Categories: Volunteers

4 Places to Find Summer Volunteers for Your Ministry

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Volunteers are hard to come by in the world of children's ministry, especially during the summer after your team has been serving all year long! When possible, it can help to give your regular volunteer team a break during the summer months so they can relax, recharge, and refresh. Our subscribers have access to a Summer Serve printable that can help them recruit a team of summer volunteers, and here are 4 specific places to find volunteers to serve in your ministry during the summer months... College Students - They're headed home for the summer and most of them will be looking for something to do! Invite them to be part of your ministry on Sunday mornings. They often get out of school earlier than local public schools, so try and connect with them early or mid-May when they're just getting home! Present it...
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Summer Serve Printable

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Use this free Canva template (free Canva account required) to create a Summer Serve initiative for your children's ministry! Update the provided template with your ministry information, then share the flyer/form at your church, in the bulletin, online, ask if you can place one in every chair for a few weeks in May, etc. Find ways to encourage and recruit some extra help this summer to give your regular volunteers a break! (P.S. Here are 4 places to look for summer volunteers for your ministry.) Here's how to access and use the Canva template: Click Here to open the template in Canva (free Canva account required). Modify the wording and options to best fit your ministry. Save the document as a PDF. Print and distribute via your chosen method(s). Pray for God to fill your summer volunteer...
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Egg-stra Special Easter Volunteer Appreciation Tag

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""]Use these 3.8x2.2-inch printable volunteer tags to show your Easter Sunday team how much you appreciate them serving on such an important day! Check out the download via the button below to access gift ideas, printing options, and even a customizable version that allows you to add your own logo! Find even more Easter resources here![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the printable here!" align="center" css=""...
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12 Months of Volunteer Appreciation Ideas

Use this list and the links below to create a plan for appreciating your volunteers all year long! Download a printable version here! January: A can of soda or some fuzzy socks with the generic version of this tag printable! February: “Thanks for Being the Heart of Our Ministry” + some Dove heart chocolates! (Not free, but here’s a printable to help!) March: Have a surprise basket of baked goods/treats (or extra coffee) on time-change Sunday! April: For anyone who serves with your special Easter Event or on Easter Sunday, grab some Peeps and thank them for being “one of your peeps!” (Not free, but here’s a printable to help!) May: The Big Thank You, a church-wide volunteer appreciation event with food trucks or popsicles available for free for all volunteers after service(s). June:...
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Non-Gift Volunteer Appreciation Ideas

Volunteer appreciation is a key part of retaining your team and creating a healthy culture. But remember to think beyond just gifts for appreciation! Think about your volunteers' love languages and how you can show appreciation without physical items. Here are some ideas:  Host a special event. Invite them out to dinner or host a special event at your church just for your volunteers. Maybe you bring in a Christian comedian? Maybe you host a game night for their families? Maybe you provide lunch after services one Sunday in the form of a fleet of food trucks? Maybe you host a Parents' Night Out that’s just for volunteer families. Bonus points if you can include their families in the event too!  Ask them questions, get their input, and gather feedback. One of the best ways to show volunteers you care and respect them is to reflect on the...
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Celebrating 7 Years of Serving You!

This week, we're celebrating 7 years of serving you, an amazing community of children's ministry leaders. Don't miss out on our special Lucky 7 Birthday Scratch-Off Sale (head to our home page to play) and win a promo code for up to 37% off your next order! We're also sharing our top 7 posts and resources from the last 7 years. These are the ideas and downloads YOU have loved the most! Top 7 Posts From the Last 7 Years: 10 Scriptures for Kids About Light 5 Things KidMin Leaders Must Do to Effectively Partner with Today's Parents 10 Verses to Pray Over Your Kids as They Head Back to School  Worship Activity Bags: Praise Packs Learn the 10 Commandments with Your Fingers Teaching Kids About Pentecost Simple but Meaningful Holy Week Activities for Families Top 7 Subscriber Freebies: Crew Cards (available to...
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“Little Pumpkins” Fall Volunteer Appreciation Tag

