4E Encourage, Equip, Empower, & Engage - Preparing the Ask

The cornerstone to engaging volunteer servants and leaders successfully is to encourage them to find what God is calling them to be, then equiping those volunteer servants, then empower each servant, and then engage them in the ministry. This process needs to be focused on the mission of the organization and intentional in its consistent application. The process to encourage leaders starts with developing a role description for the opportunity. This understandingof the servant role is very important for the success of the process. Misty Molloy, a volunteer engagement expert, believes that creating a good system of information in a data base and then creating tools that support the process.

The development of the role description starts with the creation of a Servant Opportunity Description based on a templete of questions that are posed to the Ministry Leader seeking volunteer servants. The SOD is designed to help the leader answer the question: "What does the servant need to be successful?" The questions are asked in a way to create a very detailed profile of the position that equips the leader to encourage and explain the service opporunity to potential volunteer servants.

WHO?

• For whom possibly would this be a good fit? ( leave the possibilities open by considering the gifts, heart, abilities, and personality desirable for this role.
• To whom does the volunteer servant work with and who is the leader of the ministry?

WHAT?

• How would a servant volunteer be successful? 
• What are the opportunities presented by the opportunity?

WHEN?

• Describe all the aspects around time?
• Commitment length (ie: one month?, one year? how often?)

WHERE?

• Describe all the aspects around location? 

WHY?

• What will be the immediate impact from the volunteer servant's participation?
• What is the greater purpose? 
• How is this opportunity tied to the BIG PICTURE?
• How will this opportunity allow them to follow the organizational mission?

The development of the role description starts with the creation of a Servant Opportunity Description based on a templete of questions that are posed to the Ministry Leader seeking volunteer servants. Asking these question create the foundation to move forward with encouraging new servant volunteers.