Unclear shifts and roles; inconsistent communication; scheduling conflicts with other teams. 

There is no question that effective volunteer scheduling can take up a tremendous amount of a Group Leader’s time. Wouldn’t it be great if, at the press of a button, the schedule that makes the most sense would appear right before their eyes? The right church management software makes it possible! Read on to find out how.

Group Connection

One of the great benefits of using church software is that it provides a common point of connection for everyone who uses it. Individuals can log into Sunergo Connect anytime. They’ll get an overview of everything that is happening with the groups that they belong to. They can see their schedules, including conflicts, and they can communicate with others in their groups. This fosters collaborative relationships among those working toward a common goal.

Group members can see the most current version of their group’s schedules as the leader makes changes. They can provide their availability, indicate preferred roles, and see who they’ll be serving with. They can also gain insight into what’s needed. Many people are open to trying different roles but they don’t know what the gaps are. If an individual notices that their usual role is consistently overfilled, while a related role is consistently unfilled, it may prompt them to consider taking on the new role without a leader having to ask.

For most churches, volunteers collectively contribute more hours of service over the course of a week than paid staff do in order to keep the various ministries running. It makes sense to invest in tools that will keep volunteers organized and in communication with each other. 

Equip Lay Leaders

Group Leaders are among the most passionate, diligent, and reliable volunteers, but they still have limited time and focus to give to their ministries. Good volunteer management tools create efficiencies that give leaders back precious hours that they can give to the things that matter: discipling volunteers; collaborating with other leaders; and prayerfully seeking God’s direction for their ministry. 

Auto-Assign is a key feature of Sunergo Connect and is an unsung hero when it comes to saving time! Here’s how it works:

After creating roles and schedules for their group, leaders can send an email to the group members prompting them to log into Sunergo Connect and add their availability. From there, leaders can choose to assign members manually, or they can click the Auto-Assign button and voila! Sunergo will produce an ideal schedule. 

Auto-Assign becomes available in the following cases:

• Member is available and has selected a preferred role: Member is assigned to the role based on their Auto Assign preference (if set by member).
• Member responded 'unavailable': Member will be removed from any pre-selected role.
• Member responded 'available': Member will not be changed, even if the role is overfilled.
• A role already has more than enough members who are available: Members whose responses are still pending will be removed from those roles.
  
  

Note: Sunergo Connect is an add-on for Sunergo Church. If you don't currently have Connect but would like to learn more, please don't hesitate to reply to this email or contact support@sunergo.net.

Resources:

Watch: The Scheduling for Group Leaders video provides an overview of Sunergo Connect, how to create schedules for a group, submit availability requests to group members, assign roles, publish schedules, and edit a published schedule.

Watch: The Scheduling for Group Members video shows volunteers how to submit their availability, identify and resolve scheduling conflicts across groups, and view their upcoming assignments.

Ask: As always, connect with our support team with any questions. We’re here to help!