
Photo provided by gdmanning
What do you want in a volunteer? Methods for volunteer recruitment come up whenever a group of sound techs talk long enough. One person tries a slick video while someone else puts out a signup sheet while someone else posts a notice in the church newsletter. I’d like to take this talk of volunteer recruitment to the next level.
What do you look for in a potential church sound tech volunteer?
I’ll hazard a guess at your top requests;
- Punctual
- Willing to learn
- Good ear for music
- Previous experience
- Able to work under pressure
- Good attitude
There is a characteristic that I’ve never seen on any lists.
There is a characteristic that supersedes all the others…well, I still want them to be punctual.
There is one thing I dream to find in a volunteer.
Passion
Have you ever been around a passionate person? Aren’t they great? With a passionate person, you get someone who;
- Has a vision of what they want to do/create/make/present
- Engages others to see/reach their vision
- Loves learning and sharing what they know
- Pursues excellence
- Spurs others to improve
A passionate person H.E.L.P.S.
Passionate people will become tech leaders. They will become an expert in area of audio production. They will be an encourager. They will be a blessing to you, to the tech team, and to the church.
Feel like you don’t have anyone at your church who is passionate for church audio?
First of all, they are out there. The Gurus conference was full of passionate people. This next Sunday, a new person might walk through the door and be that passionate person. You might have someone in your church who wants to be passionate about audio but doesn’t have any experience. You might have someone on your team who needs the freedom to try.
The next time you recruit volunteers, look for the person with the passion. Look for the person who desires to do great things. Inspire that passion in others.
I’ll take passion over experience any day.
If a volunteer has passion, then all the other characteristics like:
Punctual
Willing to learn
Able to work under pressure
Good attitude
Commitment
Dedication
… will already be present, not needed to be taught :-)
Your article sums it up so VERY well!
so true, passion makes the difference!