Volunteer Recognition Success Stories

Hand-made Cards
One of the best ways to give a volunteer recognition is through hand-made cards. Cut a plain piece of colored paper with pinking shears or decorative scissors. With a colored stamp pad and stamps, send a message (i.e., "Keep smiling'" or "Keep up the good work") Volunteers love the personalized touch and it really means a great deal to them when they know you have spent some time on them!
Submitted by Cindy Fairs, Consultant , Okanagan Volunteer Management Services

Our Brightest Stars
In our facility, the Volunteer Manager and I (coordinator of Volunteer Services) worked on a bulletin board. We cut out blue stars and in them we printed each volunteer's name and, in the center of the board, we posted their pictures with a slogan that read "Volunteers Our Brightest Stars." It was a hit. The bulletin board was hard to miss and the staff and volunteers loved it!
Submitted by Mirna Alberto, Coordinator, Volunteer Services, Misericordia Health Centre, Canada

Thank You Notes to Volunteers' Workplace
Many of our volunteers have full time jobs and busy careers. We began sending letters of recognition to their places of work either directly to their superior or through the Human Resources office. These letters often find their way directly into the personnel files and in many cases reflect well on an employee to their employer. What has been really interesting is that our organization has actually received donations from companies whose employees have been our volunteers. A letter from our organization has often prompted an inquiry from a company to the employee about who we are and what we do. This method of recognition has become greatly appreciated by our volunteers.
Submitted by Christine Cooper, Volunteer Coordinator, Citizens for a Clean Caledon