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Skills Based Volunteering: Effective Recognition Strategies

Volunteers play a vital role in driving positive change in the world and supporting community organizations’ missions. Acknowledging and honoring the contributions of volunteers is crucial for maintaining a positive and appreciative working environment, as well as for attracting and retaining them. 

 

As an expert in volunteer recognition, whether traditional or skills-based, we wanted to share a few ideas with you while we celebrate Pro Bono Week. At the top of our list is creating both formal and informal ways to recognize your pro bono and skills-based volunteers and developing a multi-faceted approach. 

 

Informal Volunteer Recognition Tactics

 

  1. Personalized Thank-You Notes: Write heartfelt thank-you notes that highlight volunteers’ specific skills and the impact they’ve had on the company’s nonprofit partners. This personal touch goes a long way in expressing gratitude. 
  2. Casual Coffee or Lunch Meetings: Invite them for a coffee or lunch with yourself or with senior leaders to express appreciation and discuss their experiences. It’s an opportunity to learn more about their skills and interests. 
  3. Social Media Shoutouts: Give them a shoutout on your company’s social media platforms, showcasing their work and expressing gratitude for their expertise. 
  4. Small Tokens of Appreciation: Send a handwritten card along with company-branded merchandise or a gift card to show your gratitude for their efforts. 
  5. Highlight Their Contributions in Team Meetings: Ask their supervisor to take a moment during team meetings to acknowledge their contributions and the positive impact they’ve had on your company’s employee volunteer program. 
  6. Peer Recognition: Encourage colleagues and team members to recognize and applaud volunteers’ contributions through informal communication tools like a Slack volunteer channel or by posting photos in the breakroom. 
  7. Feature Them in Newsletters or Blogs: Include a section in internal newsletters or on your company blog that highlights the work and accomplishments of your skills-based volunteers. 
  8. Invitations to Community Events: Often, corporate social impact leaders receive tickets to events hosted by nonprofit partners or others in the community. Offer the chance to attend to your volunteers so that you’re seated amongst colleagues who will truly appreciate the opportunity.  

Remember that informal recognition should be sincere and tailored to the individual volunteer’s preferences. Some volunteers may prefer a private thank-you note, while others may appreciate public recognition. Be sure to consider their comfort levels and preferences when showing appreciation.

 

Formal Volunteer Recognition Tactics

 

  1. Formal Thank-You Letters: Send formal thank-you letters or emails signed by company leadership to skills-based volunteers, expressing gratitude for their expertise and dedication. Make sure their supervisor also receives a copy for their personnel file. 
  2. Awards and Certificates: Create awards or certificates that acknowledge volunteers for their contributions. These can be presented at company-wide events or volunteer recognition ceremonies. 
  3. Skills-based Volunteer of the Year: Establish a formal award to honor the individual or team that has made the most significant impact through their skills-based volunteering efforts. 
  4. Annual Volunteer Recognition Event: Host an annual recognition event dedicated to honoring all volunteers, including skills-based volunteers. Invite company leadership and colleagues to celebrate their contributions.  
  5. Performance Reviews: Encourage employees to include their skills-based volunteer work in their mid-year or annual performance reviews or conversations. This provides a platform for them to explain skills they learned or practiced that can help them advance. 
  6. Public Recognition: Include a section on your company website or internal newsletters that highlights the achievements and contributions of skills-based volunteers. This can be in the form of profiles or success stories. 
  7. Professional Development Opportunities: After coordinating with HR and leadership, offer skills-based volunteers opportunities for professional development, such as attending conferences, workshops or courses relevant to their field of expertise or creating social impact like the annual Points of Light Conference. 
  8. Mentorship Programs: Implement a mentorship program where experienced skills-based volunteers can mentor newer volunteers. Recognize mentors for their guidance and support. 
  9. Monetary Grants or Donations: Consider offering a charitable grant or donation to a cause of the skills-based volunteer’s choice as a way of recognizing their efforts. This can also serve as an incentive for getting more skills-based volunteers involved in the next project. 
  10. LinkedIn Recommendations: Encourage company leaders and colleagues to write LinkedIn recommendations for skills-based volunteers, acknowledging their valuable contributions. 

