Volunteers are often the people who make an organization really tick. Ask almost any non-profit, church, school, or professional organization and they’ll agree: volunteers truly do make the difference. That’s why an entire week in April is dedicated to appreciating this group of individuals. 

National Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 10-16, 2011. How will you celebrate your volunteers this year? These are some of the most popular ways Baudville customers have recognized their volunteers for past National Volunteer Appreciation Weeks. 

One of my favorite parts of attending conferences and managing social media for Baudville is hearing recognition stories from customers. This spring, we partnered with a local non-profit organization, Women’s Resource Center, which helps women gain economic independence by improving their employment situation. As you may expect, the organization has met a large need in our community during these difficult economic times. 

We provided a few products for Women’s Resource Center to recognize their volunteers because we believe volunteer appreciation is an important strategy to retain volunteers. By recognizing their contributions, volunteers feel like a valued part of the organization and continue to serve. 

If your organization uses or relies on volunteers, chances are their hard work and dedication goes unthanked most of the time. After all, they’re not at your organization full time, if at all, and you may not often see the results of their time. 

This April 18-24 is Volunteer Appreciation Week, and the entire week is dedicated to making sure volunteers receive the appreciation they deserve. I have a few examples and ideas to share with you that I hope will inspire you to reach out to your volunteers this month and express how much you appreciate their efforts. 

Spring is filled with appreciation events: Volunteer Appreciation Week, Administrative Professionals Week, Teacher Appreciation Week and National Nurses Week all happen in quick succession! It’s also a time of year when we hear and share great appreciation event ideas from our customers. One of my favorite appreciation event stories recently came from Mount Prospect, Illinois. 

As Volunteer Coordinator for the Mount Prospect Public Library, Janet Keena is responsible for an annual appreciation event for over 100 library volunteers. “We annually throw a special brunch in their honor to say thank you for their services,” she explained. The entire event revolves around a theme, which is followed down to the finest detail.