Volunteers, as the name suggests, are people who give off their time and energy, in order to help a community or a section of society. Most often, the people who are out there volunteering are not compensated monetarily or in kind. In fact, they may even go unnoticed, despite their selfless efforts. As time goes by, lack of appreciation can lead to discouragement and the volunteers could feel worthless and de-motivated. Appreciating volunteers and thanking them for their efforts towards making the society a better place is vital, in order to encourage them and motivate them further. One way of doing this is to hold an appreciation program, to thank volunteers. However, the thanking should not be limited to just these programs. Rather, you should take out time and make regular efforts to thank such people at every opportunity that you get, since they need to know that they are really advancing the cause for which they are working. Apart from this, knowing that they are making a difference will help volunteers to continue with what they are doing. In case you need any help in this regard, read on and explore some of the best thank you ideas for volunteers.
How To Thank A Volunteer
- You could present the volunteer with gifts that have been branded with the organization’s logo, for which they work. These gifts could include coffee mugs, t-shirts and pens and will serve as symbols of appreciation and mementos in the years ahead.
- If the volunteer is with a mission, there could be mission-specific gifts that could be given to show your appreciation and thanks.
- Special education opportunities can be granted to volunteers. For example, they can be invited to attend classes or events that they might not have been able to attend otherwise. This is a great way of thanking them.
- Plaques, certificates and awards are simple, yet effective ways of thanking volunteers. Volunteers will treasure such gifts for the remainder of their life.
- Give the volunteers opportunities to speak or write, as this will be an honor. Offer to get their story shared with the rest of the world, through a publication or magazine.
- Get articles written about the volunteers in newspapers. If some articles have already been written, get them compiled into a collection and present the same to the volunteer, in order to show your thanks and appreciation.
- Arrange for annual, quarterly or monthly events that can help volunteers to build up comradeship with the community. This will make others know about their work in detail. The best way that you can thank volunteers is by appreciating their work and by helping others know more about the services that they render.
- If you run out of ideas to thank volunteers, you can create a letter of thanks in order to express your appreciation. This letter will be a form of recognition of the contributions of the volunteers and could be signed off individually or collectively.