Building an All Star Volunteer Team for Your Church

Recruiting a volunteer  social media team for your church can add a definite advantage to your church’s outreach program. Utilizing the skills of those within your church’s membership to better connect with the community will add depth and agility to your church’s efforts to interact and engage with your audience. Whether you already manage a Facebook or Twitter account, only use an e-newsletter it’s important to assemble a knowledgeable team instead of trying to handle the entire project by yourself.

Putting together the team can take time. Seek out members of your church by making regular announcements during normally scheduled worship services, special church events, or even through your existing social media platforms. If there are certain members of your church that you know have the required skills and background to be of assistance, don’t be afraid to approach them individually and ask if they have the available time or would be willing to at least consult with you about the project. There are 5 key members of a proper social media team, but having backups ready will ensure you don’t overwork any volunteers or lose time in case of an emergency or time conflict.

Writer

A competent writer can engage the audience by stimulating real conversation.

A skilled wordsmith is very important for social media expression. They will be responsible for regular updates and have to be able to put lots of information into simple, yet understandable, sentences for easy digestion. No one wants to read paragraphs of content on their Facebook feed, yet too little information leaves people confused or misinformed.

A competent writer can also truly engage the audience by provoking their thoughts or stimulating real conversation. Creating a serious discussion that relates to weekly service topics can get church members more excited about attending church to learn more about topical issues and where the church stands. It also demonstrates that there are other like-minded individuals in the church’s community that are worth networking with for church related functions and even other interests. This provides a great opportunity for someone that doesn’t feel like a technology expert but has writing skills. [divider]

Photographer

A volunteer photographer can capture any important moments on film.

Of course, collecting photos from any member is a great idea. The more pictures people submit to your social media sites for use, the greater selection and flexibility you will have access to. However, a dedicated and skilled photographer can often get important shots from interesting angles that many amateurs wouldn’t even think about. The ability to cast weekly services and other church events in a glorious light with advanced photography tricks goes a long way towards making your church seem professional and serious. A volunteer photographer will be expected to attend church related functions as much as possible so as to be sure to capture any important moments on film. Combine this with member photos and you will have a diverse portfolio of photos to tell your church’s story[divider]

Graphic Designer

Creating a strong first impression on any social media site is best done by a skilled graphic designer.

Creating a strong first impression on any social media site, from YouTube to a weekly e-newsletter, is best done by a graphic designer. This is one of the most important steps towards being taken seriously as a church community on the Internet. This person should be able to take words from the writer and pictures from the photographer and combine them, with other additions, to create a series of memorable and endearing images. This task is becoming easier with some of the new graphics tools available that almost anyone can use with a little work and creativity. Check out the blog post 6 Super Easy Photo Tools Your Church can use for Social Media Graphics to learn about some of those tools.

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Platform Manager

A mediator would be responsible for the day to day interactions on your social media sites.

These people are responsible for the day to day interactions with others on your church’s social media sites. They should be aware of many aspects of your church’s activity and knowledgeable about the overall goals and direction of the church. These volunteers can be easy to find by simply determining which church members are already active in the social media and are able to monitor the pages and respond quickly to comments, questions, or other posts. This person can also schedule the church’s posts a week in advance to reduce the ongoing workload. This blog post can help you with scheduling : 3 Keys to Scheduling Your Church’s Social Media Posts [divider]

Team-Leader

A team leader coordinates the volunteer team.

This person will be the manager of the volunteer team. Be sure to interview and consider multiple candidates before settling on a team leader, even if you already have someone in mind before creating the team. While you may eventually decide to choose your first pick, reviewing the qualifications of others will give you a better insight into what they will be doing.

Leadership responsibilities include coordinating the other members of the team by setting goals and keeping the overall message consistent for maximum branding efficiency. They will be required to develop strategies and must be willing and able to dedicate a significant amount of time each day and week to the social media projects.

When considering people for any of these volunteer positions, ensure that potential candidates are creative, efficient, and purposeful. Each member should have a big picture goal but be able to think strategically for their individual aspect of the project. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, this is an ideal setup and you may only be able to start with one person. This guide will help you to at least know the functions that need to be filled even when you can’t get a person for each one.

We want to hear from you in the comments.

What have been your biggest challenges with recruiting volunteers?

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