It is easy for volunteers to feel lonely and isolated during this time of COVID-19. Recognizing volunteers is important now more than ever! Here are some ways to recognize and appreciate your volunteers while social distancing that will put a smile on their faces.

1. Host a Zoom party or digital celebration

Hosting a Zoom party is a great and easy way to recognize all your volunteers at the same time. Send inexpensive party decoration kits to spice up the celebration. Volunteers can put the decorations up in their backgrounds to show off and get excited about.

Give your volunteers a virtual cheer, and thank each one of them for their time and dedication. A personal thank you is guaranteed to make each volunteer feel special and know they made a great impact on your nonprofit, making them want to come back.

2. Write a public appreciation post

Social media is the perfect way to thank your volunteers in a public way. A weekly post showing off one or several of your volunteers is a great way to share how thankful you are for them. Talk about their skills, how often they volunteer, and what makes them special.

If a volunteer doesn’t have social media, copy the post and email it to them. This makes volunteers motivated to continue volunteering. It also grabs the attention of potential new volunteers.

3. Host a socially distanced get together

Host a small gathering that is socially distanced at your local park or community center. Have different shifts for the gathering that people can sign up for. This will enforce social distancing guidelines, but also allow you to celebrate everyone.

Ask volunteers to bring any games they might have that allow for social distancing. Games like cornhole, badminton or croquet are fun and easy. you can also rent equipment for a cheap price.

Find inexpensive, pre-packaged snacks that will take care of any hungry volunteer while still being sanitary.

 

It’s important to recognize volunteers while social distancing. But it doesn’t have to be a timely or expensive endeavor. Even a small show of gratitude will help them understand how much you really appreciate them.