Recruiting (part 1of 3) - You Get What You Ask For

Recruiting: You Get What You Ask For? (pt. 1 of 3)

I don’t claim to have recruiting tech arts volunteers all figured out, but I have some thoughts I’d like to share.  And before I start in on this, let me just say that we have a terrific volunteer team at Colonial, made up of a mixed bag of volunteers both with years of professional or other experience in the tech arts, and those who just came on board wanting to serve this body in whatever way they were needed.  In this post, I’m specifically dealing with recruiting from the beginning, and what is the FASTEST way to grow a tech arts team.

You’ve gotta start somewhere.
Gotta ask some questions first.  Is this a new team?  Is this a new area of the team with new technology?  What message are we sending to new recruits with our recruiting messages?  What is the expectation?  What is the need?  

In other words, who are we looking for? 
A) Warm bodies? 
B) Hired gun professionals?
C) Experienced, skilled technical artists? 
The recruiting plea should clearly state this.  Whether it’s a video with testimonials, an insert in the weekly church bulletin, signs around the church, slides on the announcement loop, or even a table in the lobby with someone answering questions – we need to be up front and clear about who we’re asking for.

3 illustrations to exaggerate the point.

1.       College Football

A large state college that sets it sights on getting better at what they do and competing at the higher national bowl championship level (and I do wish there was an NCAA football tournament) doesn’t JUST put up signs around campus asking for people who are interested in playing quarterback.  (Can you imagine the response a school like Florida or USC would get to this?!)  At the very least, that’s not the main focus of their recruiting.  No, they usually put a lot of effort into searching for recruits within their own state, and then typically look beyond their borders to find the best available players for strategic positions.  A college football recruiter is looking for someone who is specifically a good “fit” for their program.  That’s not to say that there haven’t been some exceptional “walk-on” players.

However, this is NOT the norm.  The most effective recruiting program is one that searches high and low for skilled athletes with good study habits, excellent work ethic, unparalleled passion for the game, quality leadership  AND “follow”ship, and solid character.  They are not just looking for generally “athletic” kids.  They tend to be looking for a student who put up ridiculous stats in their specific position during their recorded high school playing time.  Lots of tackles, touchdowns, track stars with district records, etc…

If they’ve got a lot of seniors leaving this year on their defensive line, they’re probably going to recruit specifically, and heavily in that area.

But wait… there’s more…

2.       Music

Normally, if you hope to begin a worship band at your church, you are not expecting to have people show up with zero musical background that you need to start from teaching guitar and piano lessons.  That may be enough said, but I’ll elaborate a little more for the purpose of illustrating.
Say you’ve never had an orchestra before, and you are looking to start one from scratch.  So, you put an insert in the weekly church bulletin, put slides up on the screen that read:

“Wanted: Volunteers for orchestra ministry.  Contact the Music Department at music@departmentofredundancydepartment.dpt Rehearsals begin this Wednesday night at 6:30pm”

So.. You net 12 people that respond by either emailing, showing up to rehearsal, or catching you after the service.  5 of them have never played an instrument before, but would really like to learn.  You get 2 high school clarinet players.  Awesome.  1 guy plays the vibraslap and tells you how excited he is to use his “gift” for the Lord.  1 guy plays trumpet, but after 4 weeks, still hasn’t actually followed through and shown up.  1 lady plays the violin, and she’s pretty good, and says she has some “helpful ideas” about some things that she feels really need to change.  The other 2 both play timpani, 1 for the symphony, the other did 35 years ago when he was in high school. 

Exaggerated?  Yes.

Most churches prefer to audition for their orchestra.  Or at least require a certain practical music reading and performance ability.  Something like 2 years experience minimum is usually a solid threshold.  So, why would this be any different with certain positions on the tech arts team?  A lot of today’s AVL equipment is at least as complicated as a saxophone.

3.       Military

This one is most like how most churches recruit.  Net a bunch of people, put them through “basic training” quickly, then stick a gun in their hand, put them the front lines. 

Actually, the military does some very specific recruiting – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard.  And from there, they sort people out even further, do a battery of tests to figure out what skills and aptitude you already have.  From there, after basic training, you are placed on a path where you can best be used, and where you can best grow in your skills and aptitude.  While serving in the military you are judged on how well you can follow directions, how motivated and skilled you are.  These judgments determine your advancement speed and level through the ranks.

Whether you are starting a brand new technical arts team, or trying to recruit new members to augment your current team, or just grow a new area, the bottom line is the same.  The fastest way to grow your team is to be really specific about what you are asking for and what your expectations are.   The fastest way to grow  your team is not to throw a really wide net.  This isn’t fishing man.  This is recruiting.

If you throw too wide a net, there are going to be some disappointed folks.  You’ll have more people show up that you end up having to say “no” to.  No better way to make someone feel unwanted and rejected than to ask people for volunteers and then turn them away.  

Do you need some camera operators with experience?  Say so.  You’ll be surprised at the response you’ll get.  Need an A1 FOH mix guy?  If your church is large enough to employ a full or part time tech director, odds are pretty good you’ve got a couple of these in your congregation with some useful experience.  Ask for it by name.