Youth Group Leadership: They thought it was four hours a week, but it turned out to be at least ten. They thought they only had to lead small group, but they were expected to help organize the retreat as well…
One of the main causes why volunteers quit is because the reality of their job didn’t match their expectations.
They thought it was four hours a week, but it turned out to be at least ten. They thought they only had to lead small group, but they were expected to help organize the retreat as well. They thought there would be someone to show them the ropes, but they had to figure it all out themselves.
How clear are you about what you expect of your leaders, your volunteers, the people on your team? Are you honest beforehand about what they can expect? If not, it may cause them to quit soon after joining, because they may have had completely different expectations.
Here are a few things you should be very clear about to your volunteers:
1. Duties
What is it exactly that you ask them to do? If you ask them to become small group leaders for instance, describe what that means exactly. Does it mean visiting their small group members during the week? Inviting them over outside of small group sessions? Does it mean that they’re expected to come to the Sunday evening youth service as well? Are they supposed to help organizing anything else? Make a clear ‘job description’ do people know what they sign up for.
2. Time investment
What are you expecting them to do and how much time will it take? Don’t forget to take meetings into account. Give them an honest estimate of how much time the job will take.
3. Money investment
Money is always a sensitive subject, so it’s a good idea to be very clear in this area. What costs are your volunteers expected to pay for themselves? What costs can they get reimbursed for from the youth ministry? If it’s customary for instance that leaders pay for the youth retreat, you may want to mention that up front and not when the retreat is around the corner.
4. Responsibility
Another area you should make your expectations clear is about the responsibility volunteers have. What are they supposed or allowed to handle themselves and what should they ask permission for or involve you in? Take pastoral cases for example, do you want your small group leaders to inform you when something is going on with one of their small group members? Be clear about the boundaries of their responsibility so they will know when to involve someone else.
5. Support
Volunteers also need to know what kind of support they can expect. If you don’t have a coach for them, be honest about it. If there’s no one to show them the ropes, make sure they understand that. People can handle a lot and it won’t necessarily deter them, but they need to know what to expect. Be honest about your own time involvement as well, don’t promise your help if you don’t have the time to give it.
If your volunteers know what to expect, they will sign up with clear, realistic expectations. It may prevent a lot of them from quitting.
