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32 Volunteer Appreciation Ideas and More

Whether it’s in the classroom, at school events, or elsewhere, your volunteers contribute in so many ways! Thanking them isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s a really important step to building a lasting relationship (and making sure they come back).

Our free guide to volunteer appreciation includes not only some awesome ways to say thanks (who doesn’t love fuzzy socks?) but also key points to consider: Should you thank people in different ways depending on how much they helped? How much should you spend? When should you do it? Make it a priority for your group to recognize the contributions of its volunteers instead of leaving it as an afterthought.

Inside 32 Volunteer Appreciation Ideas and More:

Why It’s a Must

Don’t think of volunteer appreciation as optional or as something your volunteers have to earn—it’s actually a really important part of making volunteers want to continue.

Should Small Groups Do It?

Absolutely! We’ll explain why it’s totally OK for groups consisting of even just a few board members to show appreciation to each other.

Year-Round Volunteer Appreciation

It’s great if you want to throw an event at the end of the year, and you should—but your efforts don’t stop there (and it’s not hard to make them ongoing).

All Those Awesome Ideas

Whether you want to go all-out or keep it simple, we have lots of suggestions for showing your volunteers some love.

Gift Tags and Other Downloadables

Many of the ideas we’ve selected include cute, colorful, and free gift tags, as well as other printables and graphics.

Why Does Volunteer Appreciation Matter?

Whether it’s in your role as spouse, employee, parent, friends—you know it makes a huge difference when you feel appreciated. It’s a natural motivator that helps you keep going.
As a parent group leader, showing appreciation is just the right thing to do. Many of your volunteers spend lots of time away from their families and personal responsibilities to make the school better, and even those who help just a little here and there deserve recognition for their contributions.
Ideally, volunteers will be thanked while they’re helping out or shortly after. It’s also a good idea to plan a larger volunteer appreciation effort once a year if your parent group has the time and resources. Don’t worry if a big volunteer recognition program isn’t feasible for your group. Do what you can now and work toward doing more in the future.
Remember, volunteer appreciation is about building parent involvement—and that’s your main goal!

Still have questions?
Call us at 800-644-3561; we’re here to help.