The Volunteer Resource Centre
Reward and Recognition
Be a standout Volunteer Involving Organisation and make your workplace somewhere that volunteers want to be.
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Your Greatest Asset is your Volunteers
Volunteers generously donate their time for free. The least we can do is show our appreciation and thanks. That doesn't have to mean expensive gifts or events. Volunteer appreciation can be expressed in so many ways, just a simple thank you goes a long way and is fundamental in building better relationships with your team. We have listed some ideas, designed to engage and retain your volunteers but most importantly, to show them that you care and appreciate all they do for your organisation. |
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Volunteer - Reward and Recognition
People who volunteer do so for a variety of reasons such as helping their local community, contributing to a cause that’s close to their heart or just as an opportunity to meet and interact with like-minded people. Everyone is unique and each person has their own motivations for donating their time and skills without financial reward.
Retaining volunteers is an important part of maintaining your volunteer workforce. You can have the best recruitment and onboarding process in place but if you cannot retain your volunteers, you will spend continuous amounts of time going through the recruitment process and bringing volunteers up to speed. This is very destabilising and can impact on your organisation’s productivity and potentially, your reputation.
Volunteers want to feel valued and recognised for their efforts. Volunteers that feel valued and an integral part of the organisation will be more likely to stay long term.
The key is to focus on providing positive reinforcement about the tasks your volunteers perform but to also take the time to thank them on a regular basis so that your volunteers feel appreciated and recognised for their time and commitment.
Volunteers who enjoy a positive experience with your organisation and who feel appreciated are more likely to become repeat volunteers. They are also more likely to sing your praises to their friends and family, opening the door to growing your volunteer database.
Retaining volunteers is an important part of maintaining your volunteer workforce. You can have the best recruitment and onboarding process in place but if you cannot retain your volunteers, you will spend continuous amounts of time going through the recruitment process and bringing volunteers up to speed. This is very destabilising and can impact on your organisation’s productivity and potentially, your reputation.
Volunteers want to feel valued and recognised for their efforts. Volunteers that feel valued and an integral part of the organisation will be more likely to stay long term.
The key is to focus on providing positive reinforcement about the tasks your volunteers perform but to also take the time to thank them on a regular basis so that your volunteers feel appreciated and recognised for their time and commitment.
Volunteers who enjoy a positive experience with your organisation and who feel appreciated are more likely to become repeat volunteers. They are also more likely to sing your praises to their friends and family, opening the door to growing your volunteer database.
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If your organisation provides a work environment that makes volunteers feel valued and recognised for their efforts and feel that they are an integral part of the team, they will be more likely to stay. Try to recognise your volunteers in an individual way that does not make them feel uncomfortable. Some volunteers enjoy public recognition of their contribution but not all volunteers will want to be in the newsletter or nominated for awards. Other volunteers appreciate something as simple as a thank you at the end of their shift. As the volunteer leader or manager, you should know your volunteers well enough to understand the different personalities and what motivates them to volunteer. You should also know what method of thanking them makes them feel the most comfortable.
Fostering a culture of recognition will encourage staff and other volunteers to appreciate and recognise each other for their contributions. A culture of recognition can build a strong team bond and create a positive and supportive environment which increases volunteer morale, and retention rates.
Fostering a culture of recognition will encourage staff and other volunteers to appreciate and recognise each other for their contributions. A culture of recognition can build a strong team bond and create a positive and supportive environment which increases volunteer morale, and retention rates.
How to Express Your Appreciation?
Although it’s simple, one of the best ways you can show your appreciation is to say thank you. Get to know your volunteers and make the time and effort to better understand what motivates them, their likes and dislikes and what they’re looking to gain out of their volunteer experience. When thanking them, make sure you make it personal - i.e. “We’re so grateful that you volunteered an incredible 20 hours in the freezing cold to help us raise our fundraising targets.” or “Thanks for the beautiful card you sent to the team - it really put a smile on our faces after a huge week.”
