The best thing is that the best thanks don't need to be elaborate. Can you make it an expectation that your event chairpeople will write a quick email thank-you to helpers within a week after events? How about adding an "Our Volunteers Rock" section to your monthly newsletter? Or creating a bulletin board of photos of parents chipping in?

One tip: Always err on the side of thanking too many people. Far better to thank someone who maybe doesn't deserve it than to withhold thanks from someone who does.

For more on volunteer appreciation, check out "Treat Your Volunteers Right" and "Care and Feeding of Key Volunteers".

And while I'm at it -- thanks to you for all the great work you're doing this year.