8 meaningful ways to thank your volunteers
Taking the time to say thank you to volunteers is so important. Doing so recognises all of the hard work that they do, and let’s them know how valued they are. Here are eight meaningful ways to say ‘thank you’ to your fellow volunteers this term on behalf of yourself, on behalf of your young people, and on behalf of the movement.
1. Give your volunteers a puntastic pot of fresh herbs. Thank them for their thyme, for sharing their sage wisdom, and for be-leafing in Scouts.
2. Give your volunteer a lantern, a candle and a match. Attach a note to thank them for ‘lighting up’ the lives of young people.
3. Say it with S’mores. Put some marshmallows, chocolate and biscuits in a bag, tie with a bow, and attach a note that says ‘We need more S’more volunteers like you!’
4. Ask young people to trace outlines of their hands on a piece of paper, thanking the volunteer for ‘lending a hand’. The finished result can be hung in your meeting place as a visual reminder of why Scouts matters.
5. Gather a lollipop, jelly bean or chocolate button for every hour a volunteer has given to Scouts, and present it to them in a pretty thank you jar or bag. For a healthier option, gather a piece of fruit for every hour and present them in a basket.
6. Make a video with young people, allowing them to say thank you in their own words. Send it to volunteers in an email, or upload it to YouTube (consult our safeguarding guidelines first, and make sure you have the permission of each participant). If you're feeling especially creative, recreate a flash-mob dance!
7. If a volunteer has done something extraordinary, shout about it. Think about how you can demonstrate the impact they have, and contact local journalists to see if they’d be interested in running a story.
8. Tell them how much you appreciate their work, and really mean it. Make sure you tell volunteers that you appreciate all they do, and tell them regularly. Whether you say so in person, or give them a quick phone call, some simple words of encouragement can go a long way.