We hope that this guide of volunteer appreciation ideas comes in handy and that it can be used to increase your volunteer retention through better engagement plus thoughtful and considered appreciation initiatives.
Although it’s simple, one of the best ways you can show your appreciation is to say thank you. Get to know your volunteers and make the time and effort to better understand what motivates them, their likes and dislikes and what they’re looking to gain out of their volunteer experience. When thanking them, make sure you make it personal - i.e. “We’re so grateful that you volunteered an incredible 20 hours in the freezing cold to help us raise our fundraising targets.” or “Thanks for the beautiful card you sent to the team - it really put a smile on our faces after a huge week.”
We hope that this guide of volunteer appreciation ideas comes in handy and that it can be used to increase your volunteer retention through better engagement plus thoughtful and considered appreciation initiatives.
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1. Make sure they have the essentials.
Your volunteers are your responsibility. If it’s going to be cold outside, make sure they have access to a jacket and umbrella. If it’s hot, make sure that they have a hat sunscreen and water. If you don’t have the resources to provide additional gear, keep your eye on the weather apps and make sure to inform the volunteers to bring the right attire for their shift so that they’ve not left shivering in the cold. 2. Personal protective gear. In today’s climate, providing access to personal protective gear is a must. Why not put together a PPE kit for all your volunteers including hand sanitiser, masks, and gloves to ensure that you’re COVID-19 compliant and that your volunteers feel safe and comfortable completing their shift. 3. Provide a means to get in touch. Don’t leave volunteers at their post in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day assuming that they’ll ‘be okay. Make sure that your volunteers have a means to get in touch (mobile number or radio) should they need to get in touch. 4. Volunteer uniforms. Create volunteer uniforms that volunteers actually want to wear and keep. Engage a local artist each year to design the t-shirt and make them collectable. Also make sure that you capture things like preferred sizes during registration so that you order the right sizes for your team. 5. Volunteer Badges. One great way to encourage repeat volunteering is through a badge, which can be redeemed against hours volunteered. Volunteers can then add these to their t-shirt or hat as a badge of honour (pun intended.) for their service. 6. Free Food. It’s the simple things that make people happy and food is one of them. Make sure your volunteers have snacks, lunch and water. Why not throw in a special treat like a cookie from the local bakery with ‘THANKS’ messaging to show them you really care. 7. Volunteer breakfast. Take it one step further and cook up a hot breakfast for your volunteers. Nothing says thanks for getting out of bed early like a cup of coffee and bacon and eggs. Or even brainstorm some volunteer appreciation dinner ideas. 8. Discounted event tickets. Partner with local businesses to offer discounted tickets to provide a reward for volunteers. It could be for outstanding effort, Volunteer of the Month or to mark an anniversary. You could consider Billabong Zoo, Majestic Cinema, Hydro Golf and Putt Putt, The Wave Bowl, Facade Escape Room, Paintball etc. 9. Track their hours. Volunteers often choose to volunteer to help build up their skills and expertise, with hours often required to be recorded and approved. Make sure that you have a system in place that enables you to check in and out your volunteers in real time and that volunteers can access these timesheets afterwards. 10. Video from CEO or Volunteer Manager. A great way to show your appreciation is by delivering a recorded message to your volunteers thanking them for their time. Videos like these can be a great way to highlight the impact of their time which might come in the form of fundraising updates, key milestones achieved and general event feedback. |
Volunteer Appreciation Ideas.
