The Virtual High Five: How to Thank Your Skills-Based Volunteer

A virtual volunteer can be a lifesaver — whether they’ve helped you evaluate the success of a new program, or prepped you for your upcoming Salesforce implementation — they’ve likely donated hours of their time without ever meeting you in person! You certainly appreciate their work, but it’s important to make it known. Letting your volunteer know how much you appreciate them will make them feel valued, and motivate them to continue working with you.

The Nonprofit Advisors at Catchafire teamed up with Nancy Cook, Regional Director of Volunteer Engagement at the American Cancer Society, to better understand why it’s important to thank your volunteers, and how you can go about recognizing them. Here’s what Nancy had to say about the importance of showing that “attitude of gratitude” in recognizing and retaining volunteers:

“In recognizing volunteers and wanting to retain them, it’s important that we are grateful for everything they do. This means ensuring that our volunteers are consistently recognized for their work and welcomed into our organization. Recognition and retention go hand in hand — retaining volunteers depends on recognition, and you’ll know that you were successful if your volunteer continues to volunteer with you.”

After years of facilitating successful volunteer experiences, American Cancer Society and Catchafire have pinpointed some of the best ways you can show some well-received gratitude to your volunteers:

Offer to provide a public testimonial

If you’re happy with their work, make it known by writing a testimonial! As they’re building their careers, skills-based volunteers will greatly appreciate positive testimonials that they can add to their portfolios and share with potential employers in the future. Submit a positive testimonial on their Catchafire profile, and offer to post one on their Linkedin page as well — be sure to keep your statement short, sweet, and focused on the volunteer’s impact on your organization.

Give them a shoutout on social media

Engage with your volunteer by posting a shoutout on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram), highlighting the work that you’ve done together and the assistance they’ve provided. Your volunteer can then proudly share this post with their social networks as well, so that peers and loved ones can stay in the loop about their accomplishments. This has an added bonus of increased publicity for your organization, too!

Thank their company or manager

Often, skills-based volunteers are donating their time to organizations on top of full-time employment and a variety of commitments. If it feels appropriate, ask your volunteer for their manager’s email address to say thank you for allowing them to work on this project, and let their manager know how valuable this engagement has been for your organization’s growth. The fact that their employees participate in skills-based volunteering is something that the company can share with pride as well.

Mail a handwritten card

Especially if you’ve never met in person, establish a more personal connection and delight your volunteer by sending them a handwritten thank you card. This will come as a pleasant surprise when most (or all) of your interactions have been virtual. If you can, throw in some baked goods or branded merchandise from your organization as well to show your appreciation.

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Whether you do one or all of the above, just be sure you’re thanking your volunteer! The best practice is to keep “thank you” in your vernacular and develop that “attitude of gratitude” — start and end every conversation by expressing your appreciation for their time. This will ensure that your volunteer really feels your graciousness — and ultimately, strengthen your relationship so you can continue to work together!

We would love to hear about your additional ideas and experiences on how to thank your volunteer. Let us know in the comments below!

This post is part 1 of a 2-part series on skills-based volunteer recognition, in partnership with the American Cancer Society.