Meetings
One-on-one meeting questions for checking in with volunteers
A ready set of one-on-one meeting questions for checking in with volunteers, plus how to book the chat, keep it to twenty minutes and follow up after.
Leading people who chose to be there
Practical notes for volunteer team leads, small-group hosts and anyone asked to say a few words: what to do, what to say and what to try next week.
Read the huddleMost leading happens without a title or a budget. Someone has to fill Sunday's rota, keep a Thursday book group going, chair the parents' committee or stand up after announcements with ten minutes and a microphone. The Lamplit Team writes for those people: plain methods, templates you can copy, and honest notes on what goes wrong.
Start with what you are doing this week
- Hosting a small groupFirst evenings, good questions, quiet members and groups that run themselves.
- Running a volunteer teamAsking people, rotas that hold, the first month and keeping good people.
- Giving a short talkTen minutes, one idea, no script in your hand.
- Meetings that end on timeAgendas, minutes, one-on-ones and group chats.
New in the huddle
Speaking
Public speaking tips for people who dread the microphone
Public speaking tips for nervous volunteers: what to do about shaking hands, a blank mind and racing speech, plus how to use a microphone and screen in a hall.
Book notes
Leadership books worth reading if you lead volunteers
Nine leadership books worth reading if you lead volunteers, with what each one offers a team lead or group host and one honest caution for every title.
Leading well
Servant leadership in practice, on an ordinary Tuesday night
Servant leadership in practice for volunteer leads: what it looks like hour by hour on a weeknight, a weekly checklist, and the habits that only look like serving.
Team health
When two volunteers clash: conflict resolution in small teams
Conflict resolution in small volunteer teams: how to spot a clash early, talk to each person alone, hold a calm joint talk and write down what you agreed.
Volunteer teams
How to keep volunteers coming back after the first month
How to retain volunteers past the first month: why new helpers drift away, a week by week plan for their first 30 days, and the words to use at each step.
Free templates in the toolkit
A volunteer rota layout, sign-up wording, a one-page meeting agenda, a minutes template and a ten-minute talk outline, ready to paste into whatever your team already uses. Open the team toolkit.
Got a team question?
A rota that keeps breaking, a group that went quiet, a talk next month: write in. Good questions often turn into the next piece.
Write to the team