Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter Print-Volunteer Appreciation and Recruiting

March 2004

Dear Christian Leader,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Pioneer Clubs eNewsletter, where we provide resources to help you build your Pioneer Clubs ministry.

Spring is a time of endings as well as beginnings. Your club program may be winding down for the year. Your club leaders have put in many months of dedicated work. So this month we want to give you ideas for showing them your appreciation and thanks.

But spring is also the perfect time to look ahead for new volunteers. Before club ends, you can get people involved in ways that will whet their appetite and pave the way for volunteering in the fall. So read on for spring recruiting ideas as well.

Six Ways to Show Current Volunteers They're Appreciated

1. Surprise Thank-You Project. Many club leaders say they would prefer a memento of “their” kids over less-personal thank-you’s such as gift certificates or appreciation dinners. So help the club members create something special. Have leaders leave their club rooms for a while during a regular club meeting, to have a leaders-only snack time or perhaps a planning meeting. Recruit teens or adults to help club members make a thank-you project for their leaders during that time.* The children will enjoy creating and keeping this surprise. Ideas:

Videotape (or tape-record) the kids thanking the leaders and saying what they like about club.
Help kids invent and rehearse a thank-you song to sing for leaders.

2. Yearbook Memories. Using photos of the club members and various club events, create a photo album for the year. Leave room for kids to write photo captions and notes to their leaders on the pages. Be sure to include a photo of each leader with his or her group. Photocopy the album for each club leader as a keepsake and thank-you.

3. Postcards from Parents. Hand out stamped, addressed Pioneer Clubs postcards (catalog #6724) to club members' parents. Encourage them to write thank-you notes to their children's leaders. Assure them that a couple of sentences is sufficient. You could even provide idea starters, such as "One thing my child has really enjoyed about club is _________" or "You made a difference for my child by _________."

4. Tasty Notes from Kids. For each leader, photocopy a note of encouragement from the Treat ’Em Right book (catalog #2712), and fill a Pioneer Clubs mug (catalog #6741) with the suggested treat--for example, Hershey's Hugs to go with "Here's a hug just for you. Thanks!" Get all of the leader's club members to sign the note.

5. Secret Pals for Leaders. Have club leaders fill out a questionnaire about their likes, interests, club challenges, and club praises. Hand out the completed questionnaires to adult members of the congregation. These volunteers then act as the leaders’ secret pals for several weeks. Their two tasks are to pray for “their” leader and show the leader that he or she is appreciated. They could leave little gifts or notes in the leader’s club room or in “secret pal” mailboxes that you set up in the church foyer. Or they could send these things by mail. For reproducible notes and treat ideas, see the Treat ’Em Right book (catalog #2712).

6. Awards for a Job Well Done. Read through the titles of activity awards and Bible awards on pages 19-20 of the Pioneer Clubs catalog, looking for an appropriate award for each leader. Give the awards out during a church service or during your club's Closing Celebration. Be sure to explain the reason behind your choice of awards. Have the pastor close with a prayer of thanksgiving for all of the leaders' work. Award ideas:

Team Sports Activity Award–For helping the Trailblazers build a sense of unity and togetherness
Campfire Activity Award–For getting the Pathfinders "fired up" to do service projects

Option: Add humorous awards, such as:

Learning from Nature Bible Award–For getting the most mosquito bites on a hike (or surviving a tent collapse on a campout, etc)

Six Ways to Get New Volunteers This Spring

1. Invite Potential Volunteers to Club. Meet with current leaders in March or April. Ask them for suggestions of potential volunteers to invite to club for the rest of the year. The volunteers could be “helping hands,” or they could do tasks such as taking attendance or serving the snack. This will give them an opportunity to get to know the kids and become interested in being a leader.*

2. Bring an (Adult) Friend Day. For an upcoming special event, create an invitation that current leaders can give out to their adult friends, asking them to join in the fun and provide an extra set of hands. Include the idea that this is a way to spend time with their friend and maybe make some new friends, while doing a valuable service. Helping with one event can be the first step toward volunteering as a leader.*

3. Get the Pastor Involved. Ask if your pastor would be willing to preach one Sunday about serving, about using the abilities God has given, or about the value of children. The sermon could be based on a club Bible Exploration. Bible Explorations on these topics include:

Trailblazer Exploring Together plan book, Meeting 18, “The Serving Church.” (Encourages people to explore ways they can get involved at church.)
Pathfinder Discovering God’s Care plan book, Meeting 23, “Gifts for My Church.” (Encourages people to serve others using their God-given abilities.)
Scooter Learning About Giving plan book, Meeting 1, “Jesus Loves.” (Shows how much Jesus values children and wants a relationship with them.)

During the sermon, the pastor can explain how important a service it is to lead club and mention club positions that need to be filled. When the congregation sees that club has the pastor's backing in this way, more people are likely to consider volunteering.

