Soapbox Engage Blog

Volunteers are a cornerstone of the great work that nonprofits do. They’re dedicated and generous with their time, energy, and resources as they help you achieve your goals and transform the world.

More than 40% of public charities rely on volunteers to conquer events and day-to-day activities. They give millions of hours of time and energy each year to make the world a better place. It’s critical to show your appreciation and gratitude for your donors. Now is a great time to evaluate your current volunteer appreciation strategies so you can keep your volunteers engaged and connected to your organization and mission!

Table of Contents

• Volunteer appreciation basics
• Top volunteer appreciation ideas

Volunteer Appreciation Basics

AmeriCorps reported that volunteering hit a record high in 2018, worth about $167 billion and adding up to about 6.9 billion hours. That’s about 77 million amazing adults giving their time, talents, and energy to worthy causes.

Many nonprofits wouldn’t accomplish their goals without this army of generous supporters. This is probably especially true in recent months as nonprofits faced all the different challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volunteers are one of the most valuable assets of any nonprofit. 92% of organizations report needing more pro bono support. That makes retention rates for volunteers even more critical.

Don’t underestimate the value of a volunteer hour

In 2001, experts estimated one volunteer hour to be worth $16.27. In 2020 a volunteer hour was worth more than $24! The first step in thanking your volunteers is to understand just how valuable they are to your mission.

When you understand the value of a volunteer hour, you’re far more likely to change the way you interact with and value the people who generously give those hours of service. In turn, this tends to boost volunteer retention rates.

Perhaps the best way to keep your amazing volunteers around is to communicate how valuable they are and how much you appreciate them. Finding regular and authentic ways to say “thank you” can deepen your relationship and their loyalty to the mission.

Volunteer appreciation best practices

While every nonprofit needs to create its own volunteer appreciation strategies and culture, some best practices should not be overlooked.

• Volunteer appreciation is a year-round thing: Don’t limit volunteer recognition to a day or a week in the year. Instead, express your gratitude throughout the year in a variety of ways. Even a simple “thank you” note will go a long way with your volunteers.
• Variety is key: Find a wide variety of ways to recognize your volunteers, from informal or personal notes to more formal strategies. Every volunteer is a bit different, and you won’t know which appreciation strategy really touches their hearts.
• Be authentic and sincere: While frequency and variety are essential, nothing is more valuable than sincerity. Make each expression of gratitude meaningful, authentic, and appropriate to the level of volunteer service. After all, someone who gave ten years of tireless service probably needs more than a paper certificate of appreciation.
• Consistency is key: Whatever strategies and standards of volunteer appreciation and recognition you choose, make sure your organization can maintain them for years to come. If you establish a volunteer appreciation tradition, that sets up expectations for future volunteers. This is actually a good thing!

Top Volunteer Appreciation Ideas and Strategies

How do you genuinely express your gratitude and appreciation for your volunteers? Sometimes words just aren’t enough, and there are loads of ways to thank people for their hard work and generosity. No matter what strategy you choose, the most important thing is to be genuine and authentic.

We gathered some tried-and-true ways to show appreciation to your amazing volunteers throughout the year--because volunteer appreciation isn’t just a day or a week!

Volunteer appreciation gifts people will love

We know your volunteers aren’t in it for the gifts or swag, but those little tokens of appreciation sure help sometimes! Small appreciation gifts are a simple way to express your gratitude.

Think beyond that “certificate of appreciation” you can print off Word Art or those branded mugs and t-shirts (there is such a thing as too many mugs). Instead, be mindful that your volunteers are likely at very different life stages and try to choose gifts accordingly.

College-age volunteers probably will appreciate those coffee mugs or t-shirts. A more seasoned volunteer who has been around for a few years will likely get greater enjoyment from a photo book of their years of service. This kind of gift doesn’t cost much, and volunteers can walk down memory lane and remember all their experiences with your nonprofit.

If you’re a little short on photographs, consider gathering letters of appreciation from different people. Volunteers need to know their hard work is valuable and impactful. Invite organization and community members to write letters or record short audio/video clips to volunteers who are making a difference.

Another excellent volunteer gift might be a small consumable item. Think about a bag of coffee from a local coffee roaster or a gift card to a local restaurant or shop. Or ask local museums or production companies to help you give tickets or gift cards to an event or production. These kinds of appreciation gifts tend to not sit in the back of a closet collecting dust, and you’ll be supporting other local businesses in the process.

Show your appreciation by investing in your volunteers

While tangible gifts can be meaningful, there are other ways to express appreciation for your fantastic volunteers throughout the year.

Create space for your top volunteers to take on more significant leadership roles in the organization. Whether they lead training or orientation for new volunteers or serve as advocates for the volunteer community, this is an excellent way for them to grow their influence and take on more responsibility. By allowing them to influence the direction of your nonprofit, they become even more invested in the work!

If you have younger volunteers, a great way to invest in them is to offer career training opportunities or chances for them to boost their resumes as they serve your nonprofit. Give young volunteers more formal internship opportunities to develop valuable skills and teach them how to leverage those skills for their career paths.

Ways to publicly recognize your volunteers

Public displays of gratitude go a long way with volunteers. It doesn’t need to be mushy or cheesy to be effective!

Start by keeping your board members aware of top-notch volunteers. You can also invite stand-out volunteers to a board meeting to share any suggestions they might have for your nonprofit. Your best volunteers offer a valuable perspective. This will also be a great time to express your gratitude for their service and leadership.

Create and send impact reports that detail just how much of an impact your volunteers have on the mission each year (or more frequently, if you prefer). To take this to the next level, track each volunteer’s hours and participation so you can accurately demonstrate their contribution and impact.

Create a “volunteer of the month” section in your monthly newsletter. Not only is this a great way to spotlight your volunteers, but it also raises awareness of your volunteer program for your readers! Don’t forget to post about the volunteer of the month on your social media accounts, too!

While we’re talking about social media, post photos of your volunteers hard at work and tag them in those posts or pictures. That way, their personal network will see the great work they’re doing (without any bragging on their part).

The bottom line is that volunteer appreciation is critical to any nonprofit volunteer program--and it doesn’t need to involve the “same old” appreciation gifts. If you want to keep your best volunteers around, you need to tell (and show) them your gratitude. And the great news is, once you’ve built an effective structure and tradition for thanking your volunteers, it only gets easier!

Now that you’re well on your way to building an excellent volunteer appreciation program, here are three more resources for your nonprofit.

• 3 Tips to Take Peer-to-Peer Fundraising to The Next Level: Peer-to-peer fundraising is a critical strategy for many nonprofits these days. Success is usually defined by factors like the number of people participating and the average amount each person raises. But what if you focus more on building strong relationships with participants instead? This blog outlines why this approach is so beneficial.
• Why--and How--to Tell Great Stories in Your Next Annual Report: Stories help us understand complex issues and can even deepen our connection with each other. Telling the right stories in your volunteer appreciation content or annual report can showcase your impact, empower your donors and volunteers, adn equip them to share about your organization with others. This blog will help you boost your storytelling strategies and skills.
• Make a Fundraising Calendar in 5 Simple Steps: Successful fundraising--and volunteer appreciation--demands strategy, organization, and a plan. This can feel like an overwhelming prospect. Creating a fundraising calendar can be an excellent recipe for year-round fundraising and volunteer success. Head over to this blog for some tips, tricks, and strategies to help you build a great fundraising calendar.