When recognizing skills-based volunteers formally, it’s important to make the acknowledgment meaningful and aligned with your company’s culture and values. Tailor your approach to fit the preferences and needs of the volunteers while ensuring that their contributions are acknowledged and celebrated throughout the organization.

 

Regardless of format, one of the best ways to recognize the work of a skills-based volunteer is to highlight the results they accomplished at a project’s conclusion. This evaluation should be two dimensional, showcasing the effect the project had on volunteers, the nonprofit organization as well as outcomes related to social impact. Use that information to nominate your skills-based volunteers for a

Daily Point of Light Award

or congratulate them with a

President’s Volunteer Service Award

.

 

3 Ways People of All Ages Can Make the Most of International Youth Day

August 12 is International Youth Day, a United Nations effort to celebrate youth activists, combat ageism and help bridge gaps between generations working toward the same change.

 

No matter your age, it’s likely you’ve questioned your ability to make a difference. Our research shows that 73% of people believe that volunteering is more important than ever, yet 66% think they can’t make a big impact in their communities. Activists on the ground prove otherwise. That’s why we recognize thousands of volunteers for their contributions to their communities through t

he Daily Point of Light Award — because we know that inspiration is contagious.

“Points of Light’s research found that Gen Z is the most civically engaged generation to date. Our youth honorees demonstrate that people of all ages can strengthen communities and solve persistent problems,” says Diane Quest, interim CEO, Points of Light.

 

To inspire you to action this

International Youth Day

, we are sharing stories of youth honorees, along with three elements from the Points of Light Civic Circle®, a framework for helping people to become more civically engaged.

Volunteer 

Nonprofit organizations and NGOs need volunteer power to deliver support to the communities they collaborate with. If you’re an adult wanting to facilitate youth volunteerism, consider organizing a youth-specific event or helping transport the young people in your life to an event. To find a volunteer opportunity that aligns with your interests and availability, check out

Points of Light Engage

, a database with hundreds of thousands of in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities.

 

The power of volunteering shines when considering Daily Point of Light Award honoree Nate Buescher, a high schooler who prepares food for a local food pantry and distributes home-cooked meals to tent cities around Chicago. Buescher began fighting food insecurity at age 7 with the Honeycomb Project. Today, he mentors younger volunteers while maintaining his own service projects.

 

Voice 

The youth voice is vital, pointing us to which concerns are most important to future world leaders and helping broaden perspectives. Use your voice to advocate for causes you care about by posting on social media, attending a rally or contacting a government leader. Adults can amplify youth voices by sharing with their networks, or organizing forums for youth to be seen and heard.

 

Seventeen-year-old Daily Point of Light Award honoree

Maanit Goel

used his voice when organizing a rally of fellow activists on the Washington State Capitol steps to support legislation protecting the Chinook salmon and orca populations. He also regularly addresses state legislators and travels statewide to speak to K-12 students about environmental issues.

 

Listen and Learn 

Social justice and environmental issues are nuanced, involving many people with different perspectives shaped by their own experiences. Listening and learning is one way to honor others’ lived experiences and get a fuller scope of an issue.

 

Young people can commit to thoroughly researching causes they care about, talking to those working toward solutions and holding space for those impacted. Adults can connect with the young people in their lives, inviting dialogue that allows for sharing different perspectives and finding common ground.

 

These are the driving ideas behind the work of high schooler Kristie To, who became a leading force in Asian American racial justice when she founded

Hearts Against Hate

. Among the initiatives of her nonprofit is distributing Asian history and Asian American Pacific Islander civil rights curriculum to children.

 

“Cultural sensitivity starts with exposure, and that’s what we’re trying to do with these elementary schoolers,” says To.

 

To learn about other avenues for social engagement for International Youth Day and all year round, check out the Points of Light Civic Circle by visiting

pointsoflight.org/civic-circle

.

 

“There are many formal channels for civic engagement, but simple actions make a difference too,” says Quest. “Whether it’s carrying groceries in for a neighbor or donating books to the library, the important thing is to get started when you see a need in your community.”

Amplify Your Social Impact: Combine Elements of Points of Light’s Civic Circle®

If you’re looking to amplify your impact as you contribute to social good, start by considering which activities you’re engaging in. The truth is that civic engagement comes in many forms, and by combining various types of efforts, you can make your impact exponential rather than linear.

