Volunteer Appreciation

Volunteers are important to a nonprofit's ability to carry out its mission.  Recognition makes volunteers feel appreciated and valued.    Demonstrating your gratitude for your volunteers is essential to the health of your volunteer program.  Appreciation reinforces a volunteer's commitment and motivation.

Knowing your volunteers and understanding what motivates them will help you provide meaningful recognition.  Learn how to match recognition to volunteer type and motivation.  Join us to learn about formal and informal ways to recognize your volunteers.  Share your best ideas.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the value of personal and meaningful recognition
• Understand the different types of volunteers by motivation and style
• Gain a variety of ways to recognize volunteers (including low cost and no cost)

Level

Introductory/Intermediate

Audience

Volunteer managers and staff who work with volunteers.

Presenters

Melissa Donahoo is the Volunteer Manager & Group Sales Coordinator at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, a position she has held for three years.  The Museum utilizes volunteers in a variety of programs, including programming for both students (ages 14+) and adults.  Over the past three years, the Museum's volunteer program has grown in both size and scope, due in part to increased emphasis on position development and volunteer retention.

Norah Doss is the Volunteer Specialist at Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, which represents the top two thirds of the state.  They recruit, train, and manage nearly 3,000 volunteers and partner with many community organizations and businesses throughout the state.  While relatively new to the position, Norah has worked with nonprofits such as Girls Inc. and Boys and Girls Club in the past—though the volunteer development department at Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails is extremely unique.  The volunteers are dedicated and passionate about the mission, and a central priority in the organization is appreciating the fantastic volunteers that donate their time to the girls every day.

Doug Simon is the Shared Resources Volunteer Coordinator at the National Hispanic Cultural Center and New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.  Doug began volunteering as a way to give back and to deepen his relationship with local Hispanic culture.   This led to volunteering at the National Hispanic Cultural Center for its October 2000 opening, joining the 1^st docent class, and then being hired to run the Volunteer and Docent program.  The 300-volunteer program has grown to donate around 15,000 hours each year.

In 2012 Doug was asked by the Department of Cultural Affairs to take on a shared position additionally managing the 500 volunteers at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, a position that had been eliminated as a tax-reduction measure.  Natural History volunteers donated over 47,000 hours in fiscal 2014, up from 35,000 hours in fiscal 2012.