Not-for-profits are largely driven and run by volunteers. Without volunteers, many organisations and charities would simply cease to exist, making appreciation and recognition more important. With many not-for-profit volunteers also serving as fundraisers there’s even more reason to sing their praises and show your thanks. Here's some appreciation ideas you could consider to ensure that your volunteers feel recognised.:
Not-for-profits are largely driven and run by volunteers. Without volunteers, many organisations and charities would simply cease to exist, making appreciation and recognition more important. With many not-for-profit volunteers also serving as fundraisers there’s even more reason to sing their praises and show your thanks. Here's some appreciation ideas you could consider to ensure that your volunteers feel recognised.:
- Video from CEO - Majority of people volunteer because the cause is close to their hearts, they are interested in your organisation, it's fundraising and the people that they support. One of the best ways to engage with your volunteers is to record a dedicated CEO message to volunteers highlighting the real impact of their generosity.
- Celebrity Speaker - Many not-for-profits have affiliations with celebrities or influential individuals, which further their organisations cause and reach. Use this to your advantage and invite your volunteers to enjoy an exclusive session with a celebrity keynote speaker to provide guidance on volunteer resilience or maybe just to provide comedic entertainment.
- Volunteer Appreciation Event - Show your volunteers you care by throwing a volunteer awards appreciation evening, celebrating volunteer milestones with special awards throughout the evening. This doesn't have to be anything elaborate or expensive, you could hold a BBQ in the park or take the team ten pin bowling and provide some snacks and drinks at the local bowling alley.
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11. Video from community groups.
A big reason why volunteers choose to volunteer is to give back in meaningful ways. For not-for-profits or events who work directly with community groups, a video message from the community group at which they have served thanking them for their services goes a long way in showing your appreciation. 12. Cards/eCards. Why not send a personalised card to each of your volunteers thanking them for their time and efforts. Depending on your budget you can send them an eCard, send a card by mail or make a card on your computer and email it to all your volunteers which will cost you nothing. 13. Phone call. With everything that has been happening over the past few years, people value human interactions. One of the best ways that you can show your appreciation is to personally call each of your volunteers to say thanks. 14. Volunteer of the Month. A great way to champion volunteers is through a newsletter that highlights the amazing work of your volunteer community. A newsletter provides a great platform to provide updates on fundraising targets, event updates and to promote upcoming opportunities but more than that, it provides an opportunity to shine the spotlight on the great work that they do. 15. Set up a Volunteer Group Chat. A great way to connect your volunteers with each other is to set up a group chat on social media where volunteers can jump in and write messages, share photos and make connections. A bonded team is a productive team. 16. Create a Yearbook. So many great memories are created volunteering, why not capture this with a volunteer yearbook filled with images, stories and reflections on the year that was. This could be digital or better still, invest in a printed copy for each of your volunteers. 17. Celebrate milestones. Celebrate anniversaries with your organisation, key milestones and birthdays by sending your volunteers personalised communications that show that you acknowledge their time and commitment and that they truly are a valued part of the team. 18. Host a trivia night. Volunteer appreciation games are an awesome way to connect with your volunteers and whether it's virtual or in person, trivia is always a winner, allowing you to get to know everyone in an informal environment and most importantly, have some fun. 19. Volunteer appreciation social media posts. Celebrate and acknowledge your volunteers with shout outs via your socials. Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat volunteers love a bit of public appreciation. This also provides a great opportunity for volunteers to share posted content, spreading this to their networks far and wide. 20. Throw a volunteer appreciation event. At the end of the year a great way to celebrate your volunteers is with an appreciation party. Offer prizes, provide access to excess merchandise and provide some great food and entertainment. Most important of all, don’t forget to say THANK YOU. |
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Do Your Volunteers Feel Valued?
There’s always room for improvement. It’s so important to provide your volunteers with the opportunity to provide feedback and just as important that you listen to it and react accordingly. Organisations that choose to ignore feedback from their volunteers will likely lose them as they’re obviously not addressing the needs and concerns of their volunteers.
There’s always room for improvement. It’s so important to provide your volunteers with the opportunity to provide feedback and just as important that you listen to it and react accordingly. Organisations that choose to ignore feedback from their volunteers will likely lose them as they’re obviously not addressing the needs and concerns of their volunteers.
