You Can Thank Volunteers Without Spending Big Bucks
Volunteer appreciation is an important part of what PTOs do. But spending lots of cash to say thanks could cause problems.
That’s what happened to a PTO in Michigan recently, which was the subject of a news report that detailed how the group spent $2,000 of the $13,000 it raised last year on volunteer appreciation. There was enough of an outcry that the PTO president, along with another board member, resigned.
Ugh.
The takeaway: Of course you should celebrate volunteers. We think thanking volunteers is critical to your group’s success. But there are so many ways to show appreciation without spending a big chunk of cash.
When we asked our Facebook community members if they have guidelines on volunteer appreciation spending, many of you said your groups spend either a small amount or find ways to say thanks to volunteers at no cost at all.
Here are some of the ideas shared:
• We have a zero budget for volunteer appreciation! We get together for dinner at Christmas and pay for it ourselves. - Kim T.
• Our budget for volunteer appreciation is $300. It is almost entirely used for providing lunch for our all-day volunteers at events. - Amanda D.
• Our teachers do a luncheon for those that volunteer. We also vote on a volunteer of the year, and they get a front row parking spot for the year. -Lisa V.
• We have a budget that the general membership approves so there are no surprises. We spend zero dollars on volunteer appreciation. - Kerri H.
• Our PTO budgets $100 to $200 on volunteer thank-you gifts. Last year we created a little memos that said "Thanks for popping in and volunteering" and we taped them to bags of popcorn. Our parents don't expect anything, but it is just a small gesture of our appreciation because they do get involved and help in our school. - Misty C.
• The school makes a certificate that we attach to candy and the principal and his staff do a potluck style appreciation lunch for us. We spent about $50 total. - Kim L.
• We have a $500 budget for an end-of-year dinner and a small gift. We raise over $60,000 throughout the year. - Jenny M.
• We thank the volunteers for each event via Facebook, and we put an ad in the local paper at the end of the year! - Marty B
Also, we have lots of ideas for saying thanks to volunteers that won’t break the bank:
In our article, Treat Your Volunteers Right, we share inexpensive ideas, like arranging for students to send thank-you card to volunteers.
Remember that small gestures really do work. Send volunteers low-cost gifts like small plants, bouquets of hand-picked flowers, or hand lotions. We have a collection of volunteer gift tags you can use to make these gifts special, along with other fun ideas (like a Helping Hands Tree) on our File Exchange.
And our slide show on volunteer appreciation gifts will give you good ideas on how to package up small treats for your helpers.
