If you are not doing this, you’re probably losing your most precious asset!

If you are a part of a church, then it is very likely that you rely heavily on volunteers. Yes, your staff are very important but it is very likely that you have 5, 10, or 20 times as many people that volunteer at the church than are employed by the church.

So what are you doing to make sure these essential people are feeling appreciated?

With Thanksgiving only a couple weeks away, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some things that can be done to show volunteers that they are appreciated and valued. Some of these you can even do through your website:

1. Ask members/attendees from your church to send a note to the church about a volunteer. You can create a new email address for this (ie: thankyou@samplechurch.org). During the announcements at your service, ask people (or put a request in the bulletin) to send a short note or story about a volunteer that they really appreciate. Then post these on the church website, announcement slide before the service, or in the bulletin during the month of November.
2. Feature a volunteer on the website each day of the month. Include a picture of the volunteer, what they do, and a quote from them in why they volunteer.
3. Have a volunteer breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
4. Create a thank you video using JibJab. Use a pictures of your head pastor and other staff to create a JibJab video. Email this to all your volunteers and post it on the church website and Facebook account (http://www.jibjab.com/ecards/thanks).
5. Send out thank you cards to each volunteer signed by each staff member.

What have you done at your church to show appreciation for your volunteers? How have you used your website for this? Please post your comment below!

For those of you who are interested in talking about your church’s website and how you can take it to the next level, please click here for more information.

Mark Steinbrueck

President at OurChurch.Com

Mark has served as the President of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, leading the Custom Website and Sales departments with dedication and expertise.

Over the years, he has managed hundreds of custom website, graphic design, and marketing projects for churches, non-profits, businesses, and schools.

Beyond his professional work, Mark is deeply committed to serving his community. He coordinates and packs over 700 meals each week for children through One Community Now’s Pack A Sack for Kids program, volunteers in the Children’s Ministry at Generations Christian Church, and participates in a weekly Bible study.