Did you know that 36% of the population volunteer their time and skills to work with not for profit organisations within Australia?  Now it is time to say thank you.

From 13 – 19 May, National Volunteer Week is a special week dedicated to thanking Australia’s volunteers.  Events to celebrate volunteering and awards to recognise volunteers will be presented across the nation.

How does your not for profit organisation thank its volunteers?  Has anyone actually stopped to thank you for the work you do?

We know that people don’t volunteer with an expectation of thanks. They do it because they are committed to a cause or because they want to give something back to their communities.  There is no reward for their work other than a feeling of personal satisfaction so a small thank you will make a huge difference.

National Volunteer Week is about thanking volunteers but it is also a great promotional tool in your recruitment efforts.  When people see the respect and admiration you are publicly offering your volunteers, the organisation becomes a much more attractive place to work.

It is important that, if you celebrate National Volunteer Week, you do it well.

As part of the committee of management it is quite likely that you will be actively involved in designing awards or events to thank your non-committee volunteers.   If you are short on ideas, visit the Volunteering Victoria website where they suggest a number of different ways to publicly thank the people who are supporting you.

You still have a week before the celebrations begin so get to work.

Oh, and just in case no one else says it, let us say thank you.  We love your work!