Print these fall-themed appreciation tags on cardstock and cut out with scissors, or print on business card paper (like Avery 28371) and print and tear apart on perforations. Then attach the tags to a fall gift like tiny pumpkins, fall-themed candles, and pumpkin-flavor or shaped cookies/treats! Share them with your volunteers on Sunday mornings or at your fall event. Download here! Want even more volunteer appreciation tags to use this season and year-round? Check out this Fall Volunteer Appreciation Tag BUNDLE with 10 tags + gift ideas for each one! Download the bundle...
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Don’t Ask For Volunteers, Invite Them

"I have more volunteers than I know what to do with." - Said no kidmin leader ever. Volunteers can be hard to come by, and it requires constant and consistent recruitment to add to your team. As you navigate what it looks like to build a team for your ministry, consider a subtle but intentional shift in the language you use: Rather than asking for volunteers to serve in your ministry, invite them into the story of what God is doing in your ministry. Think about the difference between an ask vs an invitation. An ask implies they're doing you a favor, while an invitation is something they want to be part of. An ask can be ambiguous with no definitive boundaries while an invitation provides clear details and descriptions. An ask communicates that you just need help - anybody's help, while an invitation shows a clear, specific place for that...
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Volunteer Job Description Template

An effective job description should give your volunteer all the expectations of the position and allow them to decide if they can do it or not. This free job description template will help you create a top-notch volunteer description for any and every member of your team. Download the Volunteer Job Description Template Here! Want some of the work done for you? Check out our full Volunteer Job Description Template resource, which includes an editable version of this template, sample job descriptions for 12+ roles on your volunteer team, and explicit instructions and vision for creating rock-solid volunteer job descriptions. Download the full resource...
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5 Tips for Turning a Meeting into a Party

No one wants to attend ANOTHER boring meeting, and your volunteers are no different! Using just a few simple and applicable ideas, you can host trainings that volunteers actually WANT to attend. Whether it’s an annual volunteer training or your weekly volunteer meeting, here are five tips for turning your meetings into a party! Don’t call it a “meeting.” You probably aren’t super excited about attending meetings, and your volunteers aren’t either. Whether you call it a training session, a convention, a conference, a summit, a rally, or even a gathering, what you call your training event will subliminally influence a volunteer’s attitude about attending. Offer food (even if it’s just a brownie bite). It’s a great way to show appreciation for your volunteers from the very beginning. If you feed them, they will come. ...
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The Chips and Salsa of Sunday Morning: Leveraging Arrival Time to Minimize Chaos

When you go to a Mexican restaurant, what is always brought to the table immediately upon sitting down? Chips and salsa! When kids walk through your doors on Sunday morning, there should be 2 things readily available: 1) a volunteer and 2) an activity they can dive right into. Your volunteer is like the waiter at the restaurant, helping kids settle in and get comfortable and sharing options for ways to dig in. The activity is like the chips and salsa of your ministry time. It gives kids a taste of what's to come while also occupying them until everyone arrives and the morning officially begins. And it's OK if it's a game - kids need time to build relationships with each other before diving into a deep, spiritual lesson. When you have leaders and activities ready to go, there’s no time for kids to plunder the room because there is...
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Something for You, Just out of the Blue Volunteer Appreciation Printable

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]NOTE: This is a limited-time DKM Subscriber freebie! That means it is available to DKM Subscribers right now for free, but will eventually become a paid resource in the DKM Marketplace.  One of the best ways to retain your volunteers is to celebrate them! And what better way to celebrate them than with random, surprise gifts of appreciation? People may be expecting an appreciation gift around holidays or special days, but you can make any day a special day with this volunteer appreciation tag printable! Use this volunteer appreciate tag printable to surprise your team with a little gift "just out of the blue. Choose the printable option you'd like to use, follow the instructions below, and attach the 3x3-inch tags to a blue item (food, candy, ministry merchandise, random blue items,...
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Valentine Resources Your KidMin Will LOVE

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to not only teach kids about God's love but to create space for kids to experience God's love too! These Valentine Resources can help...[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Shop All Valentine Resources Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fproduct-category%2Fseasonal%2Fseasonalvalentinesday%2F|target:_blank"][vc_separator color="custom" border_width="5" accent_color="#3ac1e1"][vc_custom_heading text="Help Kids & Families Experience God's Love Through Prayer..." font_container="tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%233ac1e1" use_theme_fonts="yes" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fproduct%2Flove-one-another-valentine-prayer-stations-lesson%2F|target:_blank"][vc_column_text] God’s Conversation Hearts is a Scripture-based prayer prompt...
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How to Lose a Volunteer in Only 1 Week

