How You Say "Thank You"

We all need positive feedback if we're to stay faithful in our God-given tasks. You and I—and all of our volunteers—need to be reminded that our work for God matters, that we're making a difference. One of our roles as children's pastors and directors is to play cheerleader to help our volunteers feel God's pleasure.

I recently asked you how you go about thanking your children's ministry volunteers. Linda Annett, of Holland, Michigan, emailed:

"We held Kudos Sunday during our three worship services this past May as a way to appreciate the many people who serve in various ministries. We ordered Kudos candy bars and had some of the upbeat, fun members of our church family serve as vendors wearing aprons with pockets full of Kudos candy bars and vendor hats like you see at a ballgame. Before candy bars were handed out, one of our pastors asked different groups of volunteers to stand and as candy bars were thrown to the people, the entire congregation cheered loudly "Kudos, way to go!" Everyone had a great time and left with a visual of just how many people it takes to do ministry at our church."

Next Candice Fitzgerald, of Great Bridge United Methodist, wrote:

"We have had a volunteer luncheon/dinner for the past few years, and most of our folks attend this. They are recognized for their service, and we often try to have special quotes from their students or those whom they serve that are read out loud in front of the group. In this way they know the appreciation is real. If having the quotes read out loud sounds too intimidating, try creating a collage of the quotes for the volunteers to read, and then display the collage on a bulletin board in a busy corridor of your church or in the narthex in front of your sanctuary."

Pastor Mark Hoogerhyde, of Lexington, Kentucky, emailed an exceptionally creative idea. Mark's team created a family scavenger hunt for his volunteers. Mark found 10 stores to participate in the scavenger hunt. Volunteers and their families raced from store to store for prizes or fun experiences. Here are a few highlights from his last rally:

Dick's Sporting Goods: At Dick's, a child from the volunteer's family had to race a children's ministry program director around Dick's indoor mini-track on tricycles. After completing the race, the child got to take home either a basketball, football, or soccer ball.

Massage Chairs: One set of clues lead the family to the mall's coin-operated massage chairs. Once there, a volunteer handed each family member a brand-new dollar to enjoy a session in the massage chairs.

American Greeting Cards: Upon cracking the clue, volunteers went to the card shop to pick up a handwritten note (written on an American Greeting Card, of course).

Families were also wowed by dads receiving leather belts at Leather Hut, moms being pampered at Bath and Body Works, and the little ones walking away with a stuffed animal at the Teddy Stuffer Store. Some clues yielded coffee and cookies, while others just featured fun things to do as a family. After the scavenger hunt ended, all of the volunteers and their families enjoyed a free lunch at the food court.

Thank you Linda, Candice, and Mark for these great affirmation ideas!

Let's quickly break down these creative thank you ideas and examine the principles that make them effective:

Linda's kudos experience reminds us that thank you's don't need to be expensive to be effective. Instead, enthusiasm and public recognition go a long way to fill a volunteer's emotional tank. Linda's church captured the power of a large group of energetic people giving thanks.

Candice's thank you collage reminds us that in order to have long-lasting effectiveness, an affirmation should be personal and specific. Volunteers like to be thanked, but the affirmation is more meaningful when the person saying thanks attaches a story to it. "My son threw a fit when we told him that he would have to miss your Sunday school class to go on vacation." The collage was a fantastic way to capture those stories.

And finally, Mark's scavenger hunt demonstrates the power of sacrificial giving and meeting the needs of his volunteers. Mark's volunteers knew that Mark had spent months planning the hunt—and they felt valued. Mark also wisely created an experience in which the volunteers were able to include their families in being appreciated.

Larry Shallenberger is the pastor of children's and student ministries at Grace Church in Erie, Pennsylvania. Do you have some advice regarding volunteer management that you'd like to share? Do you have a question regarding volunteer management? Either way, email Larry at Larry.Shallenberger@gmail.com.

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