What procedures do you use when screening potential volunteers? This process can be so helpful to find the volunteers you need for the variety of positions you are trying to fill. Finding the right person for the job is essential in utilizing both your time and effort and allowing them to understand the commitment you are asking them to make.A volunteer screening process should include the following:Volunteer applicationReferencesDetail job descriptionsSecurity checksInterview questionsVolunteer Application What do you want to know about a potential volunteer before you meet them? How can you ask questions that will gather that information on an application? The application should help a potential volunteer determine if they are “right” for the job.References What kind of references are you asking for? Be specific. You want the references to speak to the person’s ability to do what is required of the volunteer position. You might need different reference questions [ Read more ]
One of the goals that any trainer should work towards is showing how the training that we ask of our volunteers fits in to the larger vision and goals of the ministry. Training volunteers who are going to work with clients usually demands both a financial and a substantial time commitment. It can seem daunting to a potential volunteer. Explaining the why behind the expected commitment to training can often help volunteers see why the study and time commitment is important in achieving the vision and mission of the Pregnancy Center.I have developed a power point presentation that explains how the skills taught in the Equipped to Serve training is driven by:the beliefs we have that caused the Pregnancy Center to be developed which in turn drives . . .the mission of the ministry which then must identify . . .the who we minister to which demands that we define [ Read more ]
I believe that movies can do more than entertain us. They are windows into the world of others that we have not (or maybe never will) experience. They make us laugh, which is so important during these trying times.They make us cry as we see our own grief and losses mirrored in the story. They instruct us as to what is healthy and unhealthy. They show us the good in people’s hearts and actions. They show the fight between good and evil. They ask questions of us and cause us to rumble with hard issues.They illuminate so many things that we might not have paid attention to as we go about the day to day in our lives.I have used movie clips in my classroom training for many, many years. Using movie clips is a great way to introduce another training method into your training. Movies can demonstrate concepts that [ Read more ]
In the blog last week I talked about envisioning volunteers. One of the first steps in doing so is writing an effective job description. It might be worth your time to take a look at your current job descriptions to see if they answer the following questions for your volunteers?What am I supposed to do?Will you let me do it?Will you help me when I need it?Will you let me know how I am doing?Job descriptions are the blueprints for recruiting, managing and retaining employees.An incredibly useful tool, the volunteer job description helps your volunteer recruitment efforts, the management of those volunteers and retaining them. Setting expectations with a job description should be job number one for any volunteer manager.Pregnancy Centers have a few complex long-term volunteer positions where specialized training is necessary. It makes sense to manage those positions like you would a paid position. That includes a detailed [ Read more ]
Have you wondered what volunteers need to know in order to do their job with confidence and integrity? What, as leaders, must we provide to our volunteers in order to envision them yet enable them to feel secure in their service to clients? How do we lead gracefully but still have standards for our volunteer program and ministry?Years ago at a Pregnancy Center conference, Lorne Sanny who at that time was the director of the Navigators, spoke at our conference. His talks focused on leadership and much of his talk has resonated with me ever since. Dr. Sanny stared his service with The Navigators in 1956 and served for 30 years before he retired. Dr. Sanny went to be with Jesus in March of 2005.He taught that the people we are leading need to know four things:What am I supposed to do?Will you let me do it?Will you help me [ Read more ]
As we have lived through these past months of pandemic, quarantine, isolation, and the race to the White House, I have realized more and more the importance and power of humility. Humility is often confused with being quiet or fearful or a doormat.Humility is anything but those things.I recently joined Community Bible Study and we are studying the Gospel of John. In the first chapter, soon after John introduces us to “The Word,” he tells us part of John the Baptist’s story. His story is a wonderful lesson in humility. (John 1: 13-38) We have to look to the other gospels as well to get the whole beautiful story which I hope you take the time to read in Luke Chapter 1, Matthew Chapter 3 and Chapter 11:1-24, and Mark 1:1-11.Humility demands that we have an accurate assessment of our strengths and weaknesses, your giftedness and your place in God’s plan. [ Read more ]
In-service meetings are a great time to really focus on role-play. Each in-service should include at least one round of role-play. Role-play is very important in the Pregnancy Center ministry for the following reasons:Role-play keeps volunteers skills sharpenedRole-play gives volunteers an opportunity to practice various scenarios outside of their time with clients.Role-plays let someone explore how they could have interacted differently with a client they has in the past.Role-play enables center staff to see volunteers’ strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly to help them.Observing role-plays gives center staff good ideas for needed topics for future in-services.Role-play is a good time for exercising vulnerability and learning which is a key concept for volunteers who work directly with clients.The more your do role-play the less scary and awkward it becomesAddressing Role-play Fears & AnxietyOften there is a lot of fear surrounding role-play. People come up with all sorts of excuses not to [ Read more ]
Here is the definition of courage that I found in the dictionary:the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief.It takes courage to persevere in this ministry. It is important to think about how to build or at least invite courage into your volunteer program.Let’s think about this:It takes courage to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.It takes courage to persevere in the face of women choosing abortion.It takes courage to love.It takes courage to believe that love wins.It takes courage to pursue people who believe differently than we do.It takes courage to choose relationship over being right.It takes courage to listen to people’s difficult stories and painful choices.It takes courage to be vulnerable.It takes courage to believe that Jesus is in charge.It takes at least some measure of courage to do almost everything that volunteers are asked to do, especially [ Read more ]
If you have ever had me come and train at your Center or have a copy of the Leader’s Manual then you know I am a lover of experiential learning. This type of learning is based on adult learning theory and has many advantages. Here are just a few:Experiential learning is the opposite of passive learning. It requires participation and engagement.You can use experiential learning for motivation as well as teaching content.The experiential learning model is an inductive rather than a deductive process: the participants discover for themselves the learning offered by the experiential process.Trainees will remember the learning longer because they have to come up with the answers themselves during the exercise. It creates “A Ha!” moments.Exercises break up the monotony of a lecture format.Trainees can get to know one another while learning content.It serves kinesthetic learners. Deep learning occurs via the process of doing.Trainers can take a break [ Read more ]
In-service training often does not feel it has much ROI (Return On Investment). There is a lot of staff time and work that goes in to planning an in-service training and then the number of volunteers who attend can be low.Here is why I think they are important:In-services build community among volunteers who might not see each other because they work on different shifts.Everyone gets a larger view of the ministry no matter what their volunteer job description.Volunteers don’t feel alone in their struggles and victories.It deepens their understanding of how to utilize the fundamentals taught in basic volunteer training since they have begun seeing clients.It shows the importance of continued learning to help them connect better with the clients they see.You cannot teach all topics in depth during basic training. You need in-service training to delve deeper into topics such as adoption, post-abortion stress, evangelism, etc. It is a [ Read more ]