Points of Light’s Civic Circle

®

is a framework that helps guide individuals to live full civic lives by demonstrating nine different ways to get involved in causes they care about. Today, we’ll cover three of these avenues so you can consider how you might combine them to magnify your efforts and make your impact stretch that much further.

Volunteering

Of course, when many people think of civic engagement, they think of lending their time and talent through

volunteerism

. And for good reason – nonprofit organizations and NGO’s thrive on the collective power of their volunteers. Volunteers enable these organizations to do the best work they can with the resources they’ve been allotted. It’s a good idea to think through your volunteer activities to ensure they align with your passions, capabilities and schedule. Whether you volunteer once a month for a few hours, a few times a year with a corporate team or every weekend, you are making a difference in the world!

See how Daily Point of Light Award honoree Dallas Smith lends his time and talents as a volunteer pharmacist in his community.

Donating

When you

donate

to a cause or organization you care about, you allow for your dollars or goods to be put to the best use possible to benefit others. Donating allows organizations to continue their mission and spread awareness about a cause area. Donations can also directly benefit recipients – as in the case of a natural disaster. Be aware that donating is only helpful if the donations – monetary or in-kind – are truly what the organization needs. Unwanted or unneeded donations are often trashed, contributing to waste. So be sure to do your research and ask for what donations are most helpful before you donate!

See how Daily Point of Light Award honoree Sofia Petito collects and makes use of donations in her community.

Using Your Voice

Everyone has the ability to use their

voice

to elevate the causes they care about. Whether you’re sharing information via social media, talking to friends or family members about a specific issue, or marching in a peaceful protest, you can use your voice – which includes your own opinions, perspectives and concerns – as well as contributing to a collective voice rallying around a cause area. Combining your voice with other types of civic engagement can be a powerful way to make your mission and message louder, clearer or more accessible to others. That said, be mindful that you don’t use the element of voice for performative activism, but rather that you “walk the walk” along with “talking the talk”!

See how Daily Point of Light Award honoree Tristan Espinoza is amplifying the voices of indigenous peoples.

4 Ways Corporate Volunteerism Will Change Your Business

As a business owner or team leader, you know how crucial it is to appreciate your employees, keep them engaged and offer them greater job satisfaction. You know that competitive pay, an extensive benefits package and the opportunity for upward mobility can help your employees feel valued. But how can corporate volunteerism help keep your employees engaged in their work, connected to the team and eager to remain with your company? Here are a few things Points of Light has found from working with our

corporate partners

.

 

1. Corporate Volunteerism Increases Job Satisfaction 

Points of Light’s

research on civic engagement

shows that up to 40% applied for a job specifically because of the employer’s social responsibility stance. In particular, Gen Z employees overwhelmingly want to work for a company that takes a stand on social impact.

 

When you demonstrate to your workforce that the company cares about doing good just as much as the bottom line, you instill these values in your employees and attract new employees who also share them.

 

2. Corporate Volunteerism Increases Retention 

According to a study from

Galaxy Digital

, “…employees are five times more engaged in companies with employee volunteer programs.” Your organization can benefit from employees being more hands-on, not just in their day-to-day, work-related tasks, but also in company-wide efforts to drive change in the world.

 

“Even during the trying times of a recession, volunteering is important. Nonprofits may have to lay off employees, limiting their capacity. This is where skills-based volunteers can be not only be important but vital to the nonprofit’s bottom line. Plus, being civically engaged has been proven to reduce stress and increases positive, relaxed feelings, which is helpful during a stressful time like a recession. Having an intentional CSR strategy will help the community and your employees.” – Holly McCaleb, Senior Director, CSR Consulting 

3. Corporate Volunteerism Bolsters Employees’ Skills  

Building your team’s skillset is valuable to both you and your employees. When it comes to corporate volunteering, many skills can be honed through hands-on work with teams and communities. Your employees can practice the things they’re already adept at and can continue to expand their knowledge and expertise by trying new things.

 

Working within communities and engaging in volunteerism can also help increase your employees’ empathy and make for a more tolerant, inclusive and compassionate workplace.

