I know what you’re thinking … another thing to manage. While you'll still have to manage a part of the process, you won’t have to manage all of it.
I get it. I’ve been there too. I understand what it’s like to have days when we have zero social media ideas and don’t see any on the horizon. For me, it was in those times when I felt most stuck that I also began to figure out how I could utilize volunteers to take things off of my plate.
When I began recruiting volunteers in my previous church role, I had no guidance and nowhere to really start. So, I began fumbling through recruiting social media volunteers. Some of my ideas worked and others ... bombed. I learned a lot through the process and wanted to share a few that worked the best for me.
- Spot the person taking pictures.
This is easy. Just look around during worship services, student ministry gatherings, and other church events. Find the person that always has their phone out taking photos. Walk up to them and introduce yourself and what you do at the church and start getting to know them. From there, see if they have an interest in helping. While this isn’t a foolproof way to find a volunteer, it's usually pretty successful.
- Ask a high school or college student.
Some of my best volunteers have been students. Seriously, social media is just so natural for them and they’re already at so many of these events. If you don’t know any, ask your student ministry leader if they have any suggestions. They might even let you come speak to the students and ask!
- Find out who is posting and commenting the most on your social content.
You already know these people. They like, comment and re-share everything you post. Simply message them to see if they’d be interested or respond to their comment! Sometimes, you might even get a few others inquiring about it by doing it that way.
- Post a volunteer ask on social in a fun way.
There are so many creative things you can do with social media. Make a video or reel, use stickers or polls, basically just have fun and post a few times a month to see who’s interested and willing to be on the team.
How you manage your volunteers is up to you.
You may have them post everything for you or you may find that they prefer to document events and just send you their photos and videos. You may even find that they’re better suited for coming up with a content calendar. Leaning into their strengths is when the best work happens.
A few other recommendations when leading this team:
- If you have a large team, appoint a lead volunteer. That way you’re managing one volunteer who is leading the rest rather than trying to lead another team on top of your job.
- Have monthly or quarterly meetings. This shows that you support the work they’re doing. And, this is when the best collaboration can happen.
- Recognize and appreciate your volunteers. Read this article on how to recognize and appreciate those volunteers once they’re up and going.
Good luck recruiting!
