What is volunteer recognition?
Recognising a volunteer’s efforts and contributions is key throughout their journey in an organisation. When used well, recognition can help grow an engaged and committed community of volunteers.
Volunteer recognition is an open acknowledgement of a volunteer’s efforts and contributions. Expressing gratitude through recognition can come in different forms like a public display of achievements and a less formal personal expression of gratitude.
What does it mean for your volunteers?
Volunteer recognition at its core is exciting and motivating. Being applauded for your efforts always feels good. Recognising your volunteers’ efforts helps them connect their work to the whole organisation’s goal and how they contribute to the bigger picture. Whether it’s a thank you note or a program to recognise volunteers, recognition can help volunteers see how their donation of time contributes to the organisation’s mission.
A volunteer’s motivation can affect their preference for different forms of recognition. For example, a student volunteer looking to obtain paid employment would value recognition in the form of training, certification and a referee for their resume.
Volunteer recognition also varies between the different levels of experience a volunteer has in the organisation. Volunteer recognition can act as gratification for new volunteers, as with their first experiences with volunteering they often seek quickly rewarding tasks and are more likely to return with positive reinforcement.
More experienced volunteers often appreciate recognition in ways such as giving more responsibilities, opportunities for training and room to grow in their role, as they feel their efforts are valued and needed in the organisation.
Using volunteer recognition with Communiteer
How do we do it on the platform? Volunteer recognition can be shown through the awarding of badges on a volunteer’s profile and direct feedback from not-for-profit organisations.
The Communiteer platform’s badges make it easy to recognise the efforts and contributions of volunteers. Badges can be awarded when a volunteer completes an opportunity or reaches a milestone.
The biggest form of volunteer recognition that the Communiteer Platform can help foster is direct feedback like a note of appreciation from the organisation to a volunteer when a volunteer completes a task or opportunity.
Finally…
Volunteer recognition is important as it can encourage your volunteers to stay in your organisation and help grow an involved and dedicated community of volunteers. Jump onto the Communiteer Platform now to show your volunteers some recognition and appreciation!
