4 Simple Ways to Appreciate your Volunteers

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

One of the best ways to retain your volunteers for years to come is to show them appreciation. So many jobs they do go unnoticed. What’s more, if you work in NextGen, your volunteers may never hear from those they serve that they’re doing a good job. 

How many two-year-olds do you know tell you how great of a job you're doing? They can barely speak English!

That’s why it’s important for you as the leader to express your appreciation for their tireless efforts. Even if they serve once a month.

With Christmas right around the corner, you may be thinking this is a good time to get them a gift or something special, but you're at a loss for what to do. 

With this in mind, here are 4 simple, yet effective ways to show your appreciation.

1. Throw a party

I know I said simple, and a party can become very complicated. However, getting everyone together and publicly recognizing those who’ve gone above and beyond in the last year is a great way to show your appreciation.

Depending on the size of your church and ministry, you can do this at your home, or you may need to make use of the church facilities.

Regardless, remember the three Fs. Food, fun, and fellowship. Have some games, provide great food, and unstructured time for people to mingle. Don’t get upfront and monopolize all the time. That's no fun for anyone.

2. Send a text message

We can’t always send a Thank You Note (more on that later), but we can give immediate feedback through text. I’ve sent this text to numerous volunteers sometimes more than once with great results.

This is Pastor David. Just wanted to let you know how thankful and grateful I am for you. What you do for the kids is so very important and I’m praying for you right now.

Feel free to copy/paste this for your own volunteers. Just be sure to change the name.

Since 98% of text messages are read within the first few minutes this is a quick and easy way to show your volunteers that they matter.  

I would frequently send these kinds of texts during my private prayer time as their names came to mind.  Then my prayer list became more specific, and I have something to ask them about the next time I see them.  

3. Give a personalized gift

There’s a printing company commercial going around saying you can make the perfect gift by buying all your supplies from them personalized to your company. I don’t know about you, but getting company branded gifts never got me super excited. Certainly not as much as the woman in that commercial.

However, a gift personalized to that volunteer can go a long way. You may not be able to do this for your whole team, but you could do it for your top leaders. Giving them something they can really use and value shows how much thought you put into it.

To take it to the next level, present them with the gift instead of just giving it. Tell them what you were thinking when you picked it out and what they mean to you. 

Tears. There will be tears.

4. Hand-write a Thank You Card

No matter what you do, include a this card. This will mean more to them than almost anything else you can give them.

Also, don't skip the handwriting part.

I wanted to be a doctor in elementary school, so I never learned great penmanship. It's still atrocious and most of the time I can't read what I wrote. 

Nevertheless, I still hand-write my cards. It takes longer and my hand hurts after a few because of all my concentration, but it's worth it because it shows I took the time to think about them and write it out.

Yeah, you can type it, and it’ll be more legible. But the heart isn’t there. It’s sterile and could be copy/pasted to everyone you give the card to.

Don’t do that.

Take the handwritten card and give it to them as part of the gift or drop it in the mail. I’ve heard story after story of people receiving cards like these and hang them in their in offices, on their refrigerators, or placed in scrapbooks. 

Personalized, honest, and thoughtful words just mean more than almost anything you can give them.

As we’re headed into the Holiday season, take some time to think, plan, and write out your appreciation. Don’t run down to the local Tuesday Morning or worse, surf 4Impint and get a generic gift for everyone. 

(No hate to 4Imprint.  I love their products, just not volunteer appreciation gifts)

Each of your volunteers are unique and offer something special. Acknowledge that and thank them for it. You’ll find them serving in the ministry for a long time.

What do you do to show your appreciation for your volunteers?