How To Show Appreciation To Your Children’s Ministry Volunteers Year-Round

Thanksgiving or Christmas time shouldn’t be the only time you celebrate your KidMin volunteers. Being a volunteer for Children’s Ministry isn’t easy, and unfortunately, it’s common to have a high volunteer turnover rate. Keep your volunteers by showing them how thankful you are for them and how valuable their service is to you and your church.

Here are some volunteer appreciation ideas for each month of the year, as well as some year-round ideas! Plan these out for your year ahead and budget for them. Your Children's Ministry will surely grow because of it.

January

• Serve hot cocoa & hot apple fritters to your volunteers before services.
• Give your key volunteers gift cards to Starbucks with a note of thanks.

February

• Write your volunteers a handwritten card with one of the reasons why you appreciate them.
• Include Valentines Day candy with the card or hand it out to volunteers on Sunday.

March

• March can be a crazy month, with spring breaks or Easter service planning on everyone’s minds. Have fresh smoothies available for your volunteers before services, or maybe even a 5-hour energy for everyone!

April

• Have fresh-baked cookies or brownies delivered to celebrate your volunteers this month.
• If you have a Chick-Fil-A nearby, they often share the wealth with free chicken sandwich coupons.

May

• You know what they say: “April showers bring May flowers.” Hand out a flower with a thank you note to each of your volunteers for serving during the school year.
• Have a volunteer appreciation banquet. Pick a fun theme and provide childcare.

June

• Nothing says summer like sunglasses. Give your summer volunteers branded sunglasses!
• Organize a night of babysitting so your volunteers can drop their kids off and have a date night.

July

• We’re in the dog days of summer, folks. Send your volunteers a text of why you appreciate them after they serve that Sunday.
• Perhaps you’re in VBS week. Bring your volunteers slushies or ice cream cones.

August

• As most of the country is going back to school, hold a KidMin orientation party. This would be a great time to train new volunteers, review your Children’s Ministry policies and safety procedures, and renew vision for this new school year. Make it fun and helpful for both new and returning volunteers.

September

• Schedule ten minutes to sit down with each of your key volunteer for an encouraging check in, or make a point to have a personal conversation with those in your section. Ask them how they’re doing and if they’re enjoying where they serve. Specifically encourage them and let them know how appreciated they are.

October

• Spend five minutes at the beginning of your volunteer meeting or services reflecting on ways you’ve seen God move in your Children’s Ministry this fall. Highlight the God stories. Nothing breeds joy like reflecting on God breaking through!
• If your church hosts a fall festival, be sure to send a follow up thank you email to the volunteers, sharing the stories of families who were impacted by it.

November

• Have a note of thanks for each of your volunteers as they arrive Thanksgiving Sunday.
• Invite your team to go apple picking together one Saturday.
• Facilitate a volunteer team Fantasy Football league.

December

• Serve eggnog or apple cider to your volunteers during pre-meeting or before services.
• Send a special Christmas card to your volunteers.

Year-Round

• Keep a record of your volunteers’ birthdays and send actual birthday cards in the mail.
• Send thank you texts after services to volunteers.
• Here at Vanderbloemen, we have a “Core Values Spotlight” each Friday during our staff meeting. One person highlights a way they saw our staff values lived out that week, giving kudos to the person or people they saw living out our value. Create a “core volunteer spotlight” and highlight a new volunteer each week through email or on the slides before the service.