Thanking Volunteers
Never forget to take time to thank and recognise the impact of your volunteers.
It’s easy to forget to say thank you but taking time to do this makes a huge difference. it ca be as simple as a passing ”THANK YOU for all you do at……” We all know who is making a difference so this week more than ever and when the season restarts put in on your personal To Do list to find as many as possible and do just that say THANK YOU.
It’s also worth considering thanking and celebrating the whole team or parts of the team who volunteer together, rather than singling out individuals.
How to say thanks
There are several different ways to say thank you to your volunteers, and this will depend on how many volunteers you have, resource available and the volunteer themselves. Some might find a public thank you, such as at an event, more meaningful whilst others might prefer a private thank you.
• Highlight the impact of volunteers on your website, social media channels or club communications
• Have a volunteer(s) of the month
• A mention of their contribution at a committee meeting (which can be recorded in the minutes & shared with the club)
• Send them a birthday/Christmas card, with a note of thanks
• Encourage players to show their thanks – for example parkrun have a round of applause for the volunteers prior to any activity
• Present a volunteer certificate (a template can be found here)
• Have a volunteer table at pre-match hospitality
• Ask sponsors to donate awards*
• Offer free CPD events
• Award free or discounted memberships*
• Award volunteer clothing*
• Reward Card (which provides volunteers with access to free or discounted services)*
• A social event to say thank you to volunteers and helpers
• Encourage players to thank the volunteers (e.g. thank you cards, cooking a meal for
the volunteers etc)
• Volunteer Awards evening – whether face to face or online
Recognition should be based on impact as well as long-service, with both on-field and off- field roles recognised.
Other opportunities to recognise volunteers
You don’t always need a reason to thank your volunteers. In fact, it’s often unexpected thanks that has the most impact.
Taking a couple of minutes to check how they are doing will go a long way, whilst involving volunteers in development of the club and asking for their contribution is another way to make volunteers feel valued.
Although words are a great way to show appreciation, on some occasions you may want to do something else. In addition to saying thank you there are several different ways that as a club you could recognise volunteers:
In addition to the opportunities offered through the England RFU Honda Volunteer Recognition programme, there are also a range of Berkshire County RFU as well as local and national external awards to recognise volunteers, which you may also want to consider nominating for.
Look out for local awards run by Active Partnerships or local newspapers who may advertise local awards.
Some of the key national volunteer awards are listed below.
• Get Berkshire Active Awards
Sports Personality of the Year (Unsung Heroes)
• Points of Light
• The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
• Sport and Recreation Alliance Awards
As this IS Volunteers Week (which takes place from the 1st – 7th June) is another great opportunity recognise volunteers and say thank you for all the work that they have done and will do.
check with your club what they are doing and ask how you can help or add value.
