Once you’ve located them and qualified each candidate here are twenty things I believe you need to do to cultivate volunteers that stick in your ministry.

1.Start volunteers slow, don’t dump them in a class with a Sunday school quarterly and say tag you’re it. If you’re a dumper, word is out on you. Start new recruits out watching and add responsibility slowly. This is also the time to teach them your church’s way of doing things. Train them in your policies and procedures, these should answer the questions: “What do you want me to do, and “How do you want me to do it?”

2. Immerse them in your vision. Use every method available to you spoken, written whether on blogs, websites or brochures, and visual. Let pictures and video tell your story. Vision is contagious. Over the years I realized my vision is what kept me going, if that vision wouldn’t allow me to quit, It would also not allow others I passed it on to, to quit either.

3. Give them a model or example. People do what they see. Show is a much better way to train than tell. When you model ministry on an on going basis, it keeps every one moving forward on the same page.

4. Build trust. If you want your volunteers to trust you be a person of integrity and do what you say. Prove yourself, don’t lead by position only, show people you are worthy to be followed.

5. Be real and transparent. People like a leader who puts their paints on one leg at a time. Be normal; admit your struggles and shortcomings. Be approachable. Put yourself in the volunteers place and look for ways to make their load lighter.