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By Jodi Morel

I have spent nearly 30 years in Canadian radio and marketing. A lot of that time has been spent across the table from business owners, and more and more, from pastors and church leaders. Everyone asks the same first question: how do we reach more people?

Churches usually have a second question right behind it. How do we find people to help?

That second question is why I built FaithFinder, and why I think the conversation about church volunteer opportunities needs a better starting point.

The conversation that started it

FaithFinder started at a Shine FM remote in Edmonton. What began as a conversation about radio advertising turned into a much bigger one: how do churches market themselves when marketing isn’t their calling?

The answer we landed on was simple. Create a community around faith. Give churches, Christian schools and faith-friendly businesses one place to be found, and give people one place to look.

Volunteering is where that idea gets practical.

Churches don’t have a willingness problem. They have a visibility problem.

Here is what I see from the marketing side. Churches have real needs, every week. There are also plenty of people who want to serve and simply don’t know where they are needed.

The two rarely find each other because most church volunteer needs live in the Sunday bulletin, a quick announcement from the front, or a sign-up sheet in the foyer. If you are not in the room that morning, you never hear about it.

Meanwhile, the people most likely to say yes are online, searching for ways to help. In marketing terms, the message is good. It just isn’t running where the audience is.

What church volunteer opportunities look like

Church volunteering is much broader than most people think. Churches need greeters and parking teams, kids and youth leaders, sound and livestream help, hospitality, outreach and food support, office and social media help, prayer and care teams, and people with professional skills like bookkeeping, trades and marketing.

For the full list of roles and a step-by-step guide to getting started, read FaithFinder’s guide to church volunteer opportunities in Alberta.

A Calgary example worth knowing: the Day Space

Some of the best church volunteer opportunities happen well outside the Sunday service.

The Day Space, a ministry of Journey Church in Calgary, is a welcoming daytime support centre for people experiencing homelessness. It is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and serves hundreds of people each month. It offers a safe place to rest, meals and hygiene facilities, along with connections to housing, health care, detox and treatment, employment and financial supports, in partnership with Distress Centre Calgary.

Right now the Day Space is raising funds to hire a cook who can prepare regular hot meals for its neighbours. That is the kind of need I want more people to see.

How FaithFinder connects volunteers with churches

FaithFinder is an Alberta-first Canadian directory and community for churches, Christian schools and faith-friendly businesses. Listings are free for churches, and anyone can search.

FaithFinder Serve is the next step. It is being built as one searchable place where churches, ministries and community organizations can share volunteer, mission, community project, prayer and care, and giving opportunities, and where people can find a place to serve that fits their time and skills.

If you want to serve, join the Serve early access list to hear first as opportunities go live across Alberta. If you lead a church or ministry, use the same form to let us know you have needs to share.

For church leaders: treat volunteer recruitment like marketing

The same principles that make a radio campaign work will help you find volunteers.

  • Be specific. “We need help” doesn’t move anyone. “Sunday nursery, 9:30 to 11:00, twice a month” does.
  • Give one clear call to action. Tell people exactly what to do next and make it easy.
  • Repeat it. One announcement is not a campaign. People need to hear it more than once.
  • Be where people are looking. Put your volunteer needs online, not just in the bulletin.
  • Tell the story. People respond to what their time will do, not to a job title.

A free FaithFinder listing and a post through FaithFinder Serve puts your needs in front of people who are already looking for a way to help.

Find your place to serve

Whether you have an hour a month or a skill a church has been praying for, there is a place for you.

Explore FaithFinder Serve

Jodi Morel is a Calgary-based marketing strategist, Alberta Marketing Representative for Shine FM, and the founder of FaithFinder.

Jodimorel

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