Volunteers are the real heroes behind many of your organization’s fundraisers. Whether it's a fun run, a community event, product sales, or a major fundraising campaign, they often work overtime out of sheer goodness of their hearts rather than for a paycheck.
That's precisely why volunteer appreciation should be high on the priority list of any nonprofit. Let’s review the basics of volunteer appreciation and the top 10 ideas for thanking your unsung heroes.
What Is Volunteer Appreciation?
Volunteer appreciation is a way for organizations and event planners to show gratitude and appreciation to their volunteer workforce.
Here are a few reasons volunteer appreciation is so important:
- It motivates volunteers. It’s only natural that getting recognition for their great efforts makes volunteers more motivated and productive. Volunteer recognition increases self-esteem and confidence, making volunteers more likely to put in their best efforts.
- It deepens your nonprofit’s bond with volunteers. A crucial part of volunteering is showing up and working with others. Recognizing your volunteers creates deeper personal relationships and fosters a sense of community.
- It increases volunteer retention. People feel more confident and driven when they receive praise and recognition for their work. Appreciation makes volunteers more willing and excited about attending their next volunteer event.
- It turns volunteers into donors. According to research by the Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund, volunteers donate 10 times more over their lifetimes than non-volunteers. Showing volunteers how much you appreciate their efforts causes them to reflect on their experiences and your organization’s needs. Then, they’ll feel genuinely motivated to give to their fullest potential.
Now that you know the value of volunteer recognition, the question still remains: How can you make your volunteers feel appreciated?
Volunteer Appreciation Strategies
Before reviewing specific ideas, let’s talk through some basic strategies your nonprofit should implement from the start:
- Make your appreciation resonate. Think hard about ways to show gratitude that resonate with volunteers. For example, instead of receiving gifts, many volunteers say they'd rather see your organization spend its money on a good cause.
- Invest in your volunteers. If you want your volunteers to invest their time, you must also invest in them. For instance, you might offer additional training that aligns with volunteers’ personal interests or professional goals.
- Personalize your appreciation. Get to know your volunteers by learning their names, asking questions, and engaging with them. This way, you can offer authentic gratitude that leaves volunteers feeling like they’re genuinely a part of your cause.
- Celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week. National Volunteer Appreciation Week takes place annually in the third week of April. The volunteer-focused occasion isn’t just a great excuse to recognize your volunteers; it ties everyone to an even larger community, making them feel they are part of a movement.
While the above list offers general best practices your nonprofit can follow, the most important strategy to remember is to appeal to your volunteers. It’s up to you to learn about your unique base of volunteers and determine which appreciation ideas would be most meaningful to them.
Our Favorite Volunteer Appreciation Ideas
Whether your organization has a limited volunteer budget or a bottomless wallet, there are plenty of ways to make people feel good about the work they do. Browse this list of the best volunteer appreciation ideas to find the perfect one for your organization.
1. Write Thank-You Letters
The primary way to thank volunteers is exactly what it seems—directly saying, “Thank you”! You might say thank you with:
- Handwritten letters
- Physical greeting cards
- eCards
- Emails
It’s best to personalize your thank-you letters by using volunteers’ first names, mentioning their specific contributions (i.e., number of hours volunteered, goals accomplished, etc.), and/or having one of your nonprofit’s leaders sign the card. This idea can be extremely time-effective when you utilize automated systems that personalize messages and schedule sending.
2. Make Appreciation Videos
Create short videos of volunteers’ participation in events or other fundraisers to showcase what working together can accomplish.
Be specific about their contributions, highlighting what your nonprofit was able to accomplish with their help. For example, are you recognizing volunteers for your product fundraiser? Include specific data surrounding the money raised and the number of products sold with their help.
3. Create a Volunteer Recognition Wall
Ever wondered why businesses often have a dedicated wall for displaying their employees of the month? Publicly displaying your appreciation can instill confidence, boost morale, and incentivize others to work hard—and what better way to memorialize your appreciation than a dedicated wall?
A volunteer recognition wall displays the names of volunteers your organization wants to shout out. Your wall could be dedicated to the volunteer team from a specific project, or it could name volunteers who have contributed a certain amount of time (i.e., 1000 hours or 100 volunteer shifts).
By dedicating a space in your office or around the community, you can publicly recognize volunteers and the genuine inspiration they bring to your organization.
4. Play it Up on Social Media
Social media should already be a significant element of your nonprofit’s communication strategy. Volunteer appreciation videos, photos from recent fundraisers, and other compelling visuals are easily shareable content examples highlighting your gratitude for volunteers’ efforts.
