Note: This section contains helpful hints, tips and suggestions for the important task of recruiting. Please also see Nominating Committee & Recruiting Guidelines for important guidelines when recruiting chapter leaders.
No matter what volunteer
role (chapter leader, congregational coordinator, service team leader or volunteer)
you are involved in as part of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' chapter system,
you will want to recruit others to fill a position or participate in an activity.
A goal of our chapter system is to increase the number of our members
who volunteer with Thrivent Financial to demonstrate their care and concern
for others.
Successful recruiting of new people to serve on chapter leadership boards also is very important because of term-limit requirements (a member may serve as an elected leader on the board for no more than four consecutive terms). Therefore, it's a good idea for boards to use a "staggered term" process (e.g., elect two new people each year to replace two current leaders). See term limits in CHIP for more details about term limit requirements and the staggered term approach.
Below is information and helpful tips for recruiting
volunteer leaders and volunteers in general. Many of these tips can be applied
to any type of recruiting you may need to do.
Who needs to be recruited as part of the chapter system?
- Chapter leadership board: (see Nominating Committee & Recruiting Guidelines for important details)
· Five required
elected positions.
· Five optional
elected positions.
· Optional appointed advisors.
- Congregational
coordinators.
- Community
service team contact people.
- Other engaged volunteers (service team participants). There is no role
description for these volunteers, but they are critical to the success of
our chapter system.
Important notes when recruiting Thrivent Financial volunteer leaders:
- Because a majority of the administrative tasks of the chapter system require online access, it is strongly recommended that you recruit people who have access to and are comfortable with using e-mail and the Internet. Also, some positions require Internet and e-mail access. See the role description links above for details.
- Some contact information of chapter leaders, congregational coordinators
and service team leaders is permitted to be shared with their chapter
or congregation on the Internet when used in conjunction with their volunteer
roles. You must let all nominees know in what way their contact information
will be shared on the Internet if they become volunteer leaders (e.g.,
you may not put potential chapter leader names on the ballot until they
are informed about this and have provided consent [verbal] that this is
OK.) See Privacy
- impacts on chapter-related issues for a detailed table showing what
contact information will be on the Internet and who can see this information.
- A potential volunteer leader must give his or her consent to being a
candidate for the volunteer leader position.
- Some members (e.g., Thrivent Financial associates) are not eligible
to hold elected chapter leadership positions or congregational
coordinator positions due to conflicts of interest. See Volunteer
leader eligibility (conflicts of interest) for details.
- When recruiting chapter leaders, see Nominating Committee & Recruiting Guidelines for important guidelines, which will help prevent unexpected eligibility concerns that may arise at or after the chapter leader election.
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Why do people volunteer?
People volunteer for many reasons. Here are some examples of motivations behind
volunteering that can help you, as a recruiter, understand what may appeal to different people:
- Out of love for what Christ has done for them.
- To spend time with people who have similar interests or values.
- To do one's share as a member of a congregation or community.
- To help a family member, neighbor or friend.
- To maintain a family tradition of service.
- To learn something new.
- To get experience using newly learned skills.
- To make a difference.
- To see that resources are used well.
- To get acquainted in a new area.
- To be an advocate for a particular group or institution.
- To gain status or recognition within a certain group.
- To earn academic credit.
- To fulfill a work-related obligation.
- To please the person who asked them.
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How can I find potential volunteers?
There are many opportunities to leverage in your recruitment efforts. For
example:
- For chapter leader elections, form a candidate pool made up of previous
volunteers.
- Ask for suggestions from key centers of influence within the congregation
and community.
- Ask Thrivent Financial representatives for suggestions.
- Publicize leadership opportunities at various events within your church
or community, via a newsletter through the Chapter
Mailing Service (prewritten
articles on recruiting are available), or on your chapter
Web site.
- Ask!
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When asking people to volunteer, keep these five things in mind:
- Be specific about what you need and why you are asking them. For example,
know the answers to these questions before recruiting someone for a task:
· What is the task?
· What will the person be expected to do?
· Will the person be working alone or with someone else?
· And most important, who is it helping? Many volunteer motivations
stem from wanting to help others.
- Let them know how much time it will take and when the task needs to be
completed. Remember to recruit early in the process.
- Let them know what kind of training, support and resources will be available
to help do the task (e.g., chapter leaders have many resources available
to them from Thrivent Financial).
- A recent survey by the Independent Sector indicated that 90 percent of
those who were asked to volunteer did in fact volunteer. Think about that—a
90-percent take rate! You will find that people are honored to know they
have been asked to volunteer because others recognize their skills, talents
and abilities. They will know that "not just anybody" was asked
to do the task.
- Be enthusiastic when recruiting. Help others see how this task or project
will be a good use of their time and skills.
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Whom should you ask?
Choose a person with the talents to match the task(s) at hand. Ask yourself:
- What untapped talent is waiting to be utilized?
- Who could provide input or help on this specific task or project?
- Who has the skills, talents and abilities to do the task?
- Who is able to make the necessary commitment?
- Who has the values, beliefs and interests that correspond to the task
or project?
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Great recruiting resources
We have developed some materials based on chapter leader and Lutheran Community Services Team feedback to help you with recruiting volunteer leaders.
- A quick-reference guide to Recruiting Chapter Leaders and Congregational Coordinators (PDF, 103K). This piece describes steps for successful recruiting and when each should occur, where to find potential volunteer leader candidates, answers to common questions and objections, and many helpful tips and suggestions from experienced recruiters.
- An at-a-glance guide to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Chapter Leadership Board Roles (PDF, 76K). This piece gives a brief description of each of the five required elected chapter leadership board positions and the five optional elected positions, plus a listing of the appointed positions and other volunteer opportunities. It is designed so that it can be tri-folded and inserted into, or distributed with, an informational brochure such as The Care Programs of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (see below). The guide can give potential volunteer leader candidates an idea of what their roles will entail if they accept.
- The Care Programs of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. This fraternal marketing brochure explains how chapter members and community volunteers can get funding support for their hands-on service and fund-raising activities. It replaces the previous Get Involved! Help Others brochure. Chapter leaders can order the brochure from Order Chapter Supplies in the Chapter Leadership Administration section of Members/Chapters at www.thrivent.com.
- "Understanding Your Role" quick reference guides for each of the volunteer leader positions, with a detailed compilation of all aspects of each role plus other useful information and resources.
For more suggestions on successfully recruiting volunteers and managing volunteer
efforts, check out some of these volunteerism Web sites:
Additional topics:
Annual Elections
Chapter Mailing
Service
Chapter Web sites
Nominating Committee & Recruiting Guidelines
Privacy — impacts
on chapter-related issues
Roles and expectations - Chapter Leadership Board
Specifics — chapter leadership board
System requirements
for using Administration sections
Volunteer leader
eligibility (conflicts of interest)