On average, we're somewhere between annually and twice a year.. The curriculum we use has a one-page trainer with both the large group material and small group material. I leave that included when I send them their lessons. It stays the same for the whole month so if there are any volunteers one week that weren't there the last, they are less likely to miss it. However, since it's included in the document and not it's own, I wouldn't be surprised if it was missed...

I have not used GroupMe or WhatsApp for volunteer comms (but now that you say it, GroupMe could be an excellent resource). We use planning center for scheduling etc. and there's a way to use group messaging through their services app! Most often, this group chat is used for filling schedule gaps or asking for coverage when there's an unexpected sickness or last-minute travel. If you already use P.C. for your volunteers this could be a good way to utilize something you're already using - there should be short university clips on how to get this set up. If little to no one is using GroupMe for other things it will just be another app to have to download and check for them (this may not be an issue, but it is something to consider)

Hi!! I use Go! we love it!! Is there a way to PM on Skool?

I don't know how much this may help with this question, but I remember hearing a restaurant owner talking about his intentionality with gaining regulars. The goal was always to get them to the third visit (and to have all three be a positive experience in different ways). People work in patterns and the pattern shows that if someone comes three times, they will keep coming. I don't remember the exact examples he gave, or how to translate them to kidmin, but I remember him talking about the personal conversations with the guests and saying things like "when you come back, you will have to try the short rib. Here's a [ticket] for a discount on that dish." He added that when someone came back and used that ticket, they knew that person was a second time visitor and moved onto the next step of making a memorable experience to secure the third visit. With new families at church, you could give them a "ticket" on their first Sunday to schedule coffee or lunch with them when they come back for their second Sunday. Variations are endless - including a VIP tour of your children's area outside of service time. The main point would be to include something that can be used as a metric other than the attendance roster to know who is a second time visitor vs. first or third. (if this is communicated with your team, they'll be able to join you in the steps you decide ahead of time) Sorry this was long, but I hope it helps!

Our church wipes all ministry teams in the spring and then we have a major sign-up season (aside from the main question, I would like to add that this is super not ideal for children's ministry, but we are trying to make it work and/or workshopping a better way to line up with what the rest of the church is doing while simultaneously avoiding what has become a constant stress headache known as "regular" spring...) We have a main training time once a year. Sign-ups are the second half of Feb. through the middle of March. I decided this year to leave the rest of March and all of April open for meeting with new volunteers before multiple May trainings. We will split up by team so we can be more focused with what each team needs trained on. Other than that, it's been on the fly training and 1-1 meetings. I would like to implement regular videos or audio (podcast/seminar style) to send out so my team can feel better equipped. Each week's curriculum does include a one-page training on both large group training and small group training (it's the same for a month before it changes to a new topic/focus). However, I'm not sure how much they help or are used. Sorry for the long response, but I hope this helps (or maybe at least brings about some suggestions on what we can do differently haha)