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The $36/Hour Question: Are You Valuing Your Volunteers Right? · The Healthy Church Staff Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: You've got a volunteer that shows up every single Sunday.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: They set up chair, chairs, they run sound.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they serve in kids' ministry.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: They never complain, they never ask anyone anything, ever.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: And somewhere in your head you think, at least that role doesn't cost us anything.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the thing: it's costing them$36.14 an hour.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: $36.14.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: That's the national economic value of a volunteer hour in 2025.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: So we're going to talk about the value of volunteers today on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Hi there, my name is Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders at chemistrystaffing.com.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: I came across this stat from Ministry Watch, and man, I'd never really thought of it like this before.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: The independent sector tracks this stuff nationally.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: And they just released this number$36.14 per hour.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's what volunteer time is worth economically in 2025.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now, before you panic, this isn't about paying volunteers.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: We're not going to go there, okay?
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's about recognizing what they're giving up to serve you.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: When somebody volunteers two hours on a Sunday morning, that's a$72 investment.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: When they prep midweek, that's another$36.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: When they show up for training, you're asking for real sacrifice there.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: And most of us treat it like it's free.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's volunteer, right?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: So what does this mean for how we lead?
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: When we recruit volunteers, a lot of times we act like we're doing them a favor.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, we've got this gap.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Can you help fill it?
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: We train them poorly because it's just volunteers.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: We would never say that out loud, but it's in our heads.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we cancel on them at the last minute.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we don't show up when we say that we would.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: We let them serve in chaos sometimes because we didn't do our planning ahead.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: And the quiet part of that is sometimes, and we would never say this out loud, sometimes we get frustrated when they don't show up, or we're annoyed when they quit, or we talk about commitment issues of our volunteers, and why aren't they showing up?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Why can't we get people to volunteer in staff meetings?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: But we never ask, how are we stewarding their time?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now, listen, I know you care about your volunteers.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: I know you're not trying to take advantage of everybody or anyone, but if we're honest, most of us have defaulted to a scarcity mindset around volunteers instead of a stewardship mindset.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And when you change from the scarcity mindset to a stewardship mindset, you actually start to see the real value of volunteers because it's going to make you start recruiting differently.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of saying, hey, we need some help, it's more like, hey, here's the impact you'll make.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: You're not filling slots, you're inviting investment.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: It helps you to prep better because wasting their time is wasting$36 an hour.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't wing it, you don't leave them guessing, you show up ready and you honor their yes.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And you communicate more clearly.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: No more last-minute, hey, can you cover this?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: You plan ahead, you give notice, you respect the calendar because you want to equip them well.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Training is an optional, it's essential because if they're investing$36 an hour, they deserve to succeed.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it also affects the way that you celebrate your volunteers.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you take on this mindset, you're going to celebrate volunteers publicly, not just once a year at a volunteer appreciation Sunday.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Regularly, specifically, by name, you let the church see the value that you see.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: And here's a big one.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a big one.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: You stop guilt tripping people into serving because guilt trip is a terrible foundation for a$36 an hour investment.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: So here's what gets practical for church staff, because it probably in most of our churches requires a little bit of a shift.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is not about volunteers, it's about how your staff views your volunteers.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: If your team treats volunteers like free labor, you're gonna burn through them.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: If your team sees them as partners making a real sacrifice worth that$36 an hour, man, that changes everything.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: So stop start asking in staff meetings.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, how are we stewarding volunteer time this week?
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Make it a metric, make it matter, make it fun.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: When you're planning an event, ask, hey, is this worth what we're asking people to invest?
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because honestly, it's just you and me here.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Not every idea is worth$36 an hour of somebody else's time.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: So if it's not, why do we load up on volunteers?
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Really don't there's not a value for them to even put the time in.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: When a volunteer steps down, don't guilt them.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Thank them.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Man, they volunteered.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Honor that investment, and that leaves the door open.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: So here's your bottom line for today.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you think volunteers are free, volunteers are not free.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Volunteers actually are incredibly generous, and you should lead like you realize that and like you know that.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Valuing volunteers is not soft leadership, it's smart leadership.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: And when you steward their time, like the gift it is, they'll stay longer, they'll serve better, they'll feel fulfilled, and they'll even invite others.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, this is maybe a little different take on volunteers.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you need to rethink some of how you and your team and your staff think about volunteers, recruit volunteers, and care for volunteers.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: If this has been helpful, I hope you'll pass it on to other people on your team.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're not a subscriber, I hope you'll subscribe.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Wherever you're listening to this podcast, hit subscribe.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: We're here every single weekday.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I hope you'll join me right back here again tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: And tomorrow, let's see what we're talking about.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna talk about your support staff, the support staff, the support your staff says they need, and what you are not offering.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that's gonna be a good topic tomorrow, right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great.