Why Volunteers Quit
It happens in every church and it impacts every leader.
A long-time volunteer tells you he needs a break and wants to step down.
Your most dependable leader in the nursery says she’s interested in moving to another ministry area.
A faithful worker quits without any explanation.
While this can be frustrating and discouraging, it’s something you need to be prepared to handle. So why do dedicated volunteers fade away or quit? Here are a couple of key points to keep in mind:
Some reasons have nothing to do with the church:
Scott just got a promotion at work and needs to focus more energy in his new job until he’s got those new responsibilities under control.
Kay’s kids are no longer in the children’s department, but the youth department, and she wants to serve where they are.
Tim is simply getting older and can no longer handle the demands of ministering to young people.
Marcy has to devote major time to an aging parent.
Pat is dealing with a serious physical diagnosis.
Recognizing these situations and responding with grace and gratitude is absolutely essential – not only to the honoring of these faithful workers but to the observation of others in how these folks were treated.
Some reasons have everything to do with the church:
Rick is exhausted and tired of being the go-to person for every volunteer slot that opens up. While his heart wants to serve, his spirit is weary (and not a little bit frustrated).
Sally is tired of the last minute changes and overall lack of planning. Being flexible is one thing, but she’s been pulled in too many different directions too often due to disorganization. She’s raised her concerns but hasn’t seen any positive progress.
Steve was eager to serve but received little to no training. Thrown into the deep end of the pool, his commitment is dimmed by his incompetence.
Sharon works week in and week out, often sacrificing her Sunday “intake” for her ministry “outflow.” The job is never-ending and ever-demanding. With no break being offered, the only option is to quit.
Mike works behind the scenes in a role that few see, and fewer seem to appreciate. Eventually, the lack of any sort of recognition brings him to the place of resignation.
Sometimes the reasons volunteers quit have nothing to do with the church. Sometimes the reasons have everything to do with the church. Those are the issues leaders must address.
Ways to Prevent Volunteers from Quitting
While it’s not always within your control to influence whether a volunteer quits, what can you do to you prevent more volunteers from quitting?
#1 – Don’t let people over-commit.
Every volunteer coordinator loves people who’re willing to sign up for more than one responsibility. However, while it’s great when a reliable volunteer is willing to help in several areas, you need to protect him from himself.
Monitor how often the person is in giving mode versus getting mode. Look for ways that they can push “pause” whether monthly or seasonally.
As well, communicate across staff lines. Make sure that the faithful worker in one area isn’t being tapped by another area.
Don’t let your volunteers over-commit. While we love willing volunteers, sometimes we have to protect them from themselves.
#2 – Know what’s going on in their personal lives.
This is about getting to know your volunteers (especially those in leadership roles).
What is their current family situation (Are they about to have a first child?)
What is their career status (Any change in responsibilities or schedule?)
What is their physical condition (Has there been a new diagnosis?)
Talk with your volunteers (or work with your team leaders) and gauge how each is doing personally. Sensitivity to a current circumstance along with a willingness to offer some time off can lead to future re-engagement.
Sensitivity to what’s going on in volunteers’ personal lives and willingness to offer time off can lead to long-term engagement.
#3 – Develop a leadership pipeline.
It can be hard to find qualified and reliable volunteer leaders, so when you find a few it’s tempting to practice “plug and play.” That is, you plug them into the ministry and expect them to play the part needed.
In contrast, create a leadership pipeline that allows for the following process: recruit, train, deploy, review, and retrain.
Constantly be on the lookout for people with leadership potential and invite them to serve in an apprenticeship role under an experienced leader. Then, gradually increase their responsibilities under a watchful eye.
By inviting new leaders in throughout the year and offering on-the-job training, the annual leadership recruiting crisis can be eased dramatically.
Avoid the “plug and play” approach – finding a willing volunteer and plugging them into a ministry, expecting them to play the part needed. Create a leadership pipeline – recruit, train, deploy, review, and retrain.
#4 – Respect your volunteers.
Don’t expect to keep volunteers for long if you…
Don’t communicate and stick to a clear job description.
Don’t provide them with the resources they need.
Expect them to change directions on a dime due to poor planning.
You’ll frustrate, discourage, burn out, and frankly just tick people off doing that stuff. As Carey Nieuwhof notes, “Few things are more demotivating than giving up your time as a volunteer only to discover the staff person responsible didn’t set you up to succeed.”
Don’t expect to keep volunteers for long if you don’t set them up to succeed.
#5 – Honor your volunteers.
Regularly express your appreciation for volunteers.
Practice “hero making” from the pulpit, celebrating various ministry teams.
Offer regular verbal affirmation to individuals, reminding them that they are making a Kingdom difference.
Send hand-written thank-you notes.
Remember their birthday and send a card.
Ask how you can be praying for them and then send a text after you pray telling them that you took the time to intercede.
A hand-written thank you note goes a long way in honoring your volunteers.
#6 – Request feedback.
Meet with your team leaders (whether paid or unpaid staff) regularly to gain insight into their volunteers. Find out what they’re hearing from their team members and what they’ve noticed personally.
What’s working?
What isn’t working?
Are they observing any attitudes or behaviors in team members that may hint of disillusionment or burnout?
Do they feel the training and communication are sufficient?
Do their teams feel appreciated and that their work is making a difference?
Look for other ways to get unbiased feedback. For any number of reasons (e.g. protecting themselves/their jobs, blind spots) leaders may claim things are going great when they are not.
Find ways to get unbiased feedback from volunteers and leaders on what is working or not working.
#7 – Be open about shortcomings.
Disillusionment occurs when expectations don’t line up with reality. Communicate realistic expectations with your volunteers, then either meet or exceed those expectations.
Make sure your volunteers feel welcome to come and talk with you at any time if they’re concerned about something. Kindly correct any misperceptions recognizing they may have those misperceptions due to poor communication on your part (or on the part of other leaders).
If they’re pointing out a real problem, address it quickly with the appropriate individual(s).
Apologize and ask for forgiveness if you mess up. They’ll respect you more when they see you admitting to a mistake and seeking to make it right.
Apologize and ask forgiveness if you mess up. Volunteers will respect you more when they see you admitting to a mistake and seeking to make it right.
There’s a lot you can do to retain volunteers. Protect them from themselves, plan ahead, communicate often, express your appreciation, be open about what needs improvement, and ask for forgiveness when needed.
Doing these things doesn’t guarantee that you will always retain your volunteers. But it can sure put the odds in your favor.
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