by Carol
We were looking at that bothersome tactic that some people use to recruit unsuspecting volunteers: “Oh by the way” recruiting. You lure potential recruits to make a simple, reasonable commitment. Then you drop the “oh, by the way” on them.
You really don’t want to do that to your volunteers. You are trying to build a ministry of people that God has truly called to give their time and talents to the ministry.
So, how do you avoid it?
1. Sticking Points vs. Opportunities: Be candid quickly.
What are you afraid of telling them? Cost? Timeframe? Hours?
You want people to make an informed decision. Until you get it out there, they are working in the dark (possibly thinking the worst, possibly clueless).
Recruiting is the process of giving people what they need to join the ministry (joyfully and with their eyes open). People often want a challenge and want to do something that requires a real sacrifice.
2. General vs. Specific: Connect them (tentatively, anyway) to a position or team first.
If you issued a call for round pegs for a dozen round holes, people know how to listen. But if you called for round pegs, square pegs, saws, can openers, and doodads to fill various holes from Bermuda to Alaska, it’s tough to focus.
Connect them to a goal (a specific job or team) on the front end.
3. Recruiting vs. Training: Keep recruiting and training separate.
Some recruiting is done in meetings. Ask yourself, “If they opt out, did they need to know this piece of info?” If the answer is no, it doesn’t belong in recruiting. (It may not belong in training, either.)
Bottom line: Trust God. He will bring the people who want the challenge and fit the requirements.