21. Online training.
Training is a great way for organisations to upskill their volunteers, making them more informed and confident not only at your event or cause but more importantly within the community more broadly. Say for instance, you provide training in First Aid and CPR. Your volunteer is now not only able to react accordingly in the case of a medical emergency at your event, but they also take this knowledge home with them and into their communities, which can legitimately help save lives.
22. Guest speaker.
Hold an event for your volunteers and bring in a guest speaker to inspire and excite. Whether it’s one of your ambassadors or just an inspiring community member. You could pick a topic that’s relevant to your volunteers and align your keynote to ensure a memorable evening, or you could simply bring in someone unrelated to your organisation but who will provide lots of fun and laughter.
23. Team Leader.
Provide opportunities for your volunteers to take on a more hands on leadership role, through a volunteer team leader position. This provides not only a fantastic growth opportunity for them but also helps volunteer managers with more hands to help.
24. Student Placement opportunities. Student placements are a great way to get people involved in volunteering and offer them a deeper understanding of your organisation which can often translate their commitment beyond their placement period. Student placements can also be facilitated and encouraged with your community network partners to help extend the number of opportunities for your volunteers.
25. Letter of recommendation.
Bearing in mind that often volunteers choose to volunteer to build up their experience, one of the best ways you can show your appreciation is through a letter of recommendation for volunteers to use when applying for jobs.
26. Write a Reference for top volunteers.
For volunteers who go the extra mile, and you generally couldn’t live without, why not write them a glowing reference which documents their dedication and outstanding efforts. It could also help them get their foot in the door if they are looking for work.
27. Paid work opportunities.
If a paid opportunity opens in your team the BEST way to show your appreciation is to offer that job to one of your volunteers. They have worked hard for your organisation as a volunteer so have already demonstrated their commitment to your goals. It is also incredibly rewarding to see one of your best volunteers succeed so anything you can do to help secure them full time employment is a huge win for everyone.
28. Feedback Survey - Do volunteers feel valued?
Share a feedback survey with your volunteers to ascertain their likes and dislikes and to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your volunteer program.
29. Follow up in person or with a phone calls.
Once you have all the feedback collated, follow up with your volunteers either face to face or over the phone to discuss any of the concerns and or suggestions and to ensure that their needs feel heard and understood.
30. Volunteer Report.
Publish the results of your volunteer survey and outline the measures that will be implemented to help address concerns. This will show your volunteers that you value their feedback and are willing to make changes.
Training is a great way for organisations to upskill their volunteers, making them more informed and confident not only at your event or cause but more importantly within the community more broadly. Say for instance, you provide training in First Aid and CPR. Your volunteer is now not only able to react accordingly in the case of a medical emergency at your event, but they also take this knowledge home with them and into their communities, which can legitimately help save lives.
22. Guest speaker.
Hold an event for your volunteers and bring in a guest speaker to inspire and excite. Whether it’s one of your ambassadors or just an inspiring community member. You could pick a topic that’s relevant to your volunteers and align your keynote to ensure a memorable evening, or you could simply bring in someone unrelated to your organisation but who will provide lots of fun and laughter.
23. Team Leader.
Provide opportunities for your volunteers to take on a more hands on leadership role, through a volunteer team leader position. This provides not only a fantastic growth opportunity for them but also helps volunteer managers with more hands to help.
24. Student Placement opportunities. Student placements are a great way to get people involved in volunteering and offer them a deeper understanding of your organisation which can often translate their commitment beyond their placement period. Student placements can also be facilitated and encouraged with your community network partners to help extend the number of opportunities for your volunteers.
25. Letter of recommendation.
Bearing in mind that often volunteers choose to volunteer to build up their experience, one of the best ways you can show your appreciation is through a letter of recommendation for volunteers to use when applying for jobs.
26. Write a Reference for top volunteers.
For volunteers who go the extra mile, and you generally couldn’t live without, why not write them a glowing reference which documents their dedication and outstanding efforts. It could also help them get their foot in the door if they are looking for work.