For instance, an organization might write a short post about volunteers and why they chose to help. Consider surveying volunteers and asking them if you can publish their responses. Just remember to ask for permission first when posting publicly about your volunteers, especially if you plan to use their names or photos.
See how Habitat for Humanity practiced this appreciation idea through an Instagram post:
5. Personalize Volunteer Name Tags
You know the importance of making volunteers feel individually and personally recognized. Using their names is step one, which is why personalized name tags are an easy (and fun!) way to help volunteers feel noticed.
Create custom name tags with superlatives for each volunteer. These shout-outs can be related to their contributions or just fun attributes that describe the volunteer. Here are some examples:
- Gladys — The Great Smiler
- Arthur — 5-Year Volunteer
- Hannah — Happiest Helping Hand
Make sure to spell volunteers’ first and last names correctly. Also, consider using predetermined superlatives to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. For example, ask volunteers to match their peers to superlatives from a list at your next appreciation event. Then, tally the votes and assign superlatives accordingly!
6. Spotlight Individual Contributions
Donor newsletters, impact reports, and other communications are great spaces to feature your volunteers. With a volunteer’s permission, share a quick bio about them and what brought them to your organization. If they provide one, include a quote and mention their unique contributions.
Many volunteers don’t want to be known publicly, so it’s important to ask for volunteers’ permission before sharing and let them know exactly how you plan to share it. If volunteers are okay with it, this is a great way to showcase how much your nonprofit genuinely appreciates what they do for the community they serve.
7. Tell Volunteers About the Impact of Their Work
The most important rule of volunteer appreciation is to make them the hero of the story—not your nonprofit.
While your organization does a lot of good for the community, your volunteers are the ones who fuel your impact, and your appreciation efforts should highlight that fact. Show volunteers the direct connection between their hard work and the results experienced by the community. This could include sharing:
- Beneficiaries’ stories and testimonials
- Key statistics about improvements in the community
- Before-and-after pictures of transformation projects
It’s also important to share progress milestones and updates. Remind volunteers that your nonprofit’s work isn’t done after a single event or campaign. This way, they’ll feel motivated to come back and continue helping your nonprofit reach its goals.
8. Welcome Volunteer Feedback
For volunteers to feel appreciated, they must also feel heard and understood. Invite your active volunteers to voice any questions, concerns, or opinions they have about their experiences to show you’re listening.
This also allows your organization to learn how your volunteers perceive their participation and make changes to their experience as needed.
9. Offer Tangible Gifts
While kind words and authentic relationships are strong volunteer appreciation strategies, tangible rewards can make your gestures extra memorable. Use a rewards program where volunteers can earn prizes or experiences for their contributions to your nonprofit.
This could include:
- T-Shirts: According to Bonfire, custom apparel is an excellent token of appreciation because “they serve as a tangible reminder of their participation and can help foster a sense of pride and belonging within the volunteer community.”
- Gift baskets: Snacks, self-care items, and other gift basket fillers make your volunteers feel like they’re receiving a special treat. Plus, gift baskets can be easily customized for personalization (i.e., you can give chocolates to a volunteer who likes sweets).
- Gift cards: Allow volunteers to buy something they enjoy by thanking them with a gift card. This gives them the flexibility to shop for themselves and minimizes the chance of your nonprofit giving them an unwanted gift.
- Event tickets: Tickets to concerts, sports games, local attractions, and other memorable experiences can feel more special than tangible gifts. After volunteers give so much of their time to your nonprofit, giving the gift of quality time is an appropriate way to say thank you.
Whether you have specific ideas for rewards or not, it’s helpful to start thinking about extra memorable experiences you can offer your volunteers. These experiences don’t need to be expensive; they just need to be meaningful.
10. Improve Your Volunteer Management Approach
Volunteer recognition is part of a larger effort by nonprofits to manage their volunteer workforces. What better way to manage your volunteers than to bank on an easy-to-use platform that’ll take care of all your operational hassles?
If your volunteer management software doesn’t already help you facilitate meaningful appreciation ideas, it might be time to switch. From hosting appreciation events to offering memorable gifts, the right platform can help your nonprofit get to know its volunteers and which ideas will most resonate with them.
An appreciated volunteer is an invaluable asset to your organization. Start with the volunteer appreciation ideas we’ve chalked out in this guide, then build upon your strategy as you learn more about your volunteers’ preferences.
Volunteers are as vital to your mission as your work. They’re your unsung heroes. Don’t lose them!