Do you have new volunteers joining your team as we hit the mid-point of the school year? Maybe it's time for a mid-year volunteer training, or a refresher for your rookie volunteers as they jump into serving with your ministry. Maybe you're in the midst of a volunteer recruitment process or celebrating your volunteers to help them feel encouraged and inspired in their roles. No matter what your volunteer to-do list looks like right now, check out this guest blog post from David Rausch, creator of Go! Curriculum and a DKM Vendor, all about how to lose a volunteer in only 1 week (so you can make sure they're not running for the exit the first time they serve):  I recently began volunteering for a ministry at my church called "Los Vecinos." Using my high school level of Spanish, I roughly translated that to mean "The Vaccines," but upon further...
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8 Tips for Hosting an All-Star Volunteer Training

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Volunteer Training is a vital part of your ministry, but it can be difficult to pull off with excellence. It's hard to get all of your volunteers in the same room at the same time, and even if you do that, how do you make a somewhat tedious conversation more exciting and informative for your entire team? You want your volunteer training to do three things: train your volunteers in the basics, inspire them with the importance of their role, and equip them to be rockstar leaders. To accomplish these three goals and host an all-star volunteer training, use these 8 tips... Don't call it a "meeting." You probably aren't super excited about attending meetings, and your volunteers aren't either. Whether you call it a training session, a convention, a conference, a summit, a rally, or even a gathering, what you...
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5 Essentials for Kids with Special Needs in Your Ministry

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Does your ministry have kids with special needs? Even if you think the answer is "no," the answer is probably "yes" to some degree. When I say "special needs," leaders often think of the more prominent diagnoses, like autism or physical disabilities. But special needs ministry can also be relevant for kids with ADHD, dyslexia, and speech-language disorders, which can often be more difficult to identify because they're sometimes not as obvious. Special needs ministry is an area of ministry I do not have much experience or knowledge with, so this week, we're bringing in an expert to share their knowledge and ideas with you. Meet Laura Deeken, the creator behind The Adapted Word and printable resources for special needs ministry. Laura is a speech-language pathologist with 28 years of experience, and she has...
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6 People to Celebrate With As a New Semester Begins

At the beginning of the year, I shared that my word for the year was celebration, and I confessed that celebration is a spiritual discipline I often skip over in pursuit of the next goal, event, or task. So this year, I've tried to be more intentional about taking time to reflect and celebrate. Want to join me? As we head into back-to-school season, consider celebrating with different groups of people in your ministry: Volunteers - Weave celebration into every interaction or gathering you have with your volunteers (especially your annual volunteer training!). It boosts morale, reminds them of their purpose, and keeps their enthusiasm for serving high! (More on celebrating your volunteers here.) Parents/Grown-ups - Grown-ups love hearing positive stories about the kids in their lives. Share major milestones and even small wins with the...
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5 Tips for Behavior Management at Church

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]While behavior modification is NOT the goal of children’s ministry, behavior management is still a very real challenge we face as kidmin leaders. So to help you wrangle in the madness and create an environment your kids and volunteers will love, use these 5 tips for behavior management at church. Set expectations. You can’t expect particular behavior if you don’t communicate those expectations to the kids. Make sure the kids know what you expect of them each time they walk through your doors! Want to see the expectations I set for my ministry? Check out a full overview of SLLRP (pronounced "slurp") here! Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. If kids are going to know what you expect, you have to remind them. That means mentioning your expectations every week. Whether it’s up front and explicit (remember our...
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Volunteer Training Icebreaker Activity

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Use this activity to open up your volunteer training, help your team get to know each other, and encourage them to start thinking about the importance of their volunteer roles. It's also a great lead-in to sharing about your ministry's vision and goals![/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Click Here to Download a Printable version of the activity! " align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F01%2FDKM-Volunteer-Training-Icebreaker-Activity.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_column_text] Supplies: index cards, pens, Instructions: Pass out an index card and a pen to everyone. If you have a large group, you can split them into groups of 5-10. Tell them to number their cards and write their answers to the following questions, but they shouldn’t write their name on their...
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Mid-Year Volunteer Training

