This month marks National Volunteer Month, a month when we formally recognize the numerous hours and energy that our volunteers graciously give to us to help us meet our mission and goals.

Oftentimes, volunteer appreciation comes with a hefty price tag—one that you may not have the extra funds to support. In today’s post, we are sharing five ways that you can show volunteer appreciation—even if your budget doesn’t have the same sentiment.

Five affordable volunteer appreciation tips

Recognize their talents

Volunteers step up for weekend youth retreats. They spend time in the nursery. Sometimes, they prep the fun-but-tedious crafts for Sunday school.

There are numerous opportunities for volunteers to help you and your church. People will often step up for a role because they see a need. But they may have talents that could be leveraged elsewhere.

By getting to know your volunteers, you can understand where their true talents lie and match them accordingly. Demonstrate that you appreciate their contributions and value their talent.

Nominate a volunteer of the month

Ask other volunteers, your staff, or even your congregation to submit nominations for a Volunteer of the Month, where you recognize their efforts and how a volunteer has gone above and beyond their calling. In doing so, extend your volunteer appreciation beyond your own words—and demonstrate how much your entire church values their work.

Ask your congregants to submit their appreciation

Comment boxes can bring about the best ideas.

So can appreciation boxes, where you ask church members to submit their appreciation for volunteers.

Ask them to write down a memorable moment, or what they recognize most in a particular volunteer. Sharing these with your volunteers can give them words of affirmation that go further than any monetary gift you could provide.

Make it an intentional focus

When things get busy, or stressful, demonstrating your appreciation through actions and words can slip to the bottom of your to-do list. Focusing on being intentional about how and when you share your volunteer appreciation can transform your volunteer program.

Some program leaders write a note to remind themselves to show verbal appreciation to one volunteer a day. Others set an alert on their phone at the beginning of the week to make it a focus as they work over the coming days.

Simply say thank you

Saying the two words, “thank you,” can go a long way and serves as the utmost token of appreciation when you’re on a shoestring budget. Whether you do it in person, write it in a handmade card, or send it in a text, your volunteer will appreciate hearing these two words more than you will know.

While it may seem like the best volunteer appreciation gifts come from a physical gift, your—or your congregants—words can be stronger than anything else that you can give them.

As we celebrate National Volunteer Month, we will be sharing a few other posts, videos, and tips over the next few weeks! Come back to the Sparkhouse blog or follow us on Facebook. 

Do you have any other tips that you can share? Tell us in the comments!