27. Paid work opportunities.
If a paid opportunity opens in your team the BEST way to show your appreciation is to offer that job to one of your volunteers. They have worked hard for your organisation as a volunteer so have already demonstrated their commitment to your goals. It is also incredibly rewarding to see one of your best volunteers succeed so anything you can do to help secure them full time employment is a huge win for everyone.
28. Feedback Survey - Do volunteers feel valued?
Share a feedback survey with your volunteers to ascertain their likes and dislikes and to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your volunteer program.
29. Follow up in person or with a phone calls.
Once you have all the feedback collated, follow up with your volunteers either face to face or over the phone to discuss any of the concerns and or suggestions and to ensure that their needs feel heard and understood.
30. Volunteer Report.
Publish the results of your volunteer survey and outline the measures that will be implemented to help address concerns. This will show your volunteers that you value their feedback and are willing to make changes.
Knowledge is Power - Upskill and Train your Volunteers
One of the best ways that you can show your appreciation is by giving back in meaningful ways. Education and training is a great way to recognise the motivations of your volunteers by providing opportunities that are designed to build confidence and possibly create real employment opportunities.
One of the best ways that you can show your appreciation is by giving back in meaningful ways. Education and training is a great way to recognise the motivations of your volunteers by providing opportunities that are designed to build confidence and possibly create real employment opportunities.
Creating change requires a large network of people working together to get the job done. While your employees perform valuable mission-driven work every day, so do your volunteers.
Your volunteers are a key part of your organisation, and they deserve to be appreciated for all their enthusiasm and hard work. Most volunteers devote their time to a not-for-profit because they’re motivated by the cause or interested in the organisation’s work. To sustain that dedication and motivation, they need to feel appreciated. Hopefully you have identified several volunteer appreciation ideas and determined which types of recognition would mean the most to your own volunteers.
Your volunteers are a key part of your organisation, and they deserve to be appreciated for all their enthusiasm and hard work. Most volunteers devote their time to a not-for-profit because they’re motivated by the cause or interested in the organisation’s work. To sustain that dedication and motivation, they need to feel appreciated. Hopefully you have identified several volunteer appreciation ideas and determined which types of recognition would mean the most to your own volunteers.
Need More Detailed Ideas?
Volunteers are essential for not-for-profits to enable change and reach their goals. With these recognition and reward ideas, you’ll be able to share your appreciation for volunteers easily, so they know your organisation notices and values their contributions.
Sometimes all a person needs to reignite their passion for volunteering is a simple thank-you.
These eight strategies will keep the gratitude going in genuine ways. Choose one or more of these ideas to start thanking your volunteers today!
Sometimes all a person needs to reignite their passion for volunteering is a simple thank-you.
These eight strategies will keep the gratitude going in genuine ways. Choose one or more of these ideas to start thanking your volunteers today!
1. Send Personal Thank You Emails and Texts
Your organisation could consider dedicating time to sending out volunteer thank-you emails and texts. Sending emails and texts to volunteers is an excellent, low-cost way to let them know you value their commitment and appreciate what they do.
Use these tips to personalise your emails and texts for each volunteer:
Your organisation could consider dedicating time to sending out volunteer thank-you emails and texts. Sending emails and texts to volunteers is an excellent, low-cost way to let them know you value their commitment and appreciate what they do.
Use these tips to personalise your emails and texts for each volunteer:
- Reach out to the volunteer’s supervisor. Ask about the specific roles they’ve played, what previous events they’ve volunteered at, and anything they’ve done especially well. Then, include these details in your email and texts to show you value the volunteer’s individual contributions.
- Celebrate milestones. Send out special thank you emails and texts to celebrate certain volunteer milestones, like their six-month or one-year anniversary with your organisation. You can also send messages on their birthdays just to let them know you’re thinking of them.
