Celebrating National Volunteer Week!
Volunteers are the life blood of many organizations. They are the ones who represent your group or association to the world and help promote your message. They are the ambassadors and the gate keepers who’ll help bring others to your organization. So it goes without saying that of course they are important.
Here are five simple reasons you should recognize your volunteers this week in honor of National Volunteer Week! (If you haven’t planned accordingly don’t worry volunteers will appreciate the recognition whenever you give it!)
1) They are proud of the work they do for you and will know you appreciate their work too.
2) It acknowledges what they do publicly which can be important when much of the work they do is behind the scenes.
3) It makes them feel good.
4) They aren’t getting paid for this work, so recognizing their effort is almost the next best thing.
5) They will keep coming back if you offer genuine praise and recognition.
Here are five simple ways to say thanks this week and all year-long:
1) A thank you note – from your staff or clients.
2) A photo of your volunteer in action in the newsletter or on a bulletin board.
3) Gift them with a starter plant to thank them for their “seeds of service”.
4) Give them a small food item ie. a bar of chocolate with a special wrapper from your organization.
5) Invite them to an appreciation event where you can publicly thank them.
Bonus idea: Some volunteers would love the opportunity for advanced special volunteer training opportunity as a way of saying thanks. If you know a volunteer who might appreciate this it can also be a way of saying thank you.
Volunteers are crucial. Thank a volunteer today.
1,000 Mitzvahs 