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International Volunteer Day is coming up
on December 5th,
so now's a great time
for focusing on all
the everyday ways you can show
recognition and appreciation to volunteers. For
those of you in the United States, our Thanksgiving holiday next week is also a
wonderful opportunity to say how thankful you are for volunteers along with
other blessings. Strategize how to create a culture
of appreciation throughout your organization and keep volunteers coming back.
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Featured Book
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Recognizing Volunteers and Paid Staff: The Art, the Science, and a GAZILLION Ideas!
Revitalize volunteers and paid staff by thanking them in new
and creative ways. Recognizing that each person is an individual, author Sue Vineyard
describes how to tailor your recognition ideas to fit the
"Achievers," "Affiliatiors," and "Empowerers" in
your organization. She outlines 10 keys to recognizing volunteers, including the
importance of creating an appreciative organizational climate all year round, and ends with a list of lots and lots of actions you can take to say thank you
every day.
Order the Book NOW! (e-book, $10.00 USD)
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More Resources on Volunteer Recognition
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Book Excerpt
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Recognition Must Be an Integral Part of the Organizational Climate
From Recognizing Volunteers and Paid Staff: The Art, the Science, and a GAZILLION Ideas! by Sue Vineyard, � 2001.
The most difficult concept to get across to people as I
discussed recognition with them was that it was not an event or gimmick...it
was an attitude that had to be present in everything the organization did. It
is critical that recognition, which is simply a way to express appreciation and
respect, is apparent in every aspect of the group's interaction with others,
paid or volunteer.
From honest recruiting, to clear job designs, to realistic
expectations, effective supervision, training and fair evaluation, we need to
constantly monitor how we treat our workers. All of these things are part of a
positive organizational climate, also known as "the feel of the workplace."
Positive climates enhance and enable good work, positive
relationships and satisfaction; negative or poor climates inhibit, hinder and
very often fail to attain goals as they leave their workers dissatisfied. We
cannot thank folks on the one hand while they have to put up with the withholding
of support and information on the other. We cannot expect that a plaque, pin
or nice letter from the CEO will offset having to work with Byzantine rules
and/or energy-wasting procedures.
If your organizational climate is negative, wastes time
and energy, is disrespectful, bigoted, refuses to change, rejects anything
never done before, is run by an "elite" group or dictatorial tyrant or has its
head in the sand as to clients' and volunteers' changing needs, no amount of
praise and reward will overcome its nasty character...
It must be obvious, therefore, that the climate is greatly
influenced by how people are recognized and honored; what norms determine
appreciation, how it is earned and expressed; how fair and widespread it is.
How folks "feel" in a program is very often in direct proportion to how they
are recognized!
We are in a highly competitive business; that of
recruiting and RETAINING volunteers. There are thousands of volunteer
opportunities at hand, and getting and keeping folks is a full time job.
Keep in mind that volunteers always have the key to the
front door and can depart as quickly as they came. In interviewing exiting
volunteers, the only reason that comes close in explaining why a person is
having to leave to that of "not enough time" seems to be: "it just didn't feel right."
Feelings are facts. Life is challenging enough without
adding to stress by having to fight your way through an unhealthy, inhibiting
or hindering climate. People who want to help a particular cause can probably
find another agency addressing it that can offer them a job they can handle AND a
healthy climate in which to work.
Permission is
granted for organizations to reprint this excerpt. Reprints must provide full
acknowledgment of the source, as cited here: Excerpted from Recognizing
Volunteers and Paid Staff: The Art, the Science, and a GAZILLION Ideas! by Sue Vineyard, � 2001, Heritage Arts. Found in the Energize, Inc. Online Bookstore at http://www.energizeinc.com/store/2-211-E-1.
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Energize, Inc. 5450 Wissahickon Ave., C-13 Philadelphia, PA 19144 [email protected] www.energizeinc.com
Energize empowers and inspires leaders of volunteers worldwide. Our specialty is creating and selecting the most relevant, innovative resources in volunteer management. We're advocates for the power of volunteers and for the recognition of the leaders who unleash it. About Us |
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