How Virtual Assistants Are ‘The Right Kind Of People’ For Your Church, Ministry or Charity

Church leaders and directors of organisations are often faced with a dilemma. They know that taking on staff is a considerable challenge that can bring on many additional costs, yet they understand that skilled labour is absolutely essential if they want to expand and grow as they would like. Quite simply, it is very difficult to achieve what they need to achieve without the "right kind of people" helping them.

The Cost of Staff

Taking on new staff can be a lengthy and time-consuming process, often filled with risks and difficulties. To start off with, it is essential to look for the best staff and ensure that you have a clear and concise job description in mind. You must think about whether you do have enough actual work to justify taking on a new member of staff for what can be up to 40 hours per week on an ongoing basis. If not, is it possible to find someone who has a range of skills in order for you to allocate more than just a specific set of tasks to?

How many other costs are associated with taking on a new staff member? As leaders of churches and organisations may know only too well, it's not simply "just" about the actual wage or salary itself. You must take into consideration payroll taxation, contributions, the cost of holidays, sickness, etc. Then, you have to remember the costs associated with the employee's workstation and overheads. Some experts calculate that these costs could far more than double the initial cost of the worker's salary alone.

In today's economy, each organisation and charity is faced with tighter margins and needs to justify each and every penny of spending.

Increasing Unemployment Rate

‘In 2023, the annual unemployment rate of the United Kingdom is expected to be 4.1 percent, compared with 3.7 percent in 2022. Unemployment is expected to rise to 4.4 percent by 2024, before falling gradually to 4.1 percent by 2027’ -statista.com - March 2023

Of course, there are many reasons for unemployment, but one prevalent reason is that organisations are reluctant to take staff members on. This is due to the fact that they have so much at stake and there is so much that can go wrong if the process of hiring is even in the least bit faulty.

Let's imagine a situation where the person who you take on is not as competent as you might have thought. They simply don't "work out." Not only are you starting to lose out due to lack of productivity, but you also face additional headaches and heartaches associated with finding another replacement and indeed going through the recruitment process all over again.

Why the Virtual Assistant is the Right Kind of Person

Compare all these pitfalls to a much simpler and infinitely more acceptable alternative. Turn to a virtual assistant. The VA will be fully trained, skilled and competent, by definition. You will not have to worry about endless overheads and questionable productivity. The work will be completed, carefully and methodically and on time, and your associated costs will be fully transparent.

While the cost of living remains high, we can be sure that every leader of a church, charity or organisation will be casting a very careful eye on expenditure as time moves forward. Labour costs can be consolidated, and general efficiency improved by outsourcing to a virtual assistant.