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3 Ways to Recognize Volunteers
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Volunteer appreciation can be tough, because not all volunteers like to be thanked in the same way. Here are three great ideas to make your "Thank Yous" appreciated. |
Volunteer Recognition
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recognition
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Management Tool |
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Celebrate Collective Accomplishments, Not Volunteered Time
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Despite many obstacles, we tend to plan volunteer recognition events in a bubble of happiness. One day a year the executive director shows up and says glowing things. Everyone applauds while volunteers are praised for logging in hours. Etc., etc. And then the event ends and things go back to normal. What happens during a recognition event is almost always in the total control of the leader of volunteer involvement. So let’s approach it strategically. Set some real goals. . . |
Volunteer Recognition
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recognition
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Management Tool |
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Exploding the Big Banquet: An Incendiary Analysis
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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. |
Volunteer Recognition
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recognition
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Management Tool |
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Idealist's Volunteer Management Resouce Center
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Idealist's collection of volunteer management resources. |
Capacity Building
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screening, recognition, volunteer training
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Management Tool |
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Sample Volunteer Recognition Survey - SurveyMonkey
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A sample survey you could modify to fit your needs. |
Volunteer Recognition
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recognition
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Management Tool |
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Sample Volunteer Survey - Nonprofit Connect
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Here's a sample volunteer recognition survey you could consider modifying to meet your needs. |
Volunteer Recognition
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recognition
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Management Tool |
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Volunteer Recognition Model - University of Kentucky, 4-H
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This model was developed as a tool for Extension agents and volunteer administrators to use in designing their own comprehensive volunteer recognition program. It may give you some ideas about how to plan for recognition. |
Volunteer Recognition
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recognition
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Management Tool |
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Volunteer Recognition: Just Say No To Years of Service Awards
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In this 15 minute podcast, Carol Dixon, Director of Mission Services & Volunteer Resources at Providence Health Care, draws on over 35 years in volunteer engagement (and a healthy sense of humour!) to provide a number of examples of high-impact volunteer recognition that won’t break the bank. From Carol’s vantage point, the key is to invest in thoughtful, individualized volunteer recognition. |
Volunteer Recognition
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recognition
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Management Tool |
