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National Volunteer Week is the time to honor and celebrate the heroes of your nonprofit – volunteers. Whether helping organize an event, working on administrative tasks, or leading local initiatives, these selfless individuals are an invaluable resource.
This special week offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the vital contributions of volunteers. The main question is, how can you honor their dedication?
This article offers ideas on how to show appreciation and gratitude to your selfless heroes. Find useful tools to make your recognition week planning easier and smoother. Let’s celebrate the heart and soul of a nonprofit.
National Volunteer Week (NVW), or Volunteer Recognition Week, is an annual celebration typically occurring during the Global Volunteer Month in the third week of April.
During this week-long observance, nonprofits, governments, and communities celebrate volunteers who generously donate their effort, time, and skills to helping others. Special events, volunteer projects, and targeted initiatives are scheduled to recognize and reward the volunteers.
Over the years, National Volunteer Week has expanded beyond recognition to include education and engagement. It helps raise awareness about the different ways individuals can make a difference and inspire people to engage in volunteerism.
Two organizations play a leading role in organizing the week:
Point of Light: Founded in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, this global nonprofit inspires people to take action and create positive change in their local communities through volunteerism. It acts as a key coordinating body for NVW, providing tools and guidance to recognize volunteers.
Volunteer Canada: Founded in 1977, its primary purpose is to foster a strong volunteer sector in the country. The organization offers resources and ideas to celebrate volunteers, including creating marketing materials, organizing events, and more.
Organize a memorable event to celebrate those who've contributed their time and effort all year long. Depending on most volunteers' locations, choose between an in-person or a virtual event.
Add some team-building activities and fun games, as it will entertain and build a sense of camaraderie among participants.
Amid the socializing and fun, share information about your volunteer’s impact through a small presentation. Show a heartfelt video featuring beneficiaries, staff, and board expressing gratitude. Make it a night of appreciation, connection, and inspiration.
2. Hold a formal award ceremony
National Volunteer Week is meant to show appreciation for volunteers, and a formal award ceremony would be a great way to do so. It helps publicly acknowledge volunteers' critical role in your nonprofit and motivates them to support your cause.
To make the ceremony more eventful:
Create a unique award for each volunteer based on their specific work
Include speeches from your board members
Show off key projects your volunteers have worked on
Share upcoming ways people can volunteer
3. Share a heartfelt thank-you letter
Boosts your volunteer spirit by incorporating heartfelt, personalized thank-you notes from those directly impacted by your volunteers' service. These messages, detailing how volunteer support has transformed lives, illustrate real-world impact and encourage continued dedication.
Complement your gratitude package with official certificates and letters of recommendation, which serve as valuable documents for volunteers in their professional pursuits. These credentials showcase their dedication and hands-on volunteer experience and demonstrate your organization's investment in their future success, taking your appreciation beyond simple recognition.
4. Showcase volunteer work on social media and website
Another great way to celebrate National Volunteer Week is to showcase the faces behind your organization's success on social media, your website, newsletters, or other channels. Depending on your team size, shine a light on one or two heroes daily throughout the week.
Reach out personally to gather their inspiring stories
What sparked their passion for your cause?
Do they have any favorite volunteering moments?
Do they have any personal anecdotes to share?
Are there any photos they can share to illustrate their volunteer journey?
This heartfelt recognition not only honors your volunteers but also serves as a powerful recruitment tool. By sharing authentic experiences, you'll inspire others to join your mission.
5. Help volunteers upskill
Invest in your volunteers' futures by offering skill-building opportunities. Here's how:
Conduct a survey or ask around to identify volunteers' interests
Develop 3-5 targeted courses based on their preferences and in-demand skills
Offer training on professional topics (leadership, project management, computing)
Provide workshops on personal passions (gardening, woodworking, creative crafts)
Recruit expert professionals to lead these sessions
This approach shows appreciation and provides lasting value to your volunteers, making it a win-win for everyone. Volunteers learn new skills or try new hobbies, and you build a more skilled and engaged volunteer team.
6. Share a token of appreciation
Offering thoughtful gifts to your volunteers is an excellent way to recognize and reward their efforts. Remember, the sentiment will count, not the price tag. Consider these meaningful options:
Personalized photo album with candid shots and heartfelt notes
Stylish branded merch they'll love to use
Gift cards or movie tickets for some well-deserved downtime
Homemade treats paired with a curated recipe book
Custom swag bags filled with goodies
Pro tip: Tailor each gift to reflect your nonprofit's mission and your volunteers' unique interests.
How National Volunteer Week can help your nonprofit?
1. Boosts engagement
National Volunteer Week provides a formal opportunity to celebrate volunteers on a large scale, helping to boost morale and encourage long-term engagement. Appreciated volunteers are more likely to stay involved and inspire others to join the organization.
