In this episode, I talk with Alston Causey, the UpStreet Director at Gwinnett Church, about what his church is doing to create a remarkable volunteer culture. Alston shares the huge role that vision plays in this, and why leading with the “why” is so important. He also walks through the practical things they do to be intentional about creating a great volunteer culture, and gives us an inside look at something new his team tried this year called the Remarkable Experiment.
Alston Causey
Connect with Alston on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Gwinnett UpStreet Facebook | Gwinnett UpStreet Instagram
Email: alston.causey@gwinnettchurch.org
Links Mentioned in This Episode
7 Practices of Effective Ministry (book) – Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, and Lane Jones walk through seven key things you can do to help your ministry win
Making Vision Stick (book) – Andy Stanley shares the three reasons why vision leaks, and the three things you can do to help vision stick
Volunteer Win Statements – Check out the win statements, or one-sentence job descriptions, for Gwinnett UpStreet production volunteers
Volunteer Survey – The volunteer survey the Gwinnett UpStreet team sent to all of their volunteer leaders to learn what would make serving in UpStreet a more remarkable experience
Creating an Irresistible Volunteer Culture
- Limit the span of care to a reasonable number
- Ask leaders to commit more to less things
- Hold very few meetings
- Pay their way to all camps and events
- Host a VIP room for them every Sunday
- Give them strategic Sundays off
- Shower them with free t-shirts and swag
Onboarding in UpStreet
- Orientation—Vision and overview of Upstreet
- Interview–Get to know them on a personal level
- Training – Train them in the specific role, and have them shadow another leader
- Plug them in!
Action Items
- Examine your communication with volunteers and look at it through a “for vs. from” filter. Ask yourself: How much am I asking from them, and how much am I doing for them?
- Try doing the Remarkable Experiment for a month or a couple of months with your volunteers
- Send out a survey to your volunteers to help you learn what would make serving a remarkable experience for them
- Evaluate your win statements, or begin crafting a few for your different volunteer roles
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Next Episode: Bill Hegedus
In the next episode, I welcome my friend, Bill Hegedus, back to the podcast. Bill shared with us in Episode 018 about preteen ministry and partnering with parents. This time, we have a great conversation about what he's been up to this past since stepping into a new position, and how he's changed how the church he now works for serves preteens and their families.
