Perhaps it’s been years since your nonprofit started bringing joy through its valuable efforts. Even though the journey may have just started, your contribution is indeed priceless. But it’s not possible without your support system, i.e. the volunteers. Have you ever thought of appreciating them for this support?
Volunteers are the pillars of strength for every organisation. That’s why, they deserve a few words of appreciation that will keep them motivated.
Is it enough to only share words to express gratitude for their efforts? Well, words can work magic but there’s no restriction on being innovative.
Multiple ways are there that are effective to share your gratitude, and taking the help of technology can be one. With software like nonprofit volunteer management software, this task can be simpler. How is it possible exactly?
Collaboration with a volunteer platform can help bring your ideas to life. This is not just a platform to manage your events and volunteers. Besides, it can also help you bring a smile to the faces of your soldiers, who are always ready to put in extra effort.
Continue reading to know more about some effective volunteer appreciation ideas.
Showing Volunteer Appreciation: 8 Effective and Innovative Ideas
Thank You Note or Video:
As you complete one of the most important events, start checking the analytics of this software. This will give you a complete report on who has spent the maximum time for that event. Besides, it will also help you identify the one who has completed the most difficult tasks. Based on the report identify the most dedicated candidate and prepare a thank you note.
To bring more innovation to your attempt, consider making videos. Once you have prepared the note or video you can share them through emails or share it on your social media channel. Moreover, don’t forget that the volunteer software can help you share personalised emails or messages.
Online Skill-building Workshops:
The personal growth of your volunteers is not just beneficial for them, but also for your nonprofit. Those who keep learning new skills and upgrading themselves also stay motivated. So, to appreciate their efforts it would be great if you could organise a skill-building workshop. You can conduct the workshop online or offline for the volunteers. Also, utilise your calendar to mark the important dates to keep everyone updated and informed.
Conduct Award Ceremonies:
The best ones deserve awards for their selfless services. That’s why your nonprofit must think about organising award ceremonies once a year. With such events, you can award volunteers who have helped you solve complicated issues. Thus, based on their roles you can award them and also motivate them to continue doing their best.
The volunteer software can also play an active role in organising the ceremony. Besides checking the reports, it can also share details about all the volunteers. Thus, you can add extra words while awarding them and praise their hard work.
Declare the ‘Volunteer of the Week’:
Conducting an award ceremony every month or easily is not possible. However, expressing words of appreciation is important to keep your team motivated. That’s why, it is also possible that you start declaring volunteer of the week.
In this step too you can take the help of volunteer platforms. Based on the reports of volunteer performance, you can declare the candidate’s name. Also, you can share the name on social media platforms every week.
Award Vouchers or Coupons:
Each week your event calendar may show what the targets you need to achieve. Based on such goals nonprofits start assigning tasks to all the volunteers. Basically, it’s your volunteers who can help you meet your weekly targets. So, whoever meets the target within the deadline should receive some rewards.
You can offer vouchers or coupons using which one can get access to exciting offers. Thus, you are not only inspiring them to meet targets but also appreciating their efforts.
Words of the Clients:
If your volunteers are working with your clients then this idea will certainly work. So, you can ask your clients to make a small video clip praising someone in particular. In this video, the clients can share how the support has helped them achieve their purposes. You share the video clip through email or messages. Moreover, use the function of the volunteer software that allows you to create personalised messages.
Invite them to Participate in Online Games:
Showing appreciation also comes with expressing the thought that you care for them. In simple terms, you need to take initiative that helps them unwind. So, organise something that’s sheer fun and relaxing for your team. For this reason, conducting online games can be a great effort. Through this fun session, you can also build healthy bonds with your volunteers. So, organise the event, add it to the calendar, and invite volunteers to take part. Due to such amazing software, your volunteer can play the game at any time using their smartphones.
Plan Volunteer Outings:
Volunteer outings are another great way to show your appreciation. So, plan a day out with your volunteers to celebrate the completion of any important events. You can plan to take them to any nearby location where they can take part in various activities. Besides, team dinner is another great day-out plan. In the end, you must plan a day that everyone can enjoy without talking about work.
Using your volunteer software for finalising the date can be a smart step. Ask all the volunteers to share their preferred dates through the platform. After getting all the inputs you can declare the final date and add it to the calendar.
Final Thoughts:
Appreciation brings motivation to everyone irrespective of what they do. But what’s more important is understanding its importance and showing it without hesitation. Each one of your volunteers is special and their efforts should be appreciated. So, keep in mind the tips, if you are looking for innovative ways to show that you value them.
