7 Steps to Resource Your VBS Volunteers for Success Part 2
In my previous post, I talked about the importance of having a strong volunteer team for your VBS. In order to have a strong team you have to work hard and fast to get them ready. You only have weeks, not months to get them ready.
In that post, I focused on what you can do to resource your volunteers before the big event. In this post, I’ll continue the conversation and talk about what we can do the week of VBS and beyond.
Most of the advice I’m sharing in this post focuses on your largest volunteer team, your small group leaders. In my event, I call them crew leaders and will continue to do that throughout this post.
4. Give them the Info they need
There are two major pieces of information your crew leaders need each day. Where they’re going and who they’re taking with them. I want to share this information with them early so they are ready.
Granted there are some who will never look at this and be just as surprised as the kids. But there will be many of your volunteers who like to be prepared. Knowing the information will help them feel safe, secure, and confident as the big day approaches.
I usually open my VBS registration on Easter and keep it open until the Thursday before. People can still register in person on the day of, but I close online registration early. This gives me time to get everything in place.
By Sunday evening, I will email my crew leaders their group, primary color, crew number and crew roster. It's one large document that I keep with me throughout the week.
This is an excerpt from my crew roster that I sent to all my volunteers. I color-coded each group to make it easy for kids and volunteers to find them.
By providing this information early, the crew leaders know exactly where they need to go and what to do. Once they arrive, I give them the schedule for the night. Which leads me to my next point.
5. Pre and Post Service Meetings
I ask all of my crew leaders to arrive at least 30 minutes before the VBS begins. This makes sure they are all in place and ready to receive kids. Unfortunately, not everyone get here that early, but many of them do.
At that 30 minute mark, I start a pre-service meeting. These are slightly different than the ones I do before a Sunday morning service. They are quick and to the point. I want to rally them to a great night and set expectations.
The biggest piece I give out is the night’s service schedule. It’s more than just a run sheet. It’s the whole night at a glance. I include the Bottom Line or Bible point, the key scripture for the day, important announcements, as well as the rotational schedule with times for each station.
If you’d like to see a copy of my schedule, you can download my VBS Volunteer Guide here or get my ready-made template here.
Once we pray, we open the doors and let the kids in.
At the end of the night, we gather all the volunteers again once most of the kids have gone. I give them quick highlights. I share how many kids we had, how much money we raised for the missions project, and how many salvations. I also give the Bottom Line for the next day and any important announcements.
These meetings are informational, but they’re also pep rallies. They get everyone excited and ready to come back the next day. The first night you may not feel like you need it. But if you’re doing a 4 or 5 day VBS, everyone will need a little push to keep going by the end.
6. Volunteer Supplies
If you use a VBS curriculum they will give you everything your station leaders need. However, a lot of times they’re silent on what your crew leaders need.
Over the years, I’ve tried many different things, but this is what I’ve found to be the most effective.
1. A Crew Bag
When I first started out and my budget was miniscule, these bags were nothing more than t-shirt bags. Think plastic grocery bags. I’d give my crew leaders one for each of their kids. They’d use them to tote around all their kids goodies they accumulate throughout the night.
However, that becomes unwieldy and hard to keep track of. So, I upgraded to a string bag. You can get them on amazon here. I get enough for each crew leader in their primary group color. The crew leader now has a bag to tote around all their stuff and their kids.
It’s usually better for your crew leaders to leave those in the large group room where they start and end the night. We all mean well, but once those bags go home, many times, they don’t come back.
Crew leaders can also use these bags to keep the kids’ crafts. However, if the craft needs to dry, my craft station leaders will set them out in the large group space. The kids pick them up as they leave.
2. Crew Sign
Some of my VBSs had as many at 60 crews. Trying to come up with unique names for each lined up with the theme can be near impossible. So, I’ll name my groups in theme (usually there’s four of them made up of several crews), and number my crews.
I print a big number on letter size paper in the groups color and laminate it. I want the crew leader to hold onto this paper all week. And let me tell you, that sign goes through some stuff! Lamination is a must.
On the first night, my crew leaders pick up their sign with their schedule and hold on to it for the rest of the week. When kids come in, I ask my crew leaders to hold up their sign, so kids can find them. If you have a small VBS this is not as important. But if you have hundreds of kids this is vital. You don’t want scared kids and mommas not able to find where their kids are supposed to go.
3. Crew Captain
I talked more about this position in this post, but this is one of the most important positions on my volunteer team. These are crew captains just like everyone else, but they have experience. Either they work with me regularly on Sunday mornings or they’ve done several VBSs in the past. I assign them the first crew in their group, so my other crew leaders know who to turn to.
These crew captains to use a military term are squad leaders. They solve simple problems. They make sure everyone gets to where they need to go on time. They oversee bathroom breaks and minor behavioral issues. They cover for late or absent crew leaders.
My crew captains are usually the ones who tell me when someone is absent so I can assign a floater to cover. And they serve as on the ground practical trainers for the newbies.
I find these leaders vital to the event. You should have them.
7. Follow up
Once your event is over and everything is cleaned up, you have two last jobs for your volunteers. The first is to show your appreciation and celebrate what the Lord has done.
I like to send out personal hand-written thank you cards to each of my volunteers. When I had close to 100 volunteers, I had my co-director and crew captains help write them.
In addition, I make a highlight video celebrating all that God has done with pictures and numbers. I'll share this on Sunday and social media. Many of my volunteers love to share these with their friends and family.
The second is to ask how it went and if they’d like to do more. Every year, I send out a post-VBS survey to my participants and my volunteers. They were on the ground and know way more about what worked and what didn’t. It would be a mistake not to ask them what they thought. This information greatly helps my after-action meeting.
I also ask them to come back to serve on a regular basis. Many of my VBS volunteers don’t serve in regular children’s ministry. But some fall in love with kidmin and become my best volunteers on Sundays.
Make sure you ask every one of them to serve with you. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Getting your volunteers everything they need ensures you have an effective and successful VBS. I tell my volunteers when the kids come to VBS they’re not excited about coming to see Pastor David. They’re excited to see Mr. John or Ms. Ashley. They are the heroes, and we are the guy in the chair.
Give them what they need and see your kids and your volunteers lives change forever.
