10. External Forces (saw an ad in a bulletin, heard an annnoucement, etc.).
9. Boredom (looking for something to fill their time).
8. Guilt (example - were told "if you don't serve, the kids won't have a class" or "if you don't help, the homeless won't get a meal today).
7. Need experience (example - going to be a teacher so want to get experience working with kids).
6. Social Need (they want to be part of something that connects them to a social group).
5. Spiritual Reasons (they believe volunteering will bring them closer to God).
4. Gratitude (they want to show thankfulness to the church or to God).
3. Personal Connection (example - someone volunteers in a cancer fundraiser because they or someone they know has had cancer).
2. Compelling Need (a big issue they see as important or a cause they want to see succeed).
1. Personal Invitation (someone personally asked them to volunteer).
Notice the number one reason people volunteer - a personal invitation. 87-93% of people who volunteer do so because someone asked them to. It is by far the most effective way to build a volunteer team.
This is how Jesus built His volunteer team. Look what it says in Matthew 9:9.
"As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at a tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him."
When people ask me how we built a team of over 2,600 volunteers in the children's ministry I led, I tell them the big...simple....secret. We built it primarily by one ask...one person at a time. Week in and week out, for 8 years, we asked people, one at a time, to join our team. We enlisted one person and then we enlisted another person and another person and another person. One day we looked up and there were over 2,600 of those "ones" serving on the team.
How many volunteers do you need? 5? 50? 500? How are you going to get them? One ask at a time. Think about it. Who can you invite to join your team this weekend?
You can get other tips on building a volunteer team in my new book "The Formula for Building Great Volunteer Teams." From enlisting to equipping to keeping volunteers, this book will help you build a great volunteer team. You can get the hard copy version of the book at this link or the ebook at this link.
