How To Fire A Volunteer (Or Avoid It Altogether)

Okay... truth bomb...

As leaders, if we do a great job defining expectations, onboarding volunteers, and enforcing the status quo, there is a good chance that we will never have to fire a volunteer. However, if we lack in any of these areas, chances are, if we have to fire a volunteer, it is our fault.

I witnessed a situation once where a new volunteer joined a team with no experience, no training, and zero support. Soon, discussions of her falling short started to echo through the meeting rooms. Instead of asking, "What training have we provided her? Has she been evaluated and critiqued? Has anyone tried to help her at all?" conversations revolved around her weaknesses.

This tragic tale ended on a teary Sunday afternoon when she was fired in front of other volunteers. Caught off guard, this poor girl was shocked and devastated. "You just do not have what it takes to teach kids" was the message given to this poor girl whose undergraduate was in Elementary Education.

#epicFAIL

Unfortunately, I was not in a leadership position and did not feel it was appropriate to challenge the authority placed above me. Live and learn. I made a note to myself to learn from those leaders and not repeat what I had seen happen to this poor volunteer.

We, as a church, had failed to do our job, but instead of owning up to our mistakes, we blamed it all on the clay we were supposed to mold.

"You just don't have what it takes to become a pot." Said the potter to the clay.

When we do our job, check all the boxes, and find we STILL have a lackluster volunteer, we owe it to the kids to fill that spot with someone passionate and on board with the ministry's vision.

Try this:

"[volunteer's name], I love that you have the willingness to step in and spend time with our kids, but a willing heart is just the beginning of what we need to fulfill the mission that God has called us to. I need all of our volunteers to [fill in the blanks here with your expectations. For example: Show up ten minutes early, be familiarized with the curriculum, be prepared, organized, etc]. I have noticed that you have trouble coming through on some of these. When you first committed to this, you committed to [insert length of time]. Do you think that you can fulfill that commitment to the level I just explained? If not, it is okay to let me know right now, and we can work something out. I would like to understand your thoughts on this. [Wait for response]."

If your volunteer cannot fulfill the commitment, ask that they stick around until you have found a replacement. Give yourself 2-3 weeks max.

If they seem to have an awakening, tell them that you are elated and that they are on a 30-day trial period and that you will meet back with them after that time to re-evaluate.

More than anything ... follow through. Yes, this approach is assertive, but we are the leaders. If we do not assert the needs of the ministry, who will?