5 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Volunteers for a Year of Hard Work

Your volunteers work hard and deserve some appreciation! Here are 5 ways to show appreciation to your volunteers for a year of hard work.

1. Send A Thank You Card

Write a personal note to each of your volunteers. If you have a lot of volunteers, consider spreading this task throughout the year. Think about each volunteer individually and write a specific appreciation note. Maybe something you noticed about their service or an area of their character that has made an impression on you. Mail these thank you cards to their home address. Knowing that you have taken the time to write a personal card and mail it to them will mean a lot to your volunteers.

2. Appreciation Banquet

Plan a special evening just for your volunteers. It doesn’t have to be really expensive in order to be meaningful to your volunteers. The appreciation evening can be formal or informal. It can be a banquet or a potluck. But take the time to plan out the evening.
Here is one idea: offer an appreciation evening where the kids in your children’s ministry prepare, serve, and clean up the meal and plan a program. If the kids are talented musically they may play an instrument or sing a song. Ask a couple of the kids to share why they appreciate their teachers. This appreciation idea shows that you are thankful for your volunteers and that the kids they serve appreciate them too!

3. Seasonal Appreciation

You could send out seasonal appreciation gifts. These can be serious or humorous. Let your personality shine in the way you show appreciation to your volunteers!
At Christmas you could ask some of the kids to decorate Styrofoam cups. Then add a specialty hot chocolate package and a small packet of mini-marshmallows.  Simply wrap it in tissue paper and tie it with ribbon. Add a tag with a simple message “Thank you for serving.”
For Valentines you could send valentines cards to your volunteers or package up some Hershey Kisses in a treat bag tied with a ribbon.  One possible verse you could write on the tag would be Ephesians 3: 16-19.
For spring you could send your volunteers packets of flower seeds. In an attached note tell them that you are so thankful for them and their commitment to growing disciples of Jesus.

4. Take Them Out For Coffee

Again, this may depend on how many volunteers you have. Take them out in groups or individually. Use this time to get to know them. Let them know that you appreciate what they do. Be specific if you can.

5. Give Them A Break

This appreciation idea is especially significant for those volunteers who have served faithfully over the years. Offer to take one of their teaching days so they can have the weekend off or find a sub who can teach one Sunday for them. This idea works for all scheduling options – year-long, or rotation schedules. You could also consider giving them a longer break – a month or 3 months – if they are faithful volunteers who have been serving for years. Make sure your volunteer understands why you are giving them a break. Let them know that you are thankful for their faithful service and what to encourage and reenergize them by giving them a little teaching holiday.