National Volunteer Week (April 21-27) is fast approaching! How will you celebrate the dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to help your organization achieve its goals?

If you’re not sure, no worries! We’re here to help with our top three volunteer appreciation ideas!

Celebrate. If you get started now, you’ll have plenty of time to organize a celebration that makes your volunteers feel like a million bucks. It doesn’t have to be formal; the most important part is that it’s meaningful, well-thought-out, and filled with appreciation.

On a budget? (We know you are!) How about a simple, themed potluck with dishes brought in by the staff your volunteers serve? The theme could be related to your mission, or a special type of cuisine, or even focused on a meal of the day. At Baudville, we love a breakfast potluck—and we bet your volunteers will, too!

To add a special touch, and still keep mindful of your spending, we recommend a personalized award certificate given to each volunteer. They’ll have a memento of their service to proudly display, plus a lasting reminder of your appreciation at the same time.

A customer favorite is our You Make the Difference Certificate Bundle, which contains all of the components you need to create 50 finished certificates—folders and all!

When your celebration day comes (make sure it’s during National Volunteer Week, April 21-27!), call each volunteer up individually to present their certificate and give a heartfelt thanks.

Appreciate. If you have volunteers all over the state, country, or world, getting everyone together for a celebration might be a bit of a challenge. But that shouldn’t take the wind out of your sails! Baudville’s volunteer appreciation themes feature gifts and notecards that you can send to every volunteer far and wide. To make it easy for you, we organized all of our top volunteer appreciation gifts here. You can shop by theme, by price (we still haven’t forgotten your budget!), and by our hot, new products.

Don’t forget, you can also send free ePraise cards to all of your volunteers. We created several with National Volunteer Week precisely in mind, plus many more in your favorite themes!

Commemorate. Want to give your volunteers an appreciation gift that will last well beyond the week? Our new Team Shirts™ are your answer! We created hundreds upon hundreds of designs that are customizable with your text, logo, and/or message. Pick a favorite Baudville theme, an event type, or a smart saying and we’ll seamlessly integrate all of the custom details that you want.

You can build your shirts online quickly and easily, then you’re on your way to giving a volunteer appreciation gift they’ll wear with pride. (We can even make a completely custom shirt for you, if that’s what you need!)

Your volunteers will have a personal reminder of your appreciation every time they put on their shirts, plus, when they’re sporting their tees, they’re also spreading your organization’s message and getting your name some public attention. We call that a win-win around here!

The Ultimate. If you want to create an unforgettable volunteer appreciation moment, you could combine all three of our ideas. They’ll be fed, clothed, and loved: quite the trifecta of appreciation, wouldn’t you say?

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Allison is a self-proclaimed Copywriting Diva and has the certificate to prove it! She’s been writing for Baudville for four years and has worked in a variety of business settings for more than 19 years. Before becoming a professional writer 12 years ago, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer! 

April is National Volunteer Month, and I encourage organizations to honor their volunteers during National Volunteer Week, April 15-21. I’ve been able to learn a lot about volunteer through my work with local non-profit organizations on their events and my personal volunteer work. After all, one of the best ways to learn about appreciation is to be appreciated!

If you’re looking for volunteer appreciation ideas, I recommend you grab a cup of coffee and watch our 10 minute Recognition TV webisode. I share popular themes for volunteers and volunteer appreciation event ideas you can use this year.

In the video, I also recommend a few free resources that will help your volunteer appreciation event planning go smoothly. You can download all these resources from our Recognition Resource Center or by clicking on the links below.

Volunteer Appreciation Ideas eBook



Employee Event Planning Check List



Award Presentation Guide

Are you a volunteer or do you recognize volunteers? Tell us what you do for National Volunteer Week!

 

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Since Volunteer Appreciation Week is in one month, I know there are lots of volunteer coordinators and leaders who are working on their volunteer appreciation plans. To help you out, I've lsited five great free volunteer appreciation resources you can use this spring:

1. Volunteer Appreciation Ideas eBook. We created this eBook at Baudville to generate great ideas and meaningful recognition for volunteers. It has 52 ideas for volunteer appreciation events, volunteer award, volunteer appreciation gifts, and low and no cost ideas. Download it for free from our Recognition Resource Center.

2. EnergizeInc.com Volunteer Appreciation Resource. Energize Inc.  is a great resource for volunteer coordinators and leaders. They have lots of ideas for volunteer awards, volunteers events, and volunteer gifts that will inspire your Volunteer Appreciation Week activities.

