I almost lost my best volunteer last year. She'd been teaching second grade Sunday school for three years straight. Never missed a week. Then one Sunday she pulled me aside and said she was thinking about stepping down.
I panicked. Asked what was wrong. Turns out nothing was wrong exactly. She just felt... tired. Not physically tired. Just tired of feeling like nobody noticed.
That hit me hard. I'd been so focused on recruiting new volunteers that I forgot about appreciating the ones I had.
So I changed things up. Here's what actually works.
1. Send Them Videos (Not Another Email)
Look, we all get too many emails. They just sit there unread. But a video? That's different.
I started recording little thank you videos on my phone. Nothing fancy. Sometimes it's just me in my car after church saying "Hey Sarah, saw how you handled that meltdown today. You were amazing." Sometimes I get the kids involved. "Tell Miss Jennifer what you love about her class."
One volunteer told me she's saved every video. Watches them on bad days. I mean, come on. That's worth the two minutes it takes to record.
Here's the thing - be specific. Don't just say "thanks for serving." Say "thanks for always remembering that Aiden likes to sit by the window" or "thanks for cleaning up the glitter explosion last week without complaining."
2. Throw Actual Parties
Not meetings disguised as parties. Real parties.
We do this thing now where twice a year we celebrate our volunteers properly. I found this resource from Grow Curriculum called Volunteer & Parent Celebrations that basically plans the whole thing for you. Game changer. They have games, recognition ideas, the whole deal.
Last time we did a taco bar and played ridiculous minute-to-win-it games. Nobody talked about curriculum or scheduling. We just hung out. Laughed at Pastor Tom trying to move cookies from his forehead to his mouth without using his hands.
That's when volunteers become friends. And friends stick around.
3. Give Gifts That They Actually Like
Stop with the generic "World's Best Volunteer" mugs. Please.
I keep a note in my phone about each volunteer. Julie loves plants. Marcus is obsessed with Star Wars. Emma's always talking about her new air fryer recipes.
So when appreciation time comes? Julie gets a succulent with a note about how she helps kids grow. Marcus gets a Baby Yoda figure for his desk. Emma gets a weird air fryer cookbook I found on Amazon.
It's not about money. One of my volunteers nearly cried over a $3 used book I found because it was exactly her type of mystery novel. She couldn't believe I remembered she liked mysteries.
4. Feed Them (Without Making Them Work)
Every few months, we do volunteer-only events. No kids. No agenda. Just food and hanging out.
Sometimes it's fancy - we did a progressive dinner once where different people hosted each course. Sometimes it's super casual - pizza and board games in the church basement.
The key? They're off duty. Completely. No "while you're here, can we talk about VBS?" No sneaky planning sessions. Just appreciation.
And invite their families. Spouses need to know we value the time their partner gives us. Kids need to see their parents being celebrated.
5. Invest in Them
This one surprised me how much it mattered. We started sending volunteers to conferences and trainings. Not because they were doing anything wrong. Because we wanted to invest in them.
Found out one volunteer always wanted to learn sign language to better include a deaf child in class. We paid for an online course. Another volunteer mentioned wanting to understand child development better. Found a workshop. Covered it.
Sometimes it's as simple as sharing a podcast or sending them a book. "Hey, thought you'd like this since you're always asking great questions about teaching methods."
They come back energized. And they know you see them as more than just free labor.
6. Write Actual Letters
I know. Who writes letters anymore? That's exactly why you should.
Once a quarter, I sit down with actual paper and write notes. Not emails. Not texts. Letters. With stamps and everything.
"Dear Jennifer, I saw you last week with that new kid who wouldn't stop crying. You just sat with him. Didn't force him to participate. Just sat. By the end, he was showing you his dinosaur collection. That's the kind of volunteer every kid needs."
Takes forever. Hand cramps. Worth every minute.
I keep stationary in my desk just for this. Nothing fancy. Sometimes I forget and write on printer paper. They don't care. One volunteer has every letter I've written her pinned to her fridge. Three years worth.
The Truth About All This
Here's what I learned the hard way: volunteers don't quit because the work is hard. They quit because they feel invisible.
Every single person teaching in your ministry is choosing to be there. They could be sleeping in. Going to brunch. Watching their kid's soccer game. Instead, they're dealing with glue sticks and goldfish crackers and somebody else's kids.
That deserves more than a yearly appreciation dinner.
What Really Matters
Some weeks I nail this. Send videos, write notes, remember birthdays. Other weeks I'm barely keeping my head above water and forget to say thank you at all.
The volunteers who stick around? They're the ones who know that even when I forget to say it, I see them. I value them. I'd be lost without them.
Because honestly? They're not just volunteers. They're the reason ministry happens. They're the ones kids remember twenty years later. They're the ones changing lives while I'm making copies and ordering curriculum.
Tools That Help
If you're drowning (like I was), some resources make this easier:
- Ministry Grid has solid volunteer training stuff
- Grow Curriculum includes volunteer appreciation ideas in their packages (lifesaver)
- Planning Center helps track who's serving when so nobody gets forgotten
But honestly? The best tool is just paying attention. Notice who needs encouragement. Remember what matters to them. Show up for them like they show up for those kids.
Start Small
Pick one thing from this list. Try it this month. See what happens.
Maybe it's recording one video. Maybe it's writing one letter. Maybe it's just remembering to say "I saw what you did today and it mattered" before they leave.
That volunteer who wanted to quit? She's still here. Leads our whole preschool department now. All because I finally started paying attention.
Your volunteers are worth it. Every single one of them. Even the one who uses too much glitter. Even the one who's always five minutes late. Even the one who tells the same Bible story every week regardless of the lesson plan.
They showed up. That's everything.
