**This is the first in a series of posts for those of us who could use an assistant but simply can’t afford one.**

So…you have a ton of people to meet with and you just can’t seem to make it happen.

Let me guess, when you do try to get with a volunteer you put more time into matching up your calendars than you actually do at lunch. If you only had an assistant you could just tell your vols to contact your assistant and you would just show up to lunch, breakfast, coffee, whatever. As long as you can do relational ministry and not calendaring…it’s a win.

I know of a little system that just may be better than an assistant to solve this problem.

A co-worker of mine came across this site and has been wearing it out! They have almost one hundred volunteers that need one-on-one meetings a couple of times a year and he was killing himself trying to make it happen…until now.

He signed up with a web application online at www.timedriver.com (btw…I have no advertising relationship with these people) and now has a fantastic system for thirty bucks a year! A YEAR!. So basically, That’s about $2.50 a month.

Here’s how I would make it work.

1.  Sit down at a computer and let the site know your available times.  (Be careful on what you make available!  You don’t want to have to change these on people…you’ll be back to where you started and you’ll kill your rep!)

2.  Include a link in your weekly emails or communications (You do weekly communication right?)

3.  Watch doable and actual appointments pop-up on your calendar with the people you need to invest in!

4.  Use the time you saved to love on the people that make your ministry go. (Most Important Step)

5.  Repeat.

Looks like you can try it free for 90 days as well.

To me, that is a huge win for your creatives, relationals, and visionaries out there who can’t keep a calendar to save your life. I dig it.

How bout you, how do you use technology in place of an assistant?