- Highlight their impact. Highlight ways to customise your emails and texts based on the specific impact of volunteers’ roles, from pictures to brief anecdotes. Show your appreciation by letting them know exactly how their efforts benefit your organisation and the people you help.
3. Implement a Peer-to-Peer Kudos System
Peer recognition is a genuine expression of commendation and appreciation between coworkers. Employees have three basic needs from their organisation: doing purposeful work, having an awareness of the things happening in the company, and gaining recognition for their work. Giving a volunteer a kudos is an easy way to personally recognise that they’ve done an excellent job. Your staff likely already do this periodically, but you can recognise more volunteers on a regular basis by developing a kudos system. A peer-to-peer kudos system provides a simple, structured way for managers, supervisors, and volunteers to recognise each other’s work and accomplishments. Set up a system using sticky notes, an appreciation board in your office, or eCards. Anyone can place a sticky note on the board or directly send someone an eCard to give them a kudos. By letting volunteers recognise each other, you’ll create a culture of encouragement and appreciation. 
5. Give Small Gifts for Special Occasions
Take inspiration from companies who give their staff gifts to encourage engagement—give small appreciation gifts to your volunteers. Consider these natural opportunities to send out volunteer gifts:
These gifts don’t have to take up much room in your budget. Send extra branded merchandise like t-shirts or hats or ask for donated gift cards from local businesses you regularly partner with. Volunteers will appreciate any gift, no matter how small, as a symbol of your gratitude. 
7. Draw for Better Parking
Every week, supervisors could nominate a volunteer to get a reserved parking spot right by the front door. This system will be especially exciting if your lot is small and parking is often a challenge. Draw randomly for a chance-based thank-you effort or create a rotating schedule so everyone gets a chance to enjoy the privilege. 
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2. Create a Volunteer Yearbook
Volunteer yearbooks are a great way to celebrate volunteers’ work, highlight special memories, and share their impact on your organisation’s mission. After all, even if a volunteer can only get involved for a short period of time, they still make important contributions to your organisation and develop friendships while completing their service. To create a volunteer yearbook, follow these steps:
4. Throw a Party
There’s nothing quite like throwing a party with free food to bring people together and keep volunteers engaged by recognising volunteer accomplishments. You can throw parties to appreciate longstanding volunteers, welcome new volunteers, or celebrate the completion of a major project or the end of year. People will love the chance to catch up before heading their separate ways. 
6. Host an Awards Banquet
If you have the resources, level up one of your parties to host an awards banquet for volunteers. Follow the same premise of a party, except on a more formal scale. Arrange for food catering and ask everyone to dress up for the event. Invite volunteers, their families, staff members, and maybe even your clients or beneficiaries to attend the dinner and award presentation ceremony. Awards could include “Most Enthusiastic,” “Most Inspirational,” and other themes along those lines. Give away group awards to encourage team bonding and recognise those who work well together. These awards will lead to better interpersonal connections and an improved sense of recognition among your volunteers. 
8. Start a Social Media shoutout Series
To retain exceptional volunteers and recruit new volunteers using social media, create a regular series of volunteer shoutouts on one of your nonprofit’s accounts. Send out a quick survey to see which volunteers are interested in sharing their stories with the public. Then, conduct interviews to ask questions like:
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If we can be of assistance to your organisation, it's as simple as picking up the phone, send us an email or fill out the form below.
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The Volunteer Resource Centre is funded and partnered with the Centre for Volunteering NSW
Hastings Neighbourhood Services
We embrace diversity and welcome all.
We acknowledge and pay cultural respect to the Biripi people – the first custodians of the land we live and work on today.
We acknowledge and pay cultural respect to the Biripi people – the first custodians of the land we live and work on today.
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Incorporated as Port Macquarie Neighbourhood Centre since March 1978
Trading as an Australian Business No: 89592910624 since July 2000 Copyright HNS
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