Volunteer Recognition

Rewarding, Motivating and Retaining Volunteers

Recognizing volunteers for their efforts not only serves to thank and reward them, but also helps to motivate them. When people are recognized in ways that are meaningful to them, they are more likely to continue to volunteer. The challenge for a manager of a volunteer program is finding the form of recognition that best suits the individual volunteer.

People volunteer for many reasons, and those reasons may change over time as their lives – and the time and skills they want to give – change. Someone who starts volunteering because he want to "give back" after completing a thru-hike, for instance, may eventually want family friendly volunteer opportunities, or the chance to learn a new skill. Though some volunteers will move on as the interests or circumstances change, volunteer managers who pay attention to the needs of their volunteers can make sure they recognize their volunteers in a way that keeps them motivated.

Informal and Formal Volunteer Recognition

Of the two basic forms of volunteer recognition, formal and informal, formal recognition is the more traditional and structured form of recognizing volunteers. Typical examples include awards, annual parties or events held on a national service day Formal recognition can be an inspirational and motivating experience for volunteers. It brings together all members of an organization – long-time volunteers and newcomers ñ and offers an opportunity to publically acknowledge and celebrate volunteer efforts.

Despite the value of formal recognition programs, they should not the only way that volunteers can be recognized. Traditional formal recognition programs only get at one type of motivation – public acknowledgement of volunteer efforts. Many programs have restrictions on the number of people who can be honored; you can only have one "volunteer of the year" each year, for instance.

Informal recognition, based on the day to day relationship between volunteer and manager, is often an easier and more effective way of showing appreciation to your volunteers. Ranging from simple, but sincere, personalized thank you or a birthday/service anniversary card* to recommending a volunteer for a promotion or training opportunity, informal recognition can be targeted at particular volunteer’s motivational needs. Much more varied than formal recognition, informal recognition is an effective way of acknowledging efforts as well as a way to build a better volunteer program.

Recognition Tips

Whether recognizing volunteers formally or informally, there are general guidelines to keep in mind.

Make Recognition a Priority: Recognition is a way of motivating your volunteers – and unmotivated volunteers will not stay with your program. It does not have to be expensive or time consuming, common courtesy and attention to your volunteerís needs are among the most effective forms of recognition. If your primary form of recognition is an annual dinner or other event – look for other ways to acknowledge and recognize your volunteers throughout the year.

 

Be Sincere: Be honest when recognizing your volunteers and recognize or acknowledge them for the types of work you want to see more of.

 

Be Balanced: Effective recognition involves a balancing act – you want to be fair and consistent in the way you recognize all your volunteers, but also need to take each individualís motivational needs into account. Have many ways of recognizing volunteers, and make sure that all volunteers are aware of the options available to them.

Appalachian Trail Recognition Programs

ATPO and ATC have several programs that can help you recognize your volunteers.

Awards for Hours and Years of Service to the A.T.
ATC provides awards – pins, patches, caps and vests – to volunteers based on the number of cumulative hours they have completed, while ATPO gives Silver or Gold awards for volunteers who have completed 25 and 50 years respectively, to the A.T. at each biennial.

America the Beautiful Pass
Volunteers who have completed 500 hours of service are eligible for the America the Beautiful Pass. This pass is for those who have completed 500 service hours on a cumulative basis. It provides free access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites for a year, beginning from the date of award.

Volunteer of the Month
Each month, ATC features an A.T. volunteer of the month on our website . Volunteers are not required to have completed a certain number of hours or years, but just have provided some extraordinary service for the A.T.

Volunteer hours and recognition received can be tracked in the volunteer database; clubs can also use the database to track recognition events that are specific to their club.

Questions or comments? Contact Jeanne Mahoney at jmahoney@appalachiantrail.org.