Season’s Gratitude: How to Thank Your Volunteers During the New Year

The end of the year is a natural time for gratitude, but it’s not all about inward thoughts. ‘Tis the season to express gratitude to all who have donated their time to support your mission. If you’ve been waiting for a time of year to give one massive thank you to your volunteers, this is it. 

Thanking your dedicated volunteers is a chance to live out values such as generosity, gratitude, and service on a personal level. By thoughtfully acknowledging volunteers, you affirm their efforts and set a tone of appreciation for the coming year.

If you’re wondering how to express your thanks meaningfully and within budget, here are several flexible and practical ideas you might use to thank your volunteers this December.

Host a Volunteer Appreciation Event

Organizing a gathering to honor your volunteers doesn’t have to break your budget. Whether it’s a casual potluck or a more formal meal, you can create a space to celebrate volunteers’ contributions. You can include personal touches like speeches or a slideshow showcasing their work throughout the year. 

Inviting staff to join the event allows your whole team to thank the volunteers together, fostering a greater sense of community. Hosting an event like this will create a tight-knit community centered around your mission. 

Write Personal Thank You Notes

Taking the time to give handwritten notes from the leadership team goes a long way in showing genuine appreciation to volunteers. Depending on the magnitude of your volunteers, you might need to divide and conquer among leadership members and departments to make sure the notes are personalized. Try to mention specific contributions or qualities you’ve noticed in each volunteer. Taking the time to personalize these notes communicates their unique impact and expresses what a gift card cannot.

Offer Small, Thoughtful Gifts

It’s the thought that counts. If you’re going to stretch your dollar to give volunteers something they will value, then rule out the cookie-cutter gifts. Consider gifts that would bless their home or community— maybe a cozy candle, a relevant book, a custom ornament, or a gift card to a local shop. Consider gifts that align with your organization’s values, such as fair-trade products, items crafted by local artisans, or new book releases in your field.

If you are gifting to a smaller number of volunteers, you can personalize your gifts further by giving each volunteer something different. Ask the staff members who know them best for gift ideas. This is a great way to give special thanks to long-time volunteers.

Create a Volunteer Wall or Digital Tribute

One of the most cost-effective and timeless ways to express your gratitude is to create a space to recognize your volunteers. The space you dedicate expresses that you value their contributions and consider them an essential element of your church or organization. 

Whether you designate a physical space or post on your website, the action of highlighting your volunteers will communicate your heart of gratitude toward them.  You can highlight volunteers with photos, names, and short descriptions of their contributions. This public recognition affirms their role in your mission while inspiring others to serve. You can include a general statement highlighting the vital contributions of both donations and volunteers to your organization's success.

Hopefully, these ideas inspire you to express a genuine heart of thanks in personalized ways. You can even mix and match these ideas, like handing out personalized letters at your appreciation event or pairing notes with special gifts. We hope these ideas enable you to give thanks however rings true to your team’s capacity.  

Thanking volunteers shouldn’t end in December. Carry these gestures into the new year with simple acts of thanks—whether it’s a small treat, a note, or a social media feature. Consistent appreciation strengthens your culture and reminds volunteers of the valuable role they play. This season, let gratitude set the tone for the coming year.

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