Volunteers are essential for a VBS to work! Volunteers boost our outreach, lighten the work load, and increase the success of our evangelism. Best of all, they do it to bring others closer to Jesus.

But how do we find more of these superstars who want to give their time, energy, and know-how for God?

• Ask Around

This first point may seem obvious, but it’s often overlooked and under-tried. This is a crucial part of success; you need to actually ask people to volunteer and request others to do the same. How do you do that though?

Extend the invitation:

• Ask your social media followers if they or someone they know are interested in lending a hand.
• Use your website if you have one to put our a call to recruit volunteers, and make it easy for them to register online.
• Make a simple promotional flyer to hand out in church.

In addition to spreading the word, don’t forget to ask one-on-one. You may have supporters who would love to get more involved with your organization, if they only knew you wanted them. Simply ask families and teenagers in your church to open their hearts, and a moment of their time, to the cause for Jesus.

• Get More Specific

Instead of calling for volunteers in general, ask for people who can do the specific jobs needed to fill positions within the VBS Camp. This requires establishing what types of positions you need to fill and what types of people you need to fill those positions. Put out the call for directors, teen helpers, technologically-savvy people, photographers, rotation leaders, etc. Prospective volunteers will know exactly what you’re looking for, and see themselves in your posting or personal invitation.

As well as specific jobs, point to the specific skills that volunteers need to do the job. And if you’re willing to teach someone how to do something, make sure to mention it! Otherwise, people may remove themselves from the running if they don’t know how to do the tasks you describe. Likewise, if special expertise is needed, be sure to make that clear.

• Focus on Benefits to Them, Not the Needs of Your Church

Go ahead and ask yourself, “Why should someone give their time to your church?”

It’s easy to focus on your church’s needs, but this cannot be the central focus of your recruitment efforts. Instead, focus on what volunteers will gain by giving their time. Things like:

• Making a difference in people’s lives
• Using their skills and talents for God
• Meeting others in the community
• Helping others draw closer to Jesus, etc.

Just Remember:

1. Ask people to volunteer, within your church circle, as well as the larger community. There may be people and families in the larger community looking for this exact opportunity!
2. Be specific about what you’re looking for. People won't know unless you're specific.
3. Focus on the benefits to volunteers, rather than to your church.

Focus On Proven Marketing Methods

Your evangelism strategy depends on your budget, sure, but it also depends on your knowledge and expertise. In today’s busy world, people have less and less time to devote their attention to basic ads and church bulletins, and they also expect more. So ask yourself if you have the skills and know-how to run a targeted promotional campaign or if you need to find tools and resources to advertise your VBS effectively. Here are some proven marketing methods to consider when you get started:

Direct Mail Marketing

In the church world and beyond, direct mail marketing works unlike any other! This is the only way that you can guarantee that someone in every home of your community has an opportunity to respond to your invitation. TV can’t do that. Radio can’t do that. Newspaper ads can’t do that. That’s why direct mail is still the anchor of an effective campaign.

Outdoor advertising

Banners outside the church, and road signs placed at strategic intersections of your community, help the visual brand become more recognizable. Developing brand awareness three weeks before the event creates an environment where your mailing becomes even more effective because recipients recognize the mail piece from the outdoor advertising.

Social media advertising

Two thirds of Americans are active on Facebook, with the average time spent on Facebook approaching an hour a day. The Facebook advertising platform also reaches Instagram and WhatsApp users, so we have found it to be the most effective for evangelism event marketing. By testing your ads, working to improve the Relevance Score, and sending users to targeted landing pages, you can see great response from a reasonable budget.

Word-of-mouth Marketing:

While this seems obvious, it isn’t always emphasized! Tell people about the event and encourage them to help by providing them with opportunities to share the information about your event either in-person or on social media – encourage them to do the promotional marketing for you, and who better to do that than someone you know and trust?

Need promotional resources? Click here to see a full line of promotional resources, including direct mailers, outdoor ads, social media ads, online registration systems, and more!

For some children, attending school and obtaining the supplies they need is difficult. Bangladesh is one of the most densely-populated countries in the world. It’s also one of the poorest—nearly 1 in 4 people live below the poverty line.

In 2017, devastation hit this already-challenged country, and it made going to school nearly impossible. A devastating flood hit Bangladesh, affecting more than 8 million people. This flood wiped out rice crops and vegetables. Finding food became a primary concern for parents and teachers at mission schools. Feeding students lunch at mission schools became a top priority. This meant that there were no funds left for vital school supplies.

We’re partnering with Child Impact International to help these children and families overcome the effects of this devastating flood. Just $5 can provide uniforms, textbooks, notebooks, pens, and pencils to children studying at mission schools in Bangladesh.

Help us make this happen. Click here to learn more and to take action!

The goal of Bible Verse Reminders are so Bible lessons can be reinforced multiple times a day and made memorable long after the VBS program has ended, so it is important to give the Bible Verse Reminders consistently and to every child attending.

You may either give the children Bible Verse Reminders after each Bible Verse Activity, or show the reminders to them after each rotation and then hand the Bible Verse Reminders to the crew leaders to pass out at the end of the closing program (so the items won’t be lost as children travel through the other rotations). It's up to you!

Another option is to save the reminders to distribute directly to the children as they leave at the end of the program.

If you anticipate having leftover Bible Verse Reminders that you want to return, be sure to instruct your Bible story rotation leaders to avoid opening all the packages ahead of time, but to open them as needed.

Wrap Up Your VBS

The goal of our VBS program is to help you lead children to Jesus in a fun and memorable way, so that the children you minister to will be invited to make a lifelong commitment to follow the one true God. Whether you choose to have a Grand Finale or any number of other choices, it is important to consider designing a service that represents your church’s VBS mission and aligns with the special emphasis on God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. However you decide to do this is up to you! Just make sure to take a moment to reflect on the program as a whole. Watch the little hands that are creating art. Our VBS programs are for them.

Establish Your Follow-Up

Make sure to get a list of children’s addresses during registration so you can follow up after the event. Plan to send a postcard and invite them to other programs your church is having, such as a fall festival, a Christmas Eve program, and of course, next year’s VBS program.

Start Planning for Next Year

When you complete your VBS program, it may be tempting to not have to think about it again for a few months. But don’t miss the opportunity to sit down with your team and collect everyone’s feedback while it’s fresh in their minds. If this is your first time running a VBS, build a post-VBS meeting into your calendar now. You’ll thank yourself next year.

Finally, make sure to sign up for our newsletter to learn about upcoming VBS news and ideas before anyone else!