Do Your Volunteers Keep Canceling For This Reason?
Few things can deflate a worship leader like a last minute cancelation from a volunteer.
You’ve chosen your songs. You’ve considered your players and singers. You’re counting on each one of them to fulfill your vision for Sunday. Then you find out that someone has another commitment and can’t make it.
Is there one step you are missing that could all but erase this problem? In my experience, yes.
Request block-out dates from volunteers for the upcoming month
How This Works
Here is what I communicate with our volunteers:
“Before the schedule is made you will be asked to post any block-out dates (dates you are unavailable to participate) for the upcoming month in Planning Center. Each Sunday you have not blocked out is a Sunday you may be scheduled.
The schedule is made for each month. It’s emailed as a PDF a week before the beginning of each month.
Please carefully review the schedule, mark your personal calendar, and notify the worship leader if you have any conflicts.
The week of the service you’re scheduled for you will receive an invitation email from Planning Center to “Confirm” your involvement. Given this process, it’s very rare to “Decline” this invitation. If you must decline please specify why and help the worship leader plan ahead.”
What This Does
Everyone’s life is busy. It’s natural for trips out of town, family visiting, birthdays, baby showers and more to conflict with volunteering.
Most people are aware of these kinds of events at least a month in advance so a few minutes at the computer with their calendar allows them to let you know what dates not to schedule them. All other dates are fare game.
What this does is remove the scenario of scheduling a volunteer and having them come back and decline because it’s the weekend of their Grandparent’s 50th Anniversary.
A Culture Of Commitment
Of course none of this will work if there is not a culture of commitment within your team. People who cancel as soon as something better comes up may still plague you.
How do you work towards a culture of commitment?
- Clearly communicate your vision
- Clearly communicate your expectations
- Ask volunteers to commit to the vision and expectations
- Hold them accountable
- Invite the right people onto your team
- Remove the wrong people from your team
Some cancelations due to unforeseen circumstances are unavoidable. You can avoid potential cancelations by simply collecting all block-out dates before creating your schedule.
Find more helpful tips from the articles below.
How do you schedule your volunteers?
What are some obstacles you face?
I’d love to hear from you. Share in the comments below!