An important way to encourage your volunteers to remain with your club is to give them adequate recognition. To be effective, recognition should be consistent and ongoing. Volunteers can quickly lose motivation if they feel their work is not valued.

It is important that recognition is given to the volunteer soon after the work is performed, is personal and specific, is consistent, is positive and upbeat, and does not favour certain volunteers.

Tips for Recognising Volunteers:

• Adequately train and orientate your volunteers
• Ensure new volunteers are supported
• Enable volunteers to ‘grow on the job’ 
• Include volunteers in special events 
• Recommend volunteers to prospective employers 
• Celebrate achievements and effort 
• Allocate noticeboard space to acknowledge volunteer achievement 
• Organise awards with certificates, plaques or medals 
• Offer personal praise to volunteers
• Write letters and postcards of thanks 
• Acknowledge volunteers in club newsletters 
• Present volunteer awards at presentation nights or annual general meetings 
• Provide complimentary tickets to special events and functions 
• Arrange discounts with businesses or sponsors for volunteers 
• Reimburse out-of-pocket expenses 
• Farewell people when they move out of the area 
• Present awards for years of service.