Are you trying to serve your local school on your own? Everyone needs a team of people to help! Pray about 4-5 who might be a Heart4Schools Team who helps lead and carry out your ministry. Once you have this group, consider ways to enlist volunteers. Help your church members see the opportunities and experience the blessings of serving!

Tell The Story Whether at a planned event or talking with an individual, explain the needs of the school and what you are trying to accomplish. What is your mission at school? How can church members invest and make a difference in the lives of students, families, teachers, and staff?

Provide ways for volunteers to share their stories through newsletters, Sunday School classes, WMU meetings, Bible Studies, or in a worship service. Invite a school administrator (principal, assistant principal, or guidance counselor) to celebrate the difference your church is making in their school.

ASK. Personally invite others to participate. Don’t count on people to respond to newsletters, emails, or social media requests.

Provide multiple on-ramps. When you are recruiting, have a list of ways people can volunteer on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even annual basis – whatever fits their schedule and level of commitment.

Recruit based on passions and gifts of church members. Share the many avenues for service: volunteering in person, contributing to collections, baking, writing notes, delivering goodies, hosting events. The options are endless! Match the job with the interests/gifts/passions of the people you are recruiting.

Make it easy to volunteer. Be sure volunteers know exactly what is being asked of them, what the commitment will be, and provide any training necessary. If background checks are required, personally get the forms and give them to the volunteer.

Use the Buddy System. Ask your existing volunteers to invite someone to join them: a family member, church member, or someone from the community. This is a great way to get others outside of your church involved.

Think outside the box. Do you have church members who work for a company that might volunteer alongside you, contribute, or help sponsor an event? Can you enlist members of the Police Department or Fire Department to be Reading Buddies?

Host a Missions Fair. Set up a table with pictures and sign-up sheets for specific tasks during the year with varying on-ramp options: weekly, monthly, quarterly (Reading Buddies, volunteering, snacks, events like book fairs or field day).

Develop relationships with your volunteers. Connect and ask about their experiences. After serving, plan a trip to a coffee shop for fellowship and debriefing. Pray for your volunteers.

Celebrate the work of your volunteers. Plan events to thank your volunteers for their investments of time and resources. You could do this at the end of the school year or once a semester.