Volunteer Training . . . How Do I Get My Volunteers to Show Up?

Over the years I've led hundreds of trainings for volunteers . . . some churches did a wonderful job getting their volunteers to show up and others . . . well,  far too many times when I arrived there were only two or three people there. These churches always told me they could never get people to attend their trainings. 

So, what can you do to get your volunteers to attend? Consider the following -

• Be sure your training is worth their time - we are all so busy, so if you are going to add something to your volunteer's schedule be sure it is something worthwhile. Don't have training just to have a training time, but rather, be focused and intentional with your training.
• Always start on time and end when you said you would end.
• Be sure you communicate the value of the training so all your volunteers know it is important and it matters for them to be there.
• Make your training something your volunteers look forward to - be sure to include time for connecting and for fellowship.
• Provide training on the topics your volunteers want training for - ask them what areas they would most appreciate training to better equip them for their ministry.
• Make sure your volunteers understand attending training is part of what they commit to when they become part of your ministry team. Be sure they understand they do need to attend if they are going to be involved in the children's ministry.

These are just a few ideas. What do you do to get your volunteers to attend your training times?