There are many reasons why individuals volunteer. Some of us do so to give back to society while others enjoy the opportunities that volunteering offers to develop new skills and meet new people from different backgrounds. No matter how caring and altruistic your team may be, they will still need to be encouraged from time to time to perform their best.

The following are a few ideas to help you inspire your team to keep working to move your mission forward.

Take the Time to Connect with Your Team as People

If you want to create incentives that are meaningful to your team, you will first need to know what it is that they like about their work with you and learn just what it is they are looking for from their volunteer experience.

Take the time to get to know your people. The more that you know about them, their likes and dislikes, who they are as people, and why they choose to help your organisation, the easier it will be to discover what drives them to perform their work well. With this insight, you can personalise the incentives that you offer each team member to encourage greater engagement with your NFP and its work.

Show Them the Difference That They are Making in the Lives of Others

You can use data, statistics, reports and graphs to illustrate the impact of your work. But, if you want your volunteers to truly understand just how vital their job is, you need to demonstrate the impact of their work in ways that are tangible to them and their contribution. For example, if your nonprofit is involved in helping the homeless obtain permanent housing, show your volunteers how far your beneficiaries have come, and how their lives are better due to their efforts.

Listen and Act

In both the business sector and nonprofit world, we hear a lot about the need for more open communication and are  constantly told how valuable honest feedback is. But does your leadership really mean what it’s saying? Volunteers are more likely to keep giving to those organisations that they feel are genuinely listening to their ideas and suggestions.

Show your volunteers that you do care about their opinions and want their comments. Make it easy for them to leave feedback and be rewarded for ideas that help advance your cause forward. Establish a reward for tips and improvements that you implement.

Make it easy for them to also report confidential information anonymously by establishing a tip line, and, developing a formal policy that protects whistleblowers and others that warn your NFP about incidents of internal theft, harassment and other damaging, unsafe practices.

Have an independent third party anonymously survey your volunteers to solicit suggestions and other feedback and then take these findings to heart and implement change to improve working conditions and other areas of your organisation.

Don’t Forget to Show Gratitude and Offer Recognition and Rewards

Everyone likes to feel that their hard work and effort is appreciated, so don’t forget to thank your volunteers for their contributions. Find ways to publicly recognise your volunteers, especially when they go above and beyond reasonable expectations in their performance and dedication to your mission.

There are many ways to show your appreciation, including hosting a formal awards party or sending out personalised, handwritten thank yous that include a giftcard to the recipient’s favourite store. You could even take care of one or more of their personalised services for the week, such as picking up the tab for their dry cleaning, or having their vehicle washed, waxed and detailed.

What makes a great reward for one person might not be so terrific to someone else, so always take an individual volunteer’s preferences and personality into account when deciding on perks and other forms for recognition.