4. Create Hoopla During a Church Service. Ask for some time in a morning or evening service. Get the club members involved in presenting thank-you's or gifts to their leaders or telling how much they appreciated them. Show a video of your club year and/or Pioneer Clubs' recruitment video, Sowing Seeds, Reaping Lives (catalog #2775). After the service, display club photos and curriculum, serve refreshments, and answer questions. Provide a sign-up sheet listing the various spots you need filled.

Make this a big production! Seeing the excitement of the leaders and kids should lead people to want to be a part of your program next year.

5. Promote Kids to Trainee Status. Tap into the potential of club members who will graduate from your Trailblazer, Challenger, or Explorer Club this spring. Create an Assistant Leader in Training job description. Schedule a meeting a couple of months before the end of the club year, and explain how kids can continue their club experience next year by training to be assistant leaders. Review the job description with them, and answer questions.

For kids who are interested, make official name tags or T-shirts that say "Pioneer Clubs Assistant Leader in Training." Their official training will begin over the summer or next club year, but start "pre-training" before the club year ends. Help kids learn and do one or more special jobs before the end of the year, such as leading singing for a younger group, handing out awards for a younger group, or preparing supplies for activities.

6. Take Part in an All-Church Ministry Fair. Get together with other ministries in your church and plan an event where people can discover–all in one place–all the ways their gifts could be used through volunteering. Every ministry–from food pantry to choir to Pioneer Clubs–can staff a booth with information for people to look over. Provide refreshments for people to snack on as they look over photos, view videos, and talk to current volunteers. Include job descriptions for people to take with them, plus sign-up sheets to volunteer or find out more. (See the Promoting Your Club Program book (catalog #2771) for a sample job description and more ideas on recruiting leaders.)
*Check your church's policy on screening visitors.

Tell Us Your Ideas!

Copy and paste the link to your browser to tell us your best methods for recruiting volunteers.

mailto:info@pioneerclubs.org?subject=Here is my recruiting method.

Easter Is Coming!

Copy and paste the link to your browser for Tips on Presenting Salvation to Children.

http://www.myministrybuilder.com/salvation.pdf

Changed Lives

"I have been involved in Pioneer Clubs for 10 years. I started as 'helping hands' in my daughter's Scooter Club. The coordinator asked me the following fall if I would lead the 4-year-old Scooter Club. I had absolutely no experience teaching or leading kids, but I said yes. The church had just begun serving dinner Wednesday evenings, too, so it was a place to fellowship with others as a family.

"God had me hook, line and sinker! I led for four years, each year growing more excited about what God was doing in my life through [a church] Bible Study and Pioneer Clubs, what God was doing through the kids, and what God was doing through the other adults I was leading with.

"Now I have been the club coordinator for four years. The most awesome joy is working with all the adults. The adults and parents of the kids are so fun and we truly have a great time serving Jesus together.

"Yes, it is hard to get to club many Wednesday evenings, but God has placed on my heart the importance of coming together as a community of believers. Once we get to church the fun begins and we are always blessed. It is our midweek faith lift. I don't know how we'd survive without it!" –Cindy Krenzke, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Damascus, Maryland

We'd love to hear testimonies of how your club has seen God at work. Please e-mail hwilley@pioneerclubs.org with your name, church name, and how you've seen God at work in your club.

Today’s Kids...

. . .tend to believe that, together, they can make a positive difference in the world. You can appeal to this Millennial generation's sense of teamwork and social concern by showing them how their cooperation and help in club can strengthen the group. Consider helping an "appreciation team" of club members plan a thank-you party or church presentation to honor club leaders this spring.

Announcements

Camp Curriculum

March is a great month to order camp curriculum. Pioneer Clubs/Camp Cherith provides Bible-based, interactive, and easy-to-use Bible study curriculum with corresponding devotional books for grades 2-4, grades 5-7, and teens. Order now and receive excellent prices. Call 800-694-2582 in the U.S. or 800-465-5437 in Canada.

"Rock Solid" Pioneer Clubs Week

Many thanks to all the clubs that participated in Pioneer Clubs Week this year! We'd like to know how your club celebrated. Please jot a note telling us about your Pioneer Clubs Week activities and e-mail it to Connie at cpowers@pioneerclubs.org.

Kids for Kids Hike Countdown

The springtime Kids for Kids Hike is just around the corner: Saturday, April 24. Here’s planning steps for this month:

Prepare Adult Hiker Packets (see www.pioneerclubs.org) and give them to helpers.
Arrange for someone to take photographs on hike day.
Prepare a first aid kit to take along.

U.S. Pioneer Clubs

Annual Phonathon

We are grateful to all who responded to our Annual Phonathon last month. Thank you for your generous support! We will continue to contact our current leaders during March. Since we'll be calling nearly 9,000 of you—too many calls for our three-person development staff—we've recruited a calling service which specializes in helping Christian organizations reach their donors by phone. Please prayerfully consider a generous gift when we call.

Reflections

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” –2 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)

Lighter Side

One Easter Sunday I was helping in a Sunday school class for 4-year-olds. The teacher used a flannelgraph to depict the Easter story. When she put up the picture of the tomb, one little boy piped up, “Maybe the caveman left so Jesus could have his bed!” –Connie Powers