Hot-button Issue: Effective Recognition

Good (and not-so-good) ways to thank volunteers
Seattle Public Schools Volunteer Coordinator Manual, 2003
When looking for appreciation ideas for your volunteers, always keep in mind ongoing efforts to recognize and support volunteers.

For those times when you want to formally recognize volunteer efforts, like the end of the quarter or end of the year, consider what they would like and appreciate, as well as what resources you have available.

Local businesses are a good resource for food or gifts. The PTA or your school staff may well be willing to support a party or other recognition effort. You might make a targeted request to the principal or leadership team for specific funds.

Sometimes recognizing specific volunteers individually is appropriate and effective. Here is a list of methods that members of the Seattle Tutoring Coalition have found successful and not-so-successful.

ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: Volunteers generally do not want you to spend a lot of money to appreciate them.

Successful Methods

Hand-made gifts from the kids/students

Photos of tutor-student pairs with frames made by the students

Framed kids crafts (can get frames cheap or donated)

Coffee (bag of beans in a coffee mug) or coupons to local coffee shops

Bulletin Board in high-traffic area with display of “what gift I would like to give my tutor/mentor” written by the students (may encourage non-material gifts)

Having a key-note speech at an event delivered by a client/student or a parent (sharing their experience, how the tutoring/mentoring relationship has helped them)

Hand-written notes of thanks (on a very personal, individual level)

Tickets (to plays, local events, sporting activities)

A large thank-you banner with all of the volunteers’ names (make sure you get them all)

Certificates (that are personalized and accurate)

Not-so-successful Methods

Not doing anything!

Overly expensive gifts

Certificates (that are impersonal or inaccurate)

Overuse of volunteer catalogue gifts/not well-matched to the volunteers

Holding big events with small staff and/or volunteer turn-out

Generic or impersonal “thank yous”

Developmentally inappropriate (e.g. bunny erasers for adults)