Volunteers are the heart of any organization and cause. They tend to have a firmly embedded passion for looking out for their community, so they take time out of their busy lives to advocate for such causes. And perhaps this is why they are usually the driving forces, loudest advocates, and biggest donors behind any movement.

However, their driven passion for giving back to their community does not mean that organizers, citizens, and even governments should not recognize and appreciate them. The following article highlights five ways to encourage, recognize, and motivate volunteers in your community and workplace to give them the return they deserve.

1. Easier Signups

Considering that we live in a world where everyone is often busy and the slightest inconvenience results in quitting, making the registration process easier can mean more potential volunteers. If you make it easy for them to get to you, you’ve already won at the first frontier. The more complicated the process, the higher the chances of people thinking that the upcoming responsibilities will also be laborious. 

Ever since COVID, people have become more adaptive to things being shifted online. If it can be done on the wire, why get yourself tired? Therefore, having digital registration and consequent signups can result in a greater turnout. It also gives the prospective volunteers a sense of ease and trust that their convenience is also a priority.

1. Shorter Timeframes

When looking for volunteers, it is essential to remember that they do volunteer work part-time most of the time. This implies that they already have other facets of life to tend to and are especially taking out their valuable time for the welfare of their community. Keeping that in mind, creating smaller work durations can significantly encourage them to join. It can also save you from hearing responses like, “Can’t commit to this because I’m busy,” or “Don’t have the time!” and not knowing how to adjust the vacancy.

Consider lessening the durations of shifts and offering flexible schedules curated to the volunteers’ availability. Another possibility is hosting micro-events, which typically last one or two hours. Offering such ease of access can encourage people with more varied schedules to participate, and their dedication to the work due to your flexible timeframes can, in turn, inspire others around them to partake in the honorable work.

1. Appreciate Their Efforts

Regardless of age or phase of life, appreciating a person’s efforts or hard work is very important and leads to increased motivation to carry out their responsibilities. Appropriately appreciating the hard work of your volunteers can integrate more people into your cause. It can also ensure long-term commitments and future signups.

Holding a crowning ceremony at the end of the tenure can do the trick. You can award the volunteers certificates recognizing their work and acknowledging their effort and time. If you feel up to it, gifting Custom Awards can genuinely boost the morale of the volunteer community and set a positive example of recognition and respect. These awards don’t have to be extravagant; even small tokens like personalized plaques, medals, or trophies can significantly impact. 

Creating a space on your organization’s website or social media pages to share stories about individual volunteers and their contributions can be meaningful. Sharing these stories makes volunteers feel appreciated and highlights their diverse backgrounds and skills, showing potential volunteers the variety of ways they can get involved and make a difference.

1. Make Them Feel Seen

Nothing quite motivates people to do good than knowing that their efforts are seen and are fruitful. Since they reserve particular time from their busy schedules to serve their community, it is vital to show them gratitude so they know that their time and efforts are being acknowledged.

Other than certificates and awards, some activities to get their minds off work and appreciate their service can motivate them to give their best to their jobs. This can pave the way for building a sense of community within your volunteer body. How so? If a team knows each other, they can always be there for each other and ensure everyone is doing well. You can consider organizing a regular meet and greet or a social event over which volunteers can gather along with their team and get a chance to build friendships.

If an event takes place early in the morning, a team breakfast can show participants that you appreciate their sacrifice of sleep. Similarly, sending those cards or chocolates on special occasions like birthdays is a great way to make volunteers feel seen and appreciated.

1. Provide Opportunities for Skill Development

Volunteers often look for opportunities to grow personally and professionally. To address this, you can provide them with training workshops and skill development opportunities. As a result, they can gain valuable experiences that can assist them in their personal and professional lives. Moreover, providing such opportunities can benefit the volunteers and enrich your organization’s volunteer program.

Offering them leadership roles in areas outside of their comfort zone can also be very rewarding. They are more likely to stay motivated and committed when they see the fruit of their work in terms of developing new skills. You can also recognize their skill development by promoting it. This can make the volunteers feel that their time and effort are helping the community and contributing to their own growth.

The Bottom Line

Like any other job, volunteering can sometimes be a challenging route for people. With the proper measures set in place, though, it can become an easy choice. Therefore, organizations need to acknowledge the potential problems that volunteers can face and not only address them but also set a precedent for them to be inspired by. But that’s not all. It is equally important to recognize their efforts and reward them accordingly. This can motivate them to continue being sincere in their work and open avenues for more people to join the cause.

If you have any questions regarding the topic, please drop them in the comments below. Happy Volunteering!