Follow up Visitor Training

As noted elsewhere follow up visiting should be approached as a non negotiable element of the communication strategy. Every church should plan to make a personal visit to all those who on their response form tick a box requesting additional information. The focus of follow up is twofold: the delivery of information requested (e.g. a Gift Aid declaration) and the building of personal relationships. To achieve these two goals some simple training of a team of lay visitors is strongly advisable.

However, while training is necessary follow up visiting is not complex. Beware of making it sound more technical than it really is. Keep the tone of the training relaxed and provide some light refreshments half way through the session. The crucial thing to communicate to potential visitors is that people are expecting someone to call. Assure visitors right at the start that they are not asking for money or an increase in giving. Instead they are responding to a request that has already been made by the person they will visit. The thank you letter has already indicated that someone will call so their visit will come as no surprise.

• For more information on the importance of follow up visiting see the imaginatively titled Follow Up Visitor Training.
• See Follow Up Strategy for an outline of the administrative tasks necessary for effective follow up.
• To assist follow up visitor training consider using the PowerPoint presentation. If an LCD is not available the slides can be printed to acetate from the PowerPoint file or from the Acrobat PDF file.
• A visitor training hand out is available.
• Churches planning a parish visiting programme as part of Giving in Grace will need to consider first the requirements of a parish visiting programme and the parish visitor training needed before making plans for follow up visitor training. It may be possible to integrate the training or alternatively be preferable to keep both the visiting teams and their respective training events quite separate.