Faith-Motivated Volunteers Hannah Shanks, MSW Send Me St. Louis - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Inviting, Equipping and Engaging Faith-Motivated Volunteers

Hannah Shanks, MSW Send Me St. Louis

www.sendmestlouis.org - www.facebook.com/SendMeStLouis

Session goals:

• Understand who faith-motivated volunteers are,
• Why it is important to engage them,
• How to connect with faith motivated volunteers

and their networks, and

• Take away a handful of tips and best practices to

use in your current setting

Who are faith-motivated volunteers?

77% of US adults identify as a follower of a Christian

• religion. (1)

41% of the adult population identifies as very religious across all forms of faith (2) An additional 28.3% of the adult population identifies as moderately religious across all forms of faith (2) Between 69% and 77% of your volunteer base is probably informed or motivated by their faith.

Who are faith-motivated volunteers?

“In general, people with active religious commitments are more likely to volunteer in their community through nonprofits and civic projects, regardless of whether the cause is secular or religious.”

(Brooks, 2006) (3)

What assets do faith-motivated volunteers bring to the table?

Commitment: The average length of volunteer involvement in a program exceeds 9 years. (4) Desire to partner with your organization Willingness to learn: 60% of faith motivated respondents reported changes in their attitudes about the persons they served/worked with in the community (4)

Financial support & visibility: In one study, 73% of faith-motivated volunteers’ congregations provided financial support for the ministry and recognition for those who served (4)

What assets do faith-motivated volunteers bring to the table?

They back up their service with dollars, and they bring their whole organization with them!

Biblical Foundation for Volunteerism

• The Priesthood of All Believers
• The Giftedness of Each Child of God
• The Whole Body of Christ
• Equipping the Saints

The Priesthood of All Believers

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises

• f him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

(1 Peter 2:9)

• All have an opportunity to serve
• Need to believe and do
• Expect active service

The Giftedness of Each Child of God

If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it

• cheerfully. (Romans 12:7-8)
• Everyone can serve
• Help people discover where to serve

The Whole Body of Christ

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many . . . If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ and each ne of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:14 – 27)

• Fit somewhere = fit everywhere
• People aren’t interchangeable
• Get the right people for the right jobs at the right times

Equipping the Saints

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:11-13)

• Our role is to equip others to use their gifts in service
• We don’t have to do it all!

The Equipping Process

Invite Connect Deepen Skill Reflect Celebrate

Mallory, S. 2001. The Equipping Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Connecting with Faith-Motivated Volunteers

• Attend to language
• Tailor your message
• Appeal to their particular brand of faith
• Example: Kingdom House, St. Louis

Invite

Remember: You’re both in the life transformation business.

In their own words…

“I am less quick to jump to conclusions. I am, I hope, more compassionate and more tolerant. I realize that people are where they are because of a lot of different things. There is a lot

• f history for each person and we typically don't have a clue. I

don't have to know all that history. Rather than jumping to conclusions, or shooting off my mouth,

• r saying the first thing that comes to my mind, all of which are

practices that have gotten me into a great deal of trouble in the past, I hope it is making me more aware that there is so much I don't know.” (5)

In their own words…

Concerning a transportation volunteer for a homeless shelter: “He (the volunteer) was astonished that in his busload of twelve people, eight of them had jobs. They were actually working. He dropped some of them off for their jobs. When he came last night, he brought some work clothes for some of them, because he thought they needed better work clothes than they had. I don't think he would have thought that these are people who are working before, but they truly are the working poor. I mean, you can't survive if your take-home pay is $5.00 an hour.” (5)

Try it out:

Craft a short recruitment message for one of your programs that’s targeted at a faith community you’re aware of.

• Lead with the activity
• Point to the impact
• Share a contact’s name and contact info

Example:

People of the book! Kids Connection 8th graders seek story- loving Reading Guides to read along with and listen to our budding storytellers. Most Kids Connection readers gain 2 grade levels of proficiency after just 3 hrs/week with their Reading Guide – a major transformation key to their future

• success. Contact Nancy Boucher at

nancy@kidsconnection.org to get your summer reading list!

