Do our Present Volunteers Require Annual Banqueting? Maybe some do, but not as many as some seem to think. Among myriad motivation studies I have seen, none gives as a reason people volunteer in the first place or continue to do so, "the prospect of formal recognition." Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard of just about every incentive except this. Extrinsically motivated volunteers do need rewards beyond the work itself-- pins, buttons, badges, public praise, etc. But this certainly includes a lot of daily things; you can hardly expect such folks to survive an entire year between annual bashes, without such extrinsic rewards. Even at the annual banquet, if praise, certificates, etc. are bestowed on relatively few volunteers, it only makes the unsung extrinsic volunteer feel more deprived. By contrast, intrinsically motivated volunteers derive their motivation mainly from the inside: the work itself and the cause it contributes to. There is at least an implication that intrinsically motivated people are likely to be exceptionally dedicated, outstanding volunteers, who do not need regular infusions of "outside" rewards, and may actually be turned off by them.