 

4. Corporate Volunteerism Increases Organizational Success 

With all of these things in mind, you can safely assume that employee satisfaction, retention and skill-building will absolutely lead to greater success of your business. When you have employees who are eager to be engaged with your company in and out of the workplace, who grow their expertise and practice leadership and teamwork, and who remain with the company longer term, you will see these reflections in your profitability.

 

If you’re just getting started with corporate volunteerism, check out the

resources we have available on our website

. If you’re ready to start to building or refining your corporate social responsibility program and need a trusted, knowledgeable partner to help, Points of Light can provide best-in-class tools, frameworks and customizable support through our suite of

Corporate Services Solutions.

Family Volunteering Insights for Small Organizations

We interviewed 1,000 participants of organizations with under $1 million in revenue

 to understand how to encourage schools and

nonprofits

to engage families in

volunteer activities

. We wanted to know how to create programs that work for families, how to recruit families to participate and how to make it easy – and fun – for them to volunteer.

Here’s what we heard from project coordinators we surveyed about how to engage families and young people in volunteer efforts:

Include Youth Voices When Planning Family Volunteering Opportunities 

Talk to young people about why volunteering matters. Let their excitement help make it a family priority. Let them describe what they’re doing, and explain how they’re having an impact.

Communicate Via Multiple Methods Well in Advance With Reminders

Send an email and a text. Remind volunteer families several weeks before, a week before, a day before and the day of. People are busy, and reminders help ensure they fulfill their intention and their commitment to volunteer. If you can, keep your events at the same time of year to make it easy for families to plan and stay engaged year after year.

Create a Family-friendly Environment

Ensure families know that children of all ages are welcome. Make plenty of age-appropriate activities available and create opportunities for little ones to help. Provide kid-friendly refreshments, too.

Reward Volunteers

Create incentives for your volunteers to want to come back, and share the impact they’re having. Offer student volunteers extra hours if they bring parents, or feature students with families who volunteer on social media.

Start Early, Plan and Be Organized

Make sure people feel as if their time is being used well. If they have a great experience, they’re more likely to return. Some organizations don’t have a lot of success doing several small family volunteer events throughout the year in cities where there are so many competing interests. However, doing an “end of the year” project, for example, where students get to show off their work and win prizes, combined with the group volunteering experience, often results in higher attendance and participation each year. 

Family and youth volunteer projects are so impactful, and getting them right makes a huge difference for families and for the people and organizations who benefit from their service.

Download the full

Small Organization Family Volunteer Insights

.

3 Ways to Leverage Volunteer Leaders to Build Capacity

There are many factors that influence the number of volunteers you should plan to have involved with your organization’s service projects, including budget, supplies and space. However, if the barrier to hosting a larger project is staffing, it’s time to think differently about how you manage projects.

Leveraging volunteer leaders is a great way to increase the size and scale of your projects while also building your organization’s capacity and community impact. As you explore adding volunteer leaders to your projects, consider these three ways to make the most of volunteers who want to impact their communities as well as your own organization’s capacity opportunities: .

1. Create a Position Description

It’s important to know what you’re looking for in a volunteer leader and which role you want them to play. What experience do they need to have? Do they need to be comfortable with public speaking? Should they have a specific skill or certification? Be clear on the profile you’re targeting when searching for volunteer leaders, as well as their roles and responsibilities, and then capture the details in a position description.

2. Recruit Volunteer Leaders Strategically

Sometimes you need to look no further than your existing network of volunteers to find great leaders. Most of us have that group of rock star volunteers who bring a lot of energy to projects, demonstrate great leadership and are dependable. Let these volunteers know that you recognize their contributions to your organization by sharing the opportunity with them.

Consider other ways to recruit volunteer leaders:

  • Post the position on your website.
  • Promote the position on your organization’s social media channels.
  • Reach new potential volunteers by posting the position on Points of Light’s volunteer database.
  • Share the position with local professional groups, civic engagement organizations and community service clubs of local universities.
  • Ask those rock star volunteers to share the position with those they think would be a good fit.

3. Offer Training and Support for Volunteer Leaders

Volunteer leaders are still volunteers, and it’s important to maintain a personal connection with them. After orientation and training, you will still want to coach and mentor them to help individual leaders grow their thinking and capacity to lead. 

