A little thank you goes a long way. As a volunteer coordinator you understand how important those two little words can be to someone donating their time and working hard to make an event special. It’s easy to run out of ideas on ways to let your volunteers know you’re happy to have them and appreciate their hard work. Here are 6 creative ideas to help keep your thank you’s fresh!
Party Times!
Maybe not the most original idea in the world, but it is great for big or little groups. If it’s a small group try something like escape rooms or go-karting. If it’s a big group look for a nice party room with games or outdoor space where you can bring your own. Something that has activities for everyone to interact with each other is a great way to have fun and build your community.
Crafts
Handmade gifts are a great way to say thank you. They show that you put time into thinking of a nice idea and into making the actual product. Pinterest is a great resource for quick and clever ideas (thanks a latte!).
Word Cloud
This is great for a smaller group of volunteers. There are a few ways to use the word cloud. Our favorite is to have the group of volunteers take time to write down 3 positive words about each other. Then, you take those words and enter them on this website: https://www.wordclouds.com/ . A word cloud is created and you can print one off and frame it for each person.
Mix Tape
Jump forward a few decades and make a custom playlist through Spotify (or another music provider). No need to specialize it for each person as long as you create something that goes across different music tastes. Send it out to your team and let them know you’re thinking of them.
Make a Video
If you’re hosting a big event and there’s a kick-off night, think about making a video that shows how much their time means. Talk to the people going to the event, or members of the community that need their help to make that event successful. It will give you a way to show your appreciation, and help get them pumped up for the coming day(s).
Send an Email
Are you thinking, this doesn’t really seem creative? Sometimes you don’t have the luxury to come up with a genius idea to tell your volunteers how important they are, but that’s okay. An email might be just the thing. Be honest and lay out how the event couldn’t happen without them.
No matter what you decide remember that any thank you, however big or small, makes a difference. If you are sincere it will come through whether you say thank you in a creative or traditional way. And thank you, for all the work you do coordinating your volunteers!