3. Volunteer Appreciation ecards. It’s not uncommon for volunteer coordinators to have little or no funds budgeted for volunteer appreciation. You can still let your volunteers know you value their contributions by sending them a free volunteer appreciation ecard. Choose from our vast selection of trendy cards and schedule cards to individuals or groups of volunteers.

4. Sample Volunteer Appreciation Certificate Titles. Certificates are a popular award and appreciation item for volunteers because they are so affordable. For volunteer appreciation ideas that you can use on a certificate, visit the Recognition Resource Center. We have several resources, including Sample Employee Recognition Award Certificate Titles and Volunteer Certificate Titles and Verses, that will make your certificate design easier.

5. Volunteer Appreciation Themes. A great appreciation event starts with a memorable theme. For volunteer appreciation theme ideas, browse our 100+ recognition themes, or read about our Top Ten Themes for National Volunteer Appreciation Week. Once you decide on a theme for your appreciation event, everything else will fall into place!

How do you celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week? What are you favorite sources for volunteer appreciation ideas? Tell us here! 

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

Do you celebrate a recognition holiday? Throughout the year, recognition holidays celebrate important members of your team. Whether they’re professionals, volunteers, or peers, recognizing them on a special day can be a memorable recognition moment and an effective retention tool.

Prepare for upcoming 2012 recognition event holidays by visiting our Recognition Event Calendar and marking the dates that are important for your team! Here are some of the major holidays you should be aware of.

 National Pharmacist Day is Thursday, January 12, 2012.
 Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 13-19, 2012.
 Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 2, 2012.



 Dentist Day is Tuesday, March 6, 2012.
 National Doctor’s Day is Friday, March 30, 2012.
 School Librarian Day is Thursday, April 5, 2012.
 National Volunteer Week is April 15-21, 2012.
 Administrative Professionals Week is April 22-28, 2012, and Administrative Professionals Day is Wednesday, April 25, 2012.
 Teacher Appreciation Week is May 7-11, 2012, and National Teacher Day is Tuesday, May 8, 2012.
 National Nurses Week is May 6-12, 2012, and National Nurses Day is Saturday, May 12, 2012.
 National Police Week is May 14-20, 2012.
 National Doughnut Day is Friday, June 1, 2012.
 National Postal Worker Day is Sunday, July 1, 2012.
 System Administrator Appreciation Day is Friday, July 27, 2012.
 National Newspaper Carrier Day is Tuesday, September 4, 2012.
 National Custodial Worker Day is Tuesday, October 2, 2012.
 Physician Assistant Day is Saturday, October 6, 2012.
 Customer Service Week is October 1-5, 2012.
 Boss’s Day is Tuesday, October 16, 2012.
 National Make a Difference Day is Saturday, October 27, 2012.
 International Volunteer Day is Wednesday, December 5, 2012.

Which recognition events do you celebrate at your organization? Tell us in the comments!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

National Volunteer Week was last week, April 10-16, and many organizations celebrated their volunteers during the week with a party or event. The Women’s Resource Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, annually honors their volunteers during National Volunteer Week.

The Women’s Resource Center strives to improve women’s workplace and economic opportunities, and volunteers donate more than 2,500 hours a year coaching, mentoring, and working with the women who utilize the center’s resources.

The volunteers at the Women’s Resource Center make a difference in the lives of every woman who comes through their doors, and the organization knows how important it is to recognize their volunteers. “The Women’s Resource Center has been truly lucky to have these dedicated people land on our team,” said Lee Vandenberg, Volunteer Coordinator at Women’s Resource Center.

To celebrate their volunteers, Lee hosted a gardening themed event that used the lady bug motif in its decorations. Lee said the garden party was a huge hit!

Lee presented each of her volunteers with a Lucky Us Character Pin. She chose this pin because the story was “perfect for our presentation.” The connection with the garden theme certainly helped, too!

Express your appreciation for your volunteers, and they will remain dedicated to you and your organization. Employers, likewise, recognize their employees to help maintain and improve retention of top talent.

How did you recognize volunteers this year during National Volunteer Week?

Did you forget to do something during National Volunteer Week? It’s not too late! Check out our additional volunteer appreciation articles for tips and ideas.Send a Volunteer ePraise right now!

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.