Provide clear guidelines, due dates, reminders and clarification of requirements. More importantly, know your their strengths, as well as opportunities for growth, so that you can better help them develop their skills. If you foster their development as you do for staff, your organization is more likely to retain a strong and growing body of committed, qualified volunteer leaders.

Decide whether you want to support volunteer leaders formally or informally. Formal support can include regularly scheduled meetings and task-specific training. Informal support occurs as it is needed rather than at scheduled times and can include calls or emails to check in. 

Provide opportunities for volunteer leaders to share best practices and learn from each other, such as casual gatherings at a coffee shop or a virtual meetup. Recognize outstanding and dedicated volunteers by nominating them to be a Daily Point of Light or become a certifying organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Through this continued support, you are preparing volunteer leaders to take greater responsibility, and in doing so, engage even more volunteers.

3 Ways to Prep for Global Volunteer Month

Global Volunteer Month

is an annual event to encourage volunteerism and civic action. Learn how to recognize volunteers who are actively participating in bettering their communities for this monthlong event, including National Volunteer Week and year-round. Nonprofits get the opportunity to raise awareness for their organization’s current needs and funding opportunities, businesses have a way to engage every employee in spring volunteer initiatives, and individuals are able to give back to their local communities.

The celebration happens in April of 2023, but now is the time to begin to mobilize your community, employees, family and friends, or your volunteers to participate. Here are three ways to get the ball rolling on your Global Volunteer Month efforts early, so you can maximize turnout.

Plan Your Participation in Global Volunteer Month Starting Now

Contribute your time and talents personally:

So you want to volunteer, but you’re not sure where to get started. Find local nonprofits in your area by searching online, and reach out to them directly to see what their needs are. Maybe there’s a donations drive you can support by donating gently used clothing or canned goods. You can also search for in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities on

Points of Light Engage

, the world’s largest digital volunteer network featuring hundreds of thousands of volunteer opportunities throughout the world. You can even check out these

DIY projects

that are easy to do from home.

Motivate your volunteers or employees

: 

Nonprofit organizations will want to consider which programs to elevate during Global Volunteer Month. Invite supporters to make a difference by participating. 

Companies looking to engage employees in volunteerism and civic action in the spring might consider partnering with a

Corporate Services & Solutions

partner. Working with a knowledgeable partner in the nonprofit space can help connect you with valuable volunteer opportunities, create strategic plans for employee engagement, increase volunteer turnout across your organization, measure your success and celebrate your employees accordingly.

Share Your Message

Get your stakeholders on board. Points of Light’s

Global Volunteer Month toolkits

include logos, social media graphics and sample messages to easily share your participation with your audiences. It’s critical for nonprofit organizations to communicate consistently throughout April through donor and volunteer outreach. It’s not unusual for people to need to hear about events up to ten times before the message “sticks,” so don’t hesitate to promote your programs, needs and fundraising opportunities for this month early and often.

Companies seeking optimal turnout among employee volunteers will need to do the same. Promote the employee volunteering activities your company is offering, and be clear about how employees can participate. Send out information in your employee newsletters, email blasts or other internal communications, and promote events on social media as well. 

Tell Amazing Stories

Finally, you’ll want to make a plan to recognize and celebrate all of the ways your volunteers are contributing to their communities! For individual volunteers, this could mean posting on social media to share the civic actions you took during the month. For nonprofits and companies, you might consider collecting and sharing volunteer stories, videos and photos for publishing throughout the remainder of the year. You might throw a month-end luncheon or other event to celebrate your work.

Recognition and celebration takes careful planning and preparation, so as you’re laying out your plan for the month, make this the final phase and figure out how you will reward your volunteers throughout the month and year round. Two ongoing opportunities for volunteer recognition include

The Daily Point of Light Award

program, which rewards and lifts up individual stories every day, as well as the

President’s Volunteer Service Award

, which recognizes the important role of exceptional volunteers in America’s strength and national identity.  Your nonprofit can even

become a certifying organization

so you’re able to offer this prestigious award to your own volunteers.

Download the

Global Volunteer Month toolkit

that’s tailored specifically to you, whether you’re an individual, nonprofit, company or government official. However you choose to get involved in Global Volunteer Month, we can’t wait to hear about the social impact you make in 2023.