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Planning A Volunteer Fair

volunteer Fair

For your Fall Events

Most groups within your church or parish are probably in need of volunteers. And it would help if you had more than the same few folks helping out with youth ministry, homebound visits, the school supply donation event, Fall Festival activities, not to mention prepping for the Christmas pageant. So how can you recruit volunteers and easily? A volunteer fair is your answer.

By organizing a volunteer fair, you’ll enable all the groups in your church to meet and talk with potential volunteers about their passions, schedules, unique abilities, and experiences, allowing them to find the best and most eager volunteers. 

Start planning your event at least a month in advance. 

1. Reserve the church hall for the weekend and hold the fair after every Mass or Service. 

2. Contact all the groups that are using volunteers in your church about the event. 

  • Give each group their table and a list of ideas to promote their volunteer opportunities. 
  • Recommend they do a signboard for their group. Include pictures of the current volunteers in action. 
  • Have a few volunteers man the booth so they can discuss their experiences. 
  • Remember to have a signup sheet and capture contact info and any special skills (licenses, certifications, talents, etc.).
  • Don’t forget to have each table show the benefits of their volunteering activities! For example, how many families are fed weekly by the food pantry, the companionship of a homebound church member, a free t-shirt for all the youth group leaders, or X dollars raised for VBS through the Fall Festival.
  • Have an extra table for miscellaneous opportunities – painting, helping to decorate for Christmas, pallbearers, spring garden clean up and planting, musicians for events, and more.

3. Start promoting the event on your church website, bulletin, social media channels, announcements, and through the Realm® communications tools. 

4. Plan for light refreshments such as coffee, OJ, and donuts.

5. After your event, evaluate the results and make notes on improvements for your next fair.

6. Now is a good time to update or add a volunteer opportunities page on your website too. 

7. And most importantly, be sure to thank everyone the following weekend for attending and offering to serve!

Now that the hard work is done remind your groups to follow up with their recruited volunteers. There is nothing worse than volunteering for something and never being contacted to help. If your fair is a success, it may be worth planning a volunteer fair twice a year, especially in large churches where people join and sometimes fade into the background.

For more information on volunteering and the tools to help you manage your volunteer program, please visit Church Growth.

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