VOLUNTEERS:

Let’s face it. Volunteers are the heart and life blood of nearly every club, organization, school or business organization. Where would you be without them?

Yet in the nearly 35 years I have spent working with non-profit organizations, very few reward and recognize those people who willingly give up home and family time to help run the organization effectively.

It is imperative to treat this valuable group of individuals with respect, gratitude, care and understanding. Many times they are the unsung heroes that keep your projects moving, make things happen, and keep your job easy. Plus, they aren’t even paid to do it!

The motivation for them to freely give of their time and energy needs to come from inspiration both internally and externally. This report deals only with the external although you may find it works on their internal as well. Most of these volunteers see some merit to donating their time and talents to your (and their) organization. However, it is also up to you to keep them motivated, inspired, and keeps the objectives of the organization fresh in their minds. Although it takes a conscious effort on your part, the extra effort will come back many times over, in many ways.

NEVER ASSUME that your volunteers will understand the changing needs of the organization. They need to be kept informed and inspired. They also need to feel part of a great cause. Unless they are continually reminded as to the needs of the cause, and unless they “buy into it”, they will never really develop the internal stimulation that motivates them to want to do “more”.

Volunteers need to be organized to be effective. They need to know what is expected of them and you need to fully realize what you need from them. For example:
• What type of task do you need them to do? Can you fully explain what is needed of them in a way they will understand and buy into?
• How long will the project last? There are some that can and will volunteer whatever time it takes to help out. However, there just aren’t that many folks that can give unlimited amounts of time.
• You need to find out not only what they are willing to do but what they are capable of doing. Carefully assess their skills. Get to know them. What makes them tick?
• What are you doing to make them feel important? Do you recognize and praise their accomplishments no matter how small? One of our basic human needs is Recognition. Many will say they don’t need it but very few will turn it down.

All of your volunteers need to be recognized on a regular basis. It doesn’t always require a gift or plaque. Sometimes just a simple “Thank You” delivered personally by the person in charge, will reap great rewards. There is also the other side of the coin: What gets rewarded gets done.

At the end of every project you need to recognize those that made the project successful. And, it should be done as publicly as possible. This is not to embarrass, but to let others see and congratulate the doers for helping. There are a number of ways to recognize those that help. If you do an annual dinner, bring them forward and present them with some token of thanks. There are many ways to do this.

• Framed certificates
• Plaques
• Gift Books
• Special Seating
• Imprinted Promotional Items

A great resource is Keystone Specialties, Inc. at  www.keystonespecialties.com They are a leading National Promotions Company dedicated to helping non-profit organizations not only raise funds for their needs but they have a terrific search engine with over 300,000 searchable items! You are sure to find some great and unique recognition items at very reasonable prices.