You’re so grateful for every volunteer who serves in your church.
But feeling thankful and saying thanks are two different things. And unexpressed gratitude often comes across as ungratefulness.
But how can you say thanks and appreciate your church volunteers when you don’t have a large budget?
Here are some ideas…
#1 – A personalized recommendation.
Send a personal text to a volunteer with a book, movie, show, restaurant, or some other kind of recommendation. “Hey Billy…I know you like burgers…I just had an amazing one at The Vortex…have you been there?” It lets them know you’re thinking of them.
#2 – Give them a shout out on social media.
Maybe you do a volunteer of the month kind of post. Or maybe it’s more informal than that. The cool thing is that when you post, others from your church can like and share, making the special recognition even more impactful.
#3 – Make a display in the building and ask all volunteers to sign it.
A cool piece of art or a photo from an event could make a great lobby display. You’ll demonstrate teamwork, too.
#4 – Share inside information.
Let your volunteers know what’s coming before everyone else. This sneak peek or behind-the-scenes illustrates just how important volunteers are. Information is a form of appreciation.
One place you can do this is in a volunteer huddle on Sunday mornings. Just pull everyone together for five minutes and follow our 3C format: Celebrate, Communicate, and Connect. You could even use these scripts.
#5 – Have food and childcare at meetings.
This isn’t totally free, but if you’re going to have a meeting, at least make it easy for people to participate. It communicates value and shows you care. You could even see if another church would trade childcare or food prep – they help you, and then you help them.
#6 – Host a cookout at your house.
Staying on the food theme, invite a team or two over to your house for a cookout. You don’t have to give a vision talk or ask for something…just hang out and eat some food. Summer is a great time for this, by the way.
#7 – Send a personal thank you note.
Junk mail often doesn’t make it past the outside trash can, but a personal and handwritten thank you note sometimes gets hung on the refrigerator. Notes like this are a great way to thank someone for a specific action or activity. Send them when people give, serve, or invite.
If you’re a Church Fuel member, you’ll find these print-ready thank you cards you can send to the printer of your choice. Just look in the Resource Library.