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As we continue on into a new semester, have you checked in with your volunteers lately? I know you may be thinking, "Lol what volunteers?" but no matter how big or small your team is, now is a great time to check in with them to share updates, cast vision for the year, and equip them in their serving roles. One January, I had the opportunity to speak at a local church's mid-year children's ministry volunteer training, and the leader, Caroline, did such a great job, I wanted to share about the event! If you're looking to host a mid-year volunteer training, keep some of these ideas in mind. (And find even more volunteer ideas and resources here!) Show Appreciation - As soon as volunteers walked through the doors, they were greeted with a spread of some yummy snacks and a small volunteer gift. Showing...
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4 Classroom Management Tips For Your Volunteers

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Classroom Management will make or break your volunteers' experience teaching and your kids' experience learning. Share these simple and quick best practices for classroom management with your volunteers to help them serve and lead well. Sharing simple strategies and techniques like these with your team helps them enjoy leading/serving in your ministry (which means they'll stick around longer) and helps kids enjoy learning about Jesus (always a win).[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download a Printable Version Here!" align="center" link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fdeeperkidmin.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F07%2FDKM-Classroom-Management-Tips-Tricks-for-Volunteers.pdf|target:_blank"][vc_column_text] Be early. Be prepared - The first one to arrive is the one in charge. Be sure that you are the first one in the...
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Top 5 Reasons Volunteer Training is Important

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As you gear up for your annual fall volunteer training, it's important to remember why you do it! It keeps volunteers in-the-know. Your annual training is the best place to connect with your volunteers and communicate updated policies, new expectations, and to make sure they're prepared to serve your kids. It keeps your volunteers and your kids safe. By making sure that everyone is on the same page with policies and procedures, you can better prevent any safety issues.  You can celebrate what God has done this year and look forward to what He has in store next. When your whole team dreams and prays together, big things happen in little lives! Volunteers can make connections with other volunteers. This helps remind them that they're not alone in ministering to kids, and it puts faces to names they...
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Types of Learners Digital Volunteer Training Freebie

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Earlier this week, we talked about connecting digitally with your volunteers, so now we're sharing a free resource to help you do just that! Use this free download to share information about different types of learners with your volunteers via social media. This free download includes 2 social media graphics for 5 different types of learners + a set of captions to use with them! These can be shared in your private teacher/volunteer Facebook group, on your website, as part of a digital training, and more! Please note: Because this freebie is a zipped folder with multiple files, it cannot be downloaded or viewed on a mobile device.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title="Download the Digital Volunteer Training Freebie here!"...
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Connecting Digitally With Your Volunteers

We can't talk about ministry - even digital ministry - without talking about volunteers! Whether you use texts, emails, vlogs, blog posts, or social media, take advantage of our digital world to connect with your volunteers, especially in this season of COVID-19. One of the ways I connected digitally with my volunteers (especially since we were a mobile church and had no permanent space) was through a Volunteer Facebook Group. The Volunteer Facebook Group was a secret group, meaning volunteers could request permission to join, but only I (the Children’s Ministry Director) could approve their request. All posts in this group were private and only seen by members of the group. Volunteers could request to join the Facebook Group after training. We used this secret group to ask for subs/switching weeks of service, share news or funny stories...
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Last Christmas 2020

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last Christmas, we shared these ideas & freebies, but some of you weren't here. This year, to save you some time, I'm bringing them back in case you missed them. Ok, so maybe those aren't the lyrics, but it's true! (And you already have my heart anyway, kidmin leader.) Here are our top resources from Last Christmas (and Last Last Christmas and Last Last Last Christmas too!)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="20028" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" link="https://deeperkidmin.com/have-a-cup-of-cheer-christmas-volunteer-appreciation-printable/"][vc_custom_heading text="Have a Cup of Cheer Volunteer Appreciation Printable" font_container="tag:h2|text_align:center" use_theme_fonts="yes"...
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