2. Community building
National Volunteer Week brings together volunteers, organizations, and communities they serve, nurturing a sense of unity and belonging. This convergence creates a supportive network that strengthens commitment to volunteerism and the roots of community service.
3. Increases awareness
NVW highlights volunteerism and its positive impact on a national scale. Organizations can launch new initiatives and effectively mobilize volunteers by capitalizing on increased public interest. The heightened attention during National Volunteer Week uses community enthusiasm to drive participation in various volunteer efforts.
4. Recruiting volunteers
Through targeted campaigns and events, NVW serves as a powerful recruitment tool. Sharing stories, testimonials, and achievements of volunteers helps to appeal to potential supporters looking to contribute to meaningful causes.
5. Skill development
Some nonprofits offer specialized training or host workshops during National Volunteer Week. These opportunities provide volunteers with valuable skill development, contributing to both their personal and professional growth.
4 tech tools you will need for National Volunteer Week
Bloomerang Volunteer makes it easy to celebrate your volunteers during National Volunteer Week by centralizing data, allowing you to easily identify and acknowledge volunteers based on their service history, skills, or other relevant factors.
The platform's reporting features help you analyze volunteer contributions, making it easier to tailor recognition efforts. With automated communication tools, you can send personalized thank-you messages or event invitations.
Bloomerang Volunteer's scheduling and tracking capabilities ensure you have accurate records of each volunteer's involvement, enabling you to recognize their specific achievements and milestones during the celebration week.
Zeffy offers a 100% free event ticketing system for volunteer recognition events, whether in-person or virtual. The platform includes event registration, ticketing, and promotion tools.
Zeffy's features include RSVP management, mobile-optimized forms, and scannable tickets. The platform's pre-built email functionality allows for effortless creation and automation of reminder emails for National Volunteer Week Week.
Zeffy's segmentation options enable you to personalize communications for various volunteer groups, ensuring targeted and meaningful recognition for all participants.
3. Video conferencing tool: Zoom (Only for online events)
Whether you’re hosting virtual events or online award ceremonies, Zoom is a great tool. You just have to share a meeting link with your volunteers, who can join without creating an account on Zoom.
Zoom has tools to make online special events fun, such as polls, quizzes, live chat, and drawing boards. These features help make the session more interesting and interactive.
Canva is a versatile design tool that can help you create visually engaging content for National Volunteer Week. It offers a variety of pre-made templates for quickly designing social media posts, thank-you cards, certificates, and banners that acknowledge volunteer contributions.
The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to customize designs with photos of volunteers and add personalized messages. You can even incorporate branding elements like logos and colors.
Canva also allows teams to collaborate on designs, which makes it easy for nonprofit staff to work together to honor volunteers through creative, professional-looking visuals.
Case Study: How VIQ raised $1,700 using Zeffy for their National Volunteer Week celebration
Volunteer + Information Center (VIQ) used Zeffy to organize their National Volunteer Week Celebration and Recognition Event. The event, themed "Volunteering is Empathy in Action," highlighted the profound human connection at the heart of volunteerism.
Celebrating National Volunteer Week with these ideas will honor the contributions of volunteers and strengthen their commitment to your mission. But don't limit your appreciation to one week!
Expressing gratitude year-round keeps volunteers engaged and valued—simple gestures like small gifts, thank-you notes, and publicly highlighting their contributions boost volunteer morale. By making volunteer recognition an ongoing practice, you ensure volunteers always feel essential to your mission, securing their continued support.
Use Zeffy's 100% free event ticketing system for your volunteer appreciation events. Eliminating platform and transaction fees allows you to allocate more resources to recognizing your volunteers, whether for in-person or virtual events.
National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration in many countries to show appreciation for volunteers. It is prominent in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
National Volunteer Week is coordinated by national organizations such as Points of Light in the US. Many organizations, schools, and community groups also organize their own events.
Small nonprofits can effectively recognize volunteers through low-cost methods during National Volunteer Week. These include hosting intimate gatherings and sharing thank-you videos and messages from beneficiaries.
Posting volunteer stories and testimonials on social media with relevant hashtags can both recognize current volunteers and attract potential new ones. Partnering with local businesses to provide gift certificates helps to show tangible appreciation for volunteers.
The only 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits
A Guide to Recruiting Volunteers for your Nonprofit
Whether your nonprofit organization is looking to streamline its volunteer network, bring on new volunteers, or is simply weighing the pros and cons of volunteer versus paid staff, this guide will help you discover the best practices to follow when implementing a volunteer strategy.
Learn how to manage volunteers with our guide. Discover volunteer management training, best practices, and tips on how to manage volunteers for successful programs.
