With National Volunteer Week coming up soon (April 18-24), Volunteer Strathcona wanted to share some ways you can recognize and celebrate your volunteers virtually and in a socially distanced way. The theme this year is The Value of One, The Power of Many, which speaks to the various ways we have seen people come together over the past year to support neighbors and strangers, build capacity to sustain community health and wellness, and to challenge ongoing social issues.
To kick off National Volunteer Week, Volunteer Strathcona will be raising the volunteer flag with Mayor Frank at Volunteer Plaza on April 19th at 11:00am!
Ways to Celebrate
Although social distancing directives remain in place, there are still many ways to recognize and celebrate your volunteers! Here a few ideas:
- Short videos from staff, thanking volunteers – share on social media
- Storytelling initiatives (volunteers sharing stories, staff sharing stories)
- Profile volunteers and their photos on social media (with consent, of course!)
- Post volunteer interviews on social media (e.g., ask about why they volunteer, what inspired them)
- Use hashtags: #VolunteersBringChange, #NVW2021Strathco, #NVW2021
- Have YAYMAKER host a virtual event (yaymaker.com ), such as:
- Paint Nite
- Fabrics/Knitting
- Baking Class
- Mixology
- Cooking Class
- Virtual Trivia, Charades, or Name that Tune Night
- Virtual Guest Speaker Event
Ways to Thank Volunteers
- Sharing information about the impact volunteers have had on your organization (e.g., client/service statistics)
- Free hand sanitizer and masks
- Ethically sourced swag: https://www.ethicalswag.ca/
- Gift cards to local companies
- Gift basket or flowers – home delivery
- Personalized thank you cards
- Sharing online learning opportunities (free or at low cost to organization)
To learn more about The Value of One, The Power of Many National Volunteer Week initiative, please check out Volunteer Canada’s campaign kit.
Volunteer Strathcona looks forward to seeing the ways you celebrate! #VolunteersBringChange #NVW2021Strathco
