Think about the contributions of volunteers to every area of our community and life and see why it is essential to celebrate these volunteers. Therefore, every year, the world sets aside a week for volunteers who give their selfless services to society. The table of contents below highlights best volunteering week ideas to celebrate.
What is Volunteering Week?
It refers to a week set aside to celebrate millions of volunteers who give their time to improve the lives of their friends and society at large. According to Wikipedia, national volunteering week an annual celebration observed in many countries, to promote and show appreciation for volunteerism and volunteering. Usually, there is a theme for each year. Activities and events to celebrate volunteering week are tailored to fit in into each year’s theme. See where to find Paid volunteer work
A Brief History Of Volunteering Week
Volunteering week was first recognized as a week worthy of celebration in 1984 by Volunteering England. Before the official recognition of volunteering week, Canada was the first to celebrate volunteering week in 1943. The feast aimed to honour women who contribute so much to building the home since the second world war. After the war, there was no much interest in the celebrations of volunteer week until the late 1960s/70s. In 1974, United States became the first to officially launch the volunteer week and set aside a week in April for the event. During the official inauguration of the event, former President Richard Nixon encouraged Americans to honour volunteer week by finding opportunities to serve as volunteers. Today, The National Council for Voluntary Organizations (NCVO) is in charge of coordinating volunteering week. Volunteer week provides people with the opportunity to share their experiences as volunteers. There are also hundreds of events and celebrations to marks volunteer week celebration. Every year, NCVO strives to find new ways of getting more organizations involved in volunteering. Thus, every year, the organization carves out a new theme for the volunteer week celebration. The aim is to help organizations find ways to get involved end to expand their volunteer trustees and opportunities.
20 Best Volunteering Week Activity Ideas In 2022
There are a hundred ways to mark the volunteer week and make it a memorable one. From a short message of appreciation to a gift pack for volunteers, below are 20 ways to show appreciation to your volunteers for their selfless services.
#1. Appreciate Your Volunteers Via a Video Message
One way you can show your volunteer that you care about them is via a video appreciation. You can make a collection of clips of your volunteers in action and add an appreciation message to the video. The video does not be elaborate, a simple 2 minutes video is enough to pass the necessary message.
#2. A Simple Gesture Like Gathering Your Volunteers Together To Say “Thank You” Can Be Special
A simple gesture like gathering your volunteers to say thank you for all they do during the volunteer week can go a long way to tell them that their services are appreciated. People love applauses for their works and will put in more effort when they get it more often.
#3. Give Your Volunteers Gifts
Giving people gifts when they list expect it is a way to tell them you care about them. You can surprise your volunteers with gifts on volunteer week as a way of showing appreciation to them for all they do. A simple souvenir can go a long way to send smiles to their faces.
#4. Throw a Party to Appreciate Your Volunteers
Throwing a small party for your volunteers can be a way to appreciate your volunteers for their services. The party also allows volunteers to come together and share their experiences with others. Invite outsiders and other families to come and celebrate your volunteers. During the celebration, make the celebration special by making a toast to your volunteers.
#5. Request for Letters of Appreciation From The Communities Your Volunteers Serve
Reach out to the communities where your volunteers work and request a letter of appreciation from them. Pass the letter around or have one of your staff members read it out to them. It is a way to show your volunteers that the communities they volunteer to work with appreciate their effort. For volunteers who work with children, you can request appreciation artworks from the children.
#6. Introduce Some Of Your Best Volunteers To The World
There is no better time to show the world some of your exceptional volunteers than during the volunteer week. Pick some of your volunteers whose characters are worthy of emulation and share their stories with the world. You can schedule a few volunteers for each day throughout the week. Take to the social media and let people know about these men and women giving their time and effort in serving others. Doing this will help your volunteers to develop personally and sharpen their professional skills.
#7. Send a Handwritten Letter of Appreciation to Your Volunteers
People appreciate letters more when they see them in their handwriting. No matter how old the tradition is, there is always that feeling of appreciation when a letter comes in someone’s handwritten. It is a heart-warming way to say thank you for all you do. The letter does not have to be lengthy, just sincere. Hand the letters out to your volunteers during the week as a sign of appreciation for their selfless services.
#8. Share the Impact of Your Volunteers on Your Organization
People’s motivation to work increases when they notice that you appreciate their little efforts. Sharing the positive impacts of your volunteers during the week can have a meaningful implication on them. Tell the world about the success of your volunteers on your website. When sharing the stories of your volunteers, ensure to tell the world about the impact they make on your organization.
#9. Place a Voice Call to Your Volunteers to Thank Them for Their Efforts
Make out time during the volunteering week to call your volunteers. Ask after their families and well-being and appreciate them for their little and big wins. You can also offer to assist their families in any little way you can. Calling your volunteers will help create a better personal relationship between you and them. Calling your volunteers creates a feeling of care and love in them beyond official duties.
#10. Offer Your Volunteers Breakfast
Call your volunteers together in the morning for a warm get-together. Offer then coffee and snacks or biscuits. It is a subtle way of telling them that you appreciate their sleepless night and efforts towards achieving organizational goals.
#11. Send Your Volunteers Gift Cards and Flowers
One way to appreciate your volunteers this special week is by sending them gift cards and flowers. Gifts can be pleasing, and almost everybody appreciates a surprise gift. Your volunteers will appreciate this gesture and will be willing to do more.
