Good Works Grapevine

Running an all volunteer organization is not easy. It’s hard to get people motivated and more importantly, sustain that motivation. I’ve found that group’s seem to retain a handful of core volunteers, but for everyone else its a revolving door. How do you retain your volunteers? What sort of reward system do you have in place?

The Wild Apricot blog,  has some great suggestions…

• Provide volunteers with a framed photo of their finished product (ex. if they built a home for a family in need, frame a photo of the home and family for each volunteer)
• Give them an engraved gift that represents their work or the organization
• Have a volunteer appreciation night with food and drinks - call out the achievements of key volunteers
• Remember simple things like providing drinks and snacks at events, provide transportation when necessary, give them t-shirts, etc.

Your volunteers are your staff. Remember to treat them well and reward them when they do a good job. Volunteer retention is tough, so increase your chances for success by taking that extra step to say “THANK YOU” to your volunteers!

This entry is part of the Nonprofit Blog Exchange! Please check them out!!