Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter Printer-Friendly

January 2003

Dear Christian Leader,

January is a good month to provide a pick-me-up for your volunteers. Here are 10 suggestions for keeping your leaders motivated.

10 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Volunteers

1. Write a Personal Note. A simple thank-you note or e-mail to your leaders helps affirm them in their talents and willingness to serve. Pioneer Clubs postcards are available as well (catalog #6724).

2. Provide Food. Help club members or parents prepare and serve a meal to club workers to show their thanks for all the workers have done. This could be done before or after a club meeting or church service. Or take each leader out for lunch individually.

3. Give Public Recognition. Call club leaders and helpers to the front of the sanctuary during a worship service. Give each leader and helper a packet of flower seeds as a symbol of the spiritual seeds they have sown in children’s lives. Or paint a plaque the color of each club’s crest and let each child sign it with a marker. Then give the plaques to the leaders and helpers as a gift. Or design a special page on the church Web site to honor your volunteers.

4. Motivate with Catalog Items. Giving volunteers a gift is always meaningful. Here are some catalog suggestions:

a Pioneer Clubs T-shirt with children’s signatures on it
a mug (#6741)
a membership pin (#7777)
a customized service certificates for leaders with over 10 years of service (#2761)

5. Be Creative. Those who help with transportation might be thrilled to receive a Pioneer Clubs license plate frame (#6738, 6739) for their vehicle. Or brainstorm your own ways to express appreciation, based upon your knowledge of leaders’ and helpers’ tasks and interests.

6. Get the Kids Involved. Club members can take the initiative in doing something for their leaders. The kids could perform a skit for the leaders or sing some of their leaders’ favorite songs.

7. Pray. As you pray for your volunteers, let them know they are constantly being prayed for! This will encourage them and help keep them from feeling burned out. You may already have Pals praying for club members. Why not recruit people who will pray for the leaders, too?

8. Get Their Feedback. Feedback from club leaders is one of your most effective tools for a smooth-running club. Don’t assume you know what they want. In asking for their feedback, you are telling them how valuable they are. You send the message, “You are special. I care what you think.” Their input could help improve the rest of your club year.

9. Invest in Their Training. Budget for and send leaders to CE workshops in your area. Or create in-house training sessions to help them feel more comfortable in their ministry. Try some of these resources:

training videos (#2772, 2776, 2777)
Leader Training Outlines (#2754)
training sessions at www.pioneerclubs.org

10. More Ideas. Buy one or both of the following books: Care and Feeding of Volunteers (#2711) or Treat ’Em Right (#2712). The last book includes 70 reproducible messages that will encourage those who serve with you. Both books will give you lots of additional ideas to motivate and keep your volunteers.

Changed Lives
“I am convinced that when I was a young girl in Pioneer Clubs, the role models (Pals and leaders) I had, the skills I learned, the friends I made, and the life applications from God’s Word have truly helped me to become the person I am today.”
–Nancy Hanson, ministry consultant, Pioneer Clubs

Today’s Kids...
...need authentic role models. Be open with your club members and let them see the real you. Be willing to share a weakness or two that you have, and also talk about how you have, with God’s help, overcome a specific weakness.

Pioneer Clubs Announcements

For U.S. Clubs.
- Annual Phonathon
  Next month, Pioneer Clubs representatives will be calling our donor partners to thank you for your past giving, update you on what’s happening in the ministry, and ask for your continued support. We look forward to chatting with you!
- Pioneer Clubs Week
  Club coordinators, be sure to watch the mail for your upcoming Pioneer Clubs Week mailing. It will include a presentation you can give at a worship service at your church.
For U.S. and Canadian Clubs.
- Kids for Kids Hike Countdown. Things to do this month:
  - Plan to carry along water (and perhaps snacks) for the hikers. Plan for trash disposal, if needed.
  - Prepare to handle emergencies (consider bringing cellular phones or walkie-talkies).
  - Decide how to transport hikers to and from the hike location.
  - Order Kids for Kids Hike T-shirts for participants by calling 800-694-CLUB (USA) or 800-465-5437 (Canada).

Reflections

“Faithful servants have a way of knowing answered prayer when they see it, and a way of not giving up when they don’t.”
–Max Lucado

Lighter Side

The teacher was describing how Lot’s wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jimmy interrupted. “My mommy looked back once while she was driving,” he announced triumphantly, “and she turned into a telephone pole!”