#12. Use The Opportunity To Welcome New Volunteers
While celebrating your existing volunteers, the volunteer week provides you with the special opportunity to welcome new volunteers. Seek out new individuals who believe in your mission and invite them to join your volunteer team. While appreciating the efforts of the existing volunteers, you can welcome the new ones with a gift. It is essential to create virtual opportunities for volunteers to make volunteering an easy task. There are a lot of people who would love to volunteer from the comfort of their homes. Also, make volunteering opportunities available for disabled people too.
#13. Host an Online Meeting on Zoom with Your Volunteers
Host a Zoom meeting and bring your volunteers together. There are other video apps you can utilize for the event. The aim is to bring your volunteers together in a face-to-face conversation. You can make the event a casual event or an official one. Limiting the meeting to your volunteers alone will make them feel special and their services appreciated.
#14. You Can Take The Extra Step To Highlight Your Volunteers in Newsletters and Blogs
One way to appreciate your top volunteers during the volunteer week is to provide them a spot on every newsletter. Seeing their names and images on these newsletters will make them proud to render more of their time for your organization’s goals.
#15. Thrill Your Volunteers With a Performance from a Local Celebrity
The presence of a local celebrity before your volunteers is one way to excite them and make them feel special. Your volunteers will not forget this gesture. The supporters of the celebrity will also remember the events for a long time. Get the celeb to post about the event and feature your volunteers.
#16. Send Out Personalized Messages to Your Volunteers
Have your company’s items like bags, t-shirts, hand bands, and other items created with the names of your volunteers. Gestures like this will make your volunteers believe that they are special.
#17. Engage Your Volunteers in Conversation and Seek Their Feedbacks
People appreciate it better when they know that you listen to them and appreciate their contributions. Sometimes, volunteers have some recommendations that can help you in achieving your organizational goal. Volunteering week is an opportunity to show your appreciation to your volunteers for their contributions.
#18. Make Out Time To Celebrate With The Families of Your Volunteers
Volunteers often cut the time they should spend with their family in the service of others. Therefore, making out time to spend with their families is a way to show them you appreciate their time and efforts. You can also invite the families of your volunteers to a volunteer-management get-together. It will help them see how much you appreciate the contributions of their family members.
#19. Offer to Buy Tickets for Your Volunteers to See a Game
Treat your volunteers to a social event like buying them tickets to a game. You can also offer to buy movie tickets for their family members of your volunteers. It is a good way to bring these families together. Check with your local team to see if they offer discounts for bulk purchases of tickets.
#20. Gift Your Volunteers a Potted Plant
Potted plants have served many purposes over the years. From wedding gifts to funeral gifts, potted plants are a good way to keep a lasting memory of special occasions. Giving your volunteers a gift of a potted plant is a way of showing them they are special. They will watch their plants grow as a reminder of their contributions as volunteers.
When is The Next Volunteering Week?
The next volunteering week begins on the 1st of June and lasts till the 7th of June, 2022. In line with this year’s volunteering week’s central theme, below are the following activities for each day.
Tuesday 1 June: Volunteers’ Week Launch – A Time To Say Thanks
A day to recognize the positive implications of volunteering to society. It also creates awareness of what volunteering is all about and makes people see the need to volunteer.
Wednesday 2 June: Power Of Youth Day
In collaboration with the #iwill movement that marks the Power of Youth Day, the aim is to celebrate the contributions of children and youth in society in the form of contributions and social services.
Thursday 3 June: Employer Supported And Skilled Volunteering Day
The day will look at the contributions of volunteers with professional skills and those that are employed. The day will point out some of their contributions in the UK.
Friday 4 June: Home Nations’ Day
Both the national bodies and their associates will observe this day by celebrating a theme that applies to their local societies. England – Volunteer Voices Volunteers will also have the opportunity to talk about some of the activities they carry out as volunteers. It is also a day to tell people about the benefits of volunteering.
Saturday 5 June: Environment And Conservation Day
The day coincides with World Environmental Day and will focus on the different opportunities to volunteer in taking care of the environment.
Sunday 6 June: The Big Lunch
A day to celebrate volunteers around you and an avenue for volunteers to recognize other volunteers around them. 2022 will provide the opportunity for a virtual experience for people and volunteers.
Monday 7 June: End of Volunteers’ Week – A Time To Show Appreciations
A day to say a thank you to volunteers and celebrate their selfless services in the community.
What is the Volunteering Week 2022 Theme?
Volunteering week 2022 theme is “Empathy In Action” The National Volunteer Week theme for 2022, Volunteering Is Empathy In Action, affirms the strong connection between volunteerism and empathy. This profoundly human connection is at the heart of healthier individuals and stronger communities. During national volunteer week, volunteers across the nation are duly appreciated with a series of activities carefully mapped out to suit the year’s theme. Volunteer week 2022 holder from the April 17-23, 2022.
Conclusion
Volunteering week is such a great time to show appreciation to your volunteers. It is a great time for organizations and volunteers to come together and get to know each other more. There is no better way to appreciate your volunteers than appreciating their service in whatever little way you can. There are many other ways you can mark this year’s volunteer week and make it a memorable event. You can search the internet for more ideas about volunteer week events. As you celebrate the week, don’t forget to take pictures and save memories of the week. Besides the celebrations, awareness, and gifts, the main aim of volunteering week is to create awareness and help more organizations get involved in the exercise.
