space to either display a bunch of little paper bags or a countertop to place paper bags on it. And what we did is we hung twine up like a clothesline on a display board. That’s my favorite because I think the little clothes pins are just really cute on them too. So we clip the paper bags to the twine with those little closed pins, and we strung it on a display board. And you could just as easily set them on the counter if that’s easier. But each bag had the name of a person on it. Now I recommend you use the tiny little paper bags that you might find for like birthday party favors at dollar store something, not lunch bags because they’re way too big. 

Laurie Graham 27:19
So as I mentioned, you’re going to want to write every person’s name on the bag, every volunteer that you’re wanting to appreciate. Make sure it’s written clearly and if you want, you could even write their title with it. Like maybe people don’t know who did the snacks and you want to write “Hey, Fred did the snacks,” you know. Then cut up some paper into three-inch by two-inch pieces. This is pretty small three by two inches. Why so small? You aren’t gonna encourage people to write notes of appreciation to each other. Now if the paper is too big, no one will do it. It feels really intimidating. Like this is not a normal thing we’re used to doing and I don’t have that much to say. But if it’s a small little piece, it lets volunteers know they can just write a sentence or a phrase, “I love this about you.”

Here’s another key for success, explain the care card board or display to your volunteers or whoever is participating really well. Like, let them know the care cards is a way to encourage each other. Tell them not just to thank people for what they do, but recognize who they are. Many people will initially feel really insecure about writing notes, especially if this is new for them, so to help them feel more confident, print out a sheet of writing prompts for ideas, and also a list of adjectives that they can use. So post this idea sheet by your display board, I really think this is the biggest key is to give them the little start with a bunch of different words just as ideas, but make sure that idea is either by your display board or on the counter where the bags are. And if you don’t want to create your own, you know this instruction sheet with writing prompts, I have one for you. There’s a downloadable PDF for you in the show notes with fun and easy care card writing prompts and the 37 great words of affirmation. So that just gets the ball rolling. 

So that’s it. That’s my number one most seriously, unforgettable volunteer appreciation idea that never gets old. Get a bunch of tiny little bags, put people’s names on it, cut up three by two strips of paper and leave an instruction sheet and make sure your volunteers know what to do with it. So I hope you will try something like this and let me know. Let me know how it goes. 

So this was a super full episode, we talked about the difference between recognition and appreciation. We talked about the fact that recognition and appreciation both help head off the five main reasons why volunteers quit, and also why you don’t need a budget at all to do a great job at volunteer appreciation. And don’t forget the number one most seriously, unforgettable volunteer appreciation that never gets old. And also, I have a whole blog post written on that if you want more details, and it, it literally details how we did that at our VBS one year. 

Laurie Graham 30:10
But instead of trying to overhaul your entire system of appreciating volunteers, I want to encourage you to pick one thing to do this week. This podcast is going to be here for you later when you want to do another, but it’s so important just to start making changes that are immediate and doable for you right now. Kind of like those small wins I mentioned last week. So if you think back through this episode, what is one thing you could do this week to extend some appreciation to a volunteer or a family member? Or just to one another in your church body?

So what could you do to trust your volunteers on a new level, like invite them to do something more significant? Or to surprise somebody by noticing who they are, and actually telling them? Maybe making somebody part of the loop by asking for some input, instead of just informing them of what’s going to happen next? Or did you think that idea for a symbol was kind of fun? Can you think of a symbol that would be meaningful in your ministry area? How about the piece about training? Could you extend some training to somebody in a new way? Or maybe like the care cards idea? 

So what do you think? I would love to know how this episode made an impact on you. Would you leave a review of this episode and let me know what’s the one thing you’re going to do this week because of what you heard today? I would love to share your action step on a future podcast to say what you did. The steps that you decide to take, also encourage other people to keep moving forward too, because we are all in this together. So before you go, leave a review or a comment wherever you’re listening, and let me know what you’re excited about. I can’t wait to be with you again next week. Until then, keep shining your light.