If you or your fellow minyan leaders use the following statements a lot, that is probably a sign that your minyan needs a more effective strategy to motivate volunteers:
o “I’ll ask for help if I have time after the work is done”
o “It takes less time to do it myself than to explain it to someone new”
o “I don’t have time to call/e-mail everyone on this list”
Why is motivating volunteers so important?*When done right, it can alleviate burdens of the minyan leadership
*Ensures that all aspects of the minyan is led by its participants
*Motivating volunteers can lead to finding new leaders
Tips on motivating volunteers:AWARENESS: It is important to consider limitations on the available time and energy of minyan leaders. Address some issues over e-mail (rather than at meetings). This can mitigate time demands.
KNOW THY MINYAN: There must be a need for new leadership in the minyan before recruitment of new leaders begins. Minyan leaders—old and new—should be prepared to creatively adapt to the community you have.
KNOW THY VOLUNTEER: Try to make sure that you know people and their interests before asking them to do a specific task; the more specific the roles, the more people tend to feel comfortable.
In addition, just because someone approaches you to volunteer does NOT mean the person is the right volunteer for the job. This of course requires delicate interactions, but will help solidify the project in the long run. Perhaps there is another role for the motivated volunteer that better fits his/her personality or skill set.
If, however, someone suggests an idea that you think they are capable of executing effectively, encourage the new leader to take on the project, so that s/he can have ownership from the beginning.
CARE: Use care regarding who asks for help and how he or she asks is important:
o Sometimes it’s a matter of personality – does the member of the leadership group project an appropriate tenor for eliciting “yes” responses?
o Emphasizing the positive impact of performing the requested task may be preferable to mentioning the undesirable aspects of performing the task (e.g. physical exertion required, repetitive, etc.)
o Inspire the volunteer candidate, rather than using guilt (This is a phenomenal opportunity vs. If you don’t do this, the program will collapse).
o Connect the new volunteer with the previous one, so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Get buy-in from the previous volunteer in making the pitch about why this job is fun and inspiring.
RECRUITING NEW VOLUNTEERS: • There has been success in one-on-one pitches after someone has been identified as a leader.
• Getting the new leaders involved socially (outside the minyan work).
START SMALL: Participation is a matter of degree; offering or requiring progressive levels of volunteer participation can be effective:
• E.g. you can start by setting expectations for a small volunteer work contribution from participants, such as:
• Move your own chairs
• Clean up your own dishes
• Help set-up
• A common strategy is to offer volunteer opportunities to all participants, then fall back on “regulars.” In other words, open the job to all via email, but then do proactive follow-through to find the right person. Typically people don't step forward without a personal "ask" – but if asked, most people are willing volunteers.
• Some minyanim present fewer opportunities for participants to pitch in than other minyanim do: Lakeview Minyan, for example, generally requests volunteers only for three things: davening, dvar torah and sponsorship.
COMMITTEES: Establish committees to handle specific projects or issues. This helps by:
• Presenting an opportunity for newer volunteers to take a greater role
• Allowing minyan leaders not on the committee a respite
ADVANCE NOTICE: Ask people to sign up in advance for volunteer tasks can help – consider online sign-up.
• Online spreadsheets/documents (e.g. Googledocs) allow others to see who has (and hasn’t) volunteered; this can motivate people to sign up
• When people suggest new practices or projects, consider suggesting that they run with their own ideas
• Some minyanim offer opportunities to sign up to volunteer as a regular part of interacting with minyan participants.
• For instance, Kehilat Hadar offers anyone who signs up for High Holidays or Shavuot (the biggest online sign-up times of the years) a menu of volunteer jobs that people can check off as part of the regular sign-up process.
FUN: Making volunteering fun is an advantage
• At Tikkun Leil Shabbat, for example, volunteer dishwashers get to wear leis (for veggie table dishwashers) or beads (for hekhsher table dishwashers) and dishwashing is a social (i.e., group) activity
• Another example: cute, colorful cards accompanying Kiddush dishes and highlighting a volunteer opportunity
SAY THANK YOU: Giving thanks to volunteers is important
• There are many ways to give thanks, but face-to-face expression of appreciation is probably the best
o Providing volunteers with food and/or drink is probably a good idea
• Leadership/committee meetings with empty-stomached participants generally are worth avoiding
TARGETING: Targeting participants for volunteering/leadership can be an effective strategy
o Listen carefully to other daveners in the kahal and ask them to lead as appropriate.
o Some minyanim noted that listening to people who are given aliyot gives a sense of their potential ritual skills beyond an aliyah – it is an easy way to “scout.”
ADVERTISE: Increasing awareness of how participants can help get things done by, for example:
o Publicizing specific volunteer opportunities (via e-mail/announcements)
o Divulging and or publicizing budget (or other financial) details – letting people know what funds are needed for my help in raising funds
o Conspicuous or cute methods of emphasizing volunteer opportunities, such as the leis and colorful cards mentioned above (these methods may not be appropriate for some minyanim)
TEAMBUILDING: Non-davening-centered events (Shabbat dinners, etc.), for example, can enable volunteers, leaders and others to get to know one another
COMMUNICATION: Regular communication with the volunteer is crucial – don’t wait for the problems to arise before talking to them. As part of the thank you email, one could ask: How is it going? What could we do better to support your work?
Answer