Managing Faith-Motivated Volunteers

Interview

Ask about “talents,” “gifts” or “spiritual gifts” Ask what about your work resonates with them

Listen to the language they use

e.g. “teacher, exhortation, hospitality” – these are spiritual gift watchwords

Connect

Managing Faith-Motivated Volunteers

Placement

Don’t be afraid to ask or clarify what your volunteer means by their language – you mean no offense!

Connect

Managing Faith-Motivated Volunteers

Ask if any of their previous service experiences translate into their current volunteer role Explain some of the underlying issues that make your services vital. (e.g. if you serve in a food desert, explain why after school meal volunteers are so important.)

Deepen Knowledge

Managing Faith-Motivated Volunteers

Supervision/Reflection

• Offer opportunities for reflection
• Ask what’s different
• Ask what’s challenged them
• Find out how you can support them
• Additional resources: Ignatian Volunteer Corps

Reflection

Managing Faith-Motivated Volunteers

Recognition/Celebration

• Write a letter to the leader of

their faith community

• Use materials that reflect their faith

expression (e.g. a quote from scripture)

• If many volunteers come from

the same faith community, arrange a visit to share their impact and say thanks Celebration

And now, for a new “R”…

Replication

Ask your volunteer to help you get your foot in the door with their faith community.

Creating Mutual Partnerships

Creating Mutual Partnerships

• You’re both in the life transformation business
• Where can your expertise strengthen their

efforts?

• Training teachers on how to work with

children/students on the autism spectrum

• Work placement site for clients
• Where do their strengths fit your needs? And

vice versa?

Pause and Reflect

• Which of the suggested practices could I implement

tomorrow?

• Which do I want to implement first/ would benefit my

volunteers most?

• Which do I have questions/need more information about?
• List 3 small things to do once you’re back in the office

(e.g. review recruitment messages, schedule a meeting with a volunteer, Google 2 nearby faith communities)

Sticky Situations

Proselytizing – the elephant in the room

During orientation:

• Be up front about what your program’s goals and
• bligations are
• Educate your volunteer about federal, state, or agency

policies

• Answer questions openly and honestly

Politics – the other elephant/donkey in the room

• Faith communities are variegated in their political

affiliation

• It’s okay to educate your volunteers about policies that

effect your clientele – for good or ill

• Don’t make assumptions – and remind your volunteers to

do the same

Short-term missions

• Help your volunteers understand the context of your work
• E.g. Have them take a tour of the neighborhood, share a meal with

those you serve, or another activity that helps them understand the issues your folks deal with on a regular basis

• Again, educate your volunteers (deepen knowledge/skill)
• Offer a closing reflection time for your volunteer groups and

invite them to reflect together.

Top Takeaways

• Use language that resonates with your faith audience

(e.g. instead of volunteer, use servant, partner, mentor, teacher, friend)

• Set clear boundaries and explain why they are in place
• Send a note commending the volunteer’s work to the leader of their

faith community

• During supervision & reflection, ask if they feel strengthened or

challenged in their faith by their service with your organization.

• Make it clear that their expressions and explorations of faith are ok –

and that others’ expressions and explorations are ok as well

Benefits of working with faith-motivated volunteers:

Replicating relationships Access to additional resources Organizational Partnerships Mutual Benefit

You both move closer to your goal of transforming lives for the better

Q& A

Contact Me!

Hannah Shanks, MSW Event & Communications Coordinator Send Me St. Louis Hannah@sendmestlouis.org Facebook.com/SendMeSTL Sendmestlouis.org

Works Cited:

1. Gallup, December 24, 2012. In U.S., 77% identify as Christian. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/159548/identify-christian.aspx, May 23, 2013. 2. Gallup, February 16, 2013. Religious Americans Enjoy Higher Wellbeing. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/152723/Religious-Americans-Enjoy-Higher- Wellbeing.aspx 3. Brooks, A. 2006. Who really cares: America’s charity divide. New York: Basic Books. 4. Baylor University, 2006. The role of faith in the service of Christian volunteers. Prepared for the Faith and Service Technical Education Network. p.4

• 5. Garland, D., Meyers, D. & Wolfer, T. 2005. Self-reported service outcomes in the lives of

congregational volunteers. Baylor University Service & Faith Project. Retrieved from http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/22976.pdf