RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY: follow up

Showing posts with label follow up. Show all posts

The Biggest Thing That Will Bring Your Easter Guests Back

9:05 AM Dale Hudson

You will probably have a good number of guests on Easter weekend...along with some CEO's (Christmas and Easter only).

The big question to ask - "How can we get them to return and become regular attendees?

What is the biggest factor in getting them to come back?

Is it an event? A follow up phone call? A nice letter sent to their home? A personal visit?

Their is nothing wrong with these things...but they are not the main thing that will draw families back to your ministry.

The number one thing that will draw your Easter guests back is your FRIENDLINESS.

How do you teach your team to exude friendliness? Here's 5 ways to train your team to move into the "friendly" zone.

Put 100% of your focus on people when they are in front of you. Have you ever walked into a store and the person was on the phone, engaged in conversation with someone else, or doing paperwork...and they didn't even acknowledge your presence? It makes you feel devalued. You feel like you are "bothering" the person. And it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, doesn't it? It may even cause you to not return.

Again, train your team to be 100% focused on people. If they are helping someone and another family walks up, acknowledge the new family's presence.

"Hi! How are you today? So glad you're here. I'll be right with you."

Make sure everyone is smiling. Scowls, frowns, or a "I really don't care" look will deter people from coming back.

Teach your team that voice inflection communicates value. How you say what you say matters. It translates into "you are bothering me" or "I care about you."

Always walk...never point. Don't tell guests where to go...take them there. And engage them in meaningful conversation on the way.

Answer questions. There are no dumb questions. And never say "I don't know" and leave a family hanging. Instead, say "I'm not sure, but let me find out for you."

A lack of courtesy, friendliness, and sincere engagement will ruin your chances of a guest family coming back. It doesn't matter how many times you call, send a letter, or do a follow-up email. If they are not treated with courtesy and kindness on their first visit, the chance of them returning is slim to none.

I'll be reinforcing all of this with our team before Easter. They do great...but I must continue to emphasize these values. I would encourage you to have this conversation with your team as well. Do so and you'll see more Easter guests return.

Are You a Children's Ministry Control Freak? (4 Simple Steps to Let Go)

5:46 AM Dale Hudson

Are you a control freak in your Children's Ministry?

If we admit it, we all are to some extent. As we lead our ministries, our desire to bring excellence, passion, and improvement can lead to control issues.

Ownership is vital, but when it becomes unbalanced and leads to unhealthy obsession, it's time for some changes.

Here are four simple steps to loosen your grip.

1. Identify what only you can do.
Resist the urge to lead every project or area of the ministry. Ask yourself these questions.

Could someone else complete this work to an acceptable level?
Could someone else do part of this project?
Could someone else do the initial draft so I only have to review and “tweak” it?
Is this work keeping me from my highest value activities?

2. Defer early and often.
Deferring is different than delegating. Delegating is handing off your responsibilities; deferring incorporates delegating, but also involves passing activities on to someone else before they ever hit your to-do list.

And don’t volunteer yourself for additional activities if you already can’t accomplish your must-do list.

If you’re used to doing it all and pride yourself on being able to figure everything out, this will feel uncomfortable at first. Get over it. If you don't, you will become the lid for your team getting to the next level.

Deferring tasks shows respect for others’ competency and lets you have the capacity to get done what only you can do — which is what your team really needs.

3. Create simple follow-up plans.
When you delegate or defer items, have accountability and follow-up plans in place. This will play a critical role in making sure the work gets done.

Plans may include regular meetings with key leaders you have given responsibility to. It may mean setting goals and checking progress.

4. Resist taking back control.
Once you start to let go of control, inevitably there will be a time when something doesn’t get done the way that you would prefer.

Your gut reaction will be to question why you gave it away. You'll find yourself saying, "if you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself."

Stop. Before you take back control...do two things.

Find out what went wrong, where the break down was.
Evaluate and make sure you gave them the tools, knowledge, and adequate resources to do the assignment well.

Don't let fear keep you from making what could be your greatest contribution to your Children's Ministry...letting go and focusing on what only you can do.

6 Secrets to Effective Easter Follow-Up

6:30 AM Unknown

In a few weeks Easter will be over. Then it will be time to follow up on the guests and CEO's (Christmas and Easter Only) who came. The goal is to help them take a step toward becoming consistent attenders.

Here are six ways to help them get started.

#1 - Make sure they have a great first experience. This is the best thing you can do in my opinion. If we spent more time up front making people feel welcome, we wouldn't have to spend as much time afterwards trying to get them to come back. If people have a bad experience, it doesn't matter how many times you call them or write them, they are not going to come back. Meet and exceed their expectations on their first visit. Create irresistible environments and they will return. This includes everything from parking to directional signage to Children's Ministry to greeters to worship and more.

#2 - Send them a personal, handwritten note within 48 hours. We live in the day of digital communication with email, text, video, twitter, and generated form letters. A simple, personal, handwritten note can have an even bigger impact than a letter created by mail merge or an email with a cool video attached.

#3 - Give them a personal phone call if they ask for one. Give them the option to request a phone call on the guest card and if they check "yes," call them by Wednesday. The phone call should be relaxed and not come across as a "sales pitch." Ask them if they enjoyed the service, if they have any connections at the church, and if they have any questions about the church? Listen a lot more than you talk. Sincerely thank them for coming and let them know they are welcome to come back any time. Offer to help them get connected if they are interested.

#4 - Offer a free gift if they return. Send them a coupon they can redeem for a free gift the next time they return. We do this on a weekly basis for guests and see a good number come back.

#5 - Show them the value of consistent attendance. Reach out to your CEO's and share with them the importance of consistent attendance. Here is a piece that we created last year to send home with all the parents on Easter.

#6 - Plan a special event or big day the weekend after Easter. I have seen this work. We did this at one church I served at and had a larger attendance the weekend after Easter than we did for Easter. Here is an example of a big day the weekend after Easter.

What are some other ideas you have for Easter follow up? Would enjoy seeing your thoughts in the comment section below.

Posted by Dale Hudson

Warning: The Importance of Incident Reports (free download)

8:23 AM Unknown

It's extremely important to document incidents in your Children's Ministry because...

It holds you accountable to document and report to parents any incidents involving their child.
It benefits your ministry if the incident requires legal counsel.
It alerts you to any dangers that need to be remedied or corrected to prevent future harm.

The incident report should include the following...

Time and place
Type of incident
Person(s) involved/injured
Description of incident/injury and any actions taken
Witnesses and follow-up

A good incident report...

Is clear and concise
Has good grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Uses terms that readers are familiar with
Is consistent in style throughout the department
Is accurate
Is factual
Is objective

Tips for incident reports...

Incident reports should be not only filled out for children, but also for adults who are hurt, injured, or require medical assistance. This includes parents and volunteers. The adult should read the report and sign it before he or she leaves.
ALWAYS be proactive about informing parents about an incident involving their child. Make sure the parents read the report and sign it before they leave.
When in doubt...fill it out. When deciding whether or not an incident warrants a report, always err on the side of caution and fill out the report.
When the incident involves one child injuring another child, have the parents of both children read and sign the report.
The Director should read the report and sign it. If the incident happens over the weekend, I review it and sign it by Tuesday.
Follow up as needed. Take time to check on the person. A phone call or visit to the hospital will show them you truly care.
Keep the report on file.

Below is the incident report we use. Feel free to download the word document if you'd like to edit it and use it for your ministry. (page margins are corrected when downloaded)

Incident Report

Posted by Dale Hudson