31 August 2006
Here are 100 different ways to thank and support your volunteers.
- Create a climate in which volunteers can feel motivated
- Here are some ways to thank and support your volunteers.
- Create a climate in which volunteers can feel motivated
- Say ‘thank you’ often, and mean it
- Match the volunteer’s desires with the organization’s needs
- Send birthday cards. Send a card at Christmas
- Provide a clear role description for every volunteer
- Make sure new volunteers are welcomed warmly
- Highlight the impact that the volunteer contribution is having on the organization
- Show an interest in volunteers’ personal interests and their outside life
- Tell volunteers they have done a good job
- Give volunteers a real voice within the organization
- Set up a volunteer support group
- Provide meaningful and enjoyable work.
- Always have work for your volunteers to do and never waste their time
- Send ‘thank you’ notes and letters when appropriate
- Smile when you see them!
- Say something positive about their personal qualities
- Involve volunteers in decision-making processes
- Give a certificate to commemorate anniversaries of involvement
- Develop a volunteer policy
- Allow volunteers the opportunity to debrief, especially if they work in stressful situations
- Let volunteers put their names to something they have helped to produce or to make happen
- Differentiate clearly between the roles of paid staff, trainees and volunteers
- Have a volunteer comments box and consider any suggestions carefully
- Make sure the volunteer coordinator is easily accessible and has an ‘open door’ policy
- Provide insurance cover
- Supervise volunteers’ work
- Have a vision for volunteer involvement in your organization
- Do not impose new policies and procedures without volunteers’ inputs
- Ask volunteers themselves how the organization can show it cares
- Permit volunteers to attend seminars, conferences and workshops from time to time
- Give volunteers a proper induction
- Celebrate the year’s work together
- Offer to write volunteers letters of reference
- Accept that different volunteers are able to offer different levels of involvement
- Accept that an individual volunteer’s ability to commit may change over time
- Ask volunteers’ opinions when developing new policies and strategies
- Make sure the director (especially in large organizations) shows her/his personal appreciation of the volunteers’ work
- Pass on any positive comments about volunteers from clients to the volunteers themselves
- Provide the opportunity for ‘leave of absence’
- Add volunteers to memo and e-mail distribution lists
- Set solid goals for volunteers and keep communicating them
- Provide car or bike parking for volunteers
- Give the volunteer a title which reflects the work they do (not just ‘volunteer’)
- Consider providing, or paying for, child care for volunteers who are parents
- Inform the local press about the excellent work of your volunteers
- Undertake individual supervision and support sessions
- Always be courteous
- Maintain regular contact with volunteers, even if they work ‘off-site’ or at odd hours
- Allow volunteers to ‘get out’ without feeling guilty
- Keep volunteers informed of changes in structure and personnel
- Provide adequate clothing and name badges if appropriate
- Use quotes from volunteers in leaflets and annual reports
- Devote resources (time and money) to volunteer support
- Count up how many hours volunteers contribute and publicise this
- Ensure all paid staff and trainees know how to work effectively with volunteers
- Provide accredited training
- Hang a volunteer photo board in a prominent position
- Give volunteers the opportunity to evaluate their own performance and role
- Do not overwhelm volunteers
- Build volunteers’ self-esteem by giving them a sense of ownership of their work
- Always be appreciative of volunteers’ contributions
- Ensure volunteers have adequate space and equipment to do their work
- Provide excellent training and coaching
- Recognize that volunteers play a unique role
- Have an annual volunteer award ceremony
- Focus on the problem, if there is one, not the personality of the volunteer
- Create two-way communication processes
- Have occasional lunches, dinners, barbecues, picnics, etc
- Create a volunteer notice board
- Set up a volunteers forum
- Allow volunteers to get involved in solving problems
- Pay for an eye test if they sit in front of a computer all day
- Review the progress of volunteers on a regular basis
- Reimburse out-of-pocket expenses
- Conduct an exit interview when a volunteer leaves
- Have a ‘volunteer voice’ section in your newsletter
- Be honest at all times
- Provide constructive appraisal
- Make volunteers feel good about themselves
- Don’t treat volunteers as ‘second class citizens’
- Ensure confidentiality for your volunteers
- Present an occasional inexpensive gift
- Provide volunteers with a ‘rights and responsibilities’ charter
- Don’t bully them into doing tasks which they have made clear they don’t want to do
- Give free membership to your organization
- Ensure you have adequate support skills yourself
- Ask why volunteers are leaving or have left
- Throw a volunteers party
- Use surveys as a way of eliciting your volunteers’ views
- Provide free refreshments during coffee and tea breaks
- Celebrate United Nations International Volunteer Day (5 December each year)
- Suggest sources of help and support for personal problems
- Allow volunteers to air legitimate grievances and make sure they are dealt with swiftly
- Send a card or flowers if volunteers are ill or bereaved
- Encourage them to sit on committees and attend meetings
- Ensure a safe and healthy working environment
- Allow volunteers to take on more challenging responsibilities
- Make sure that every volunteer has equal access to support
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