VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT MASTERCLASS: RECOGNITION

Beyond a Thank you: How Recognition Drives Volunteer Retention

Showing your supporters how much their service is valued should be a vital element of your volunteer retention strategy.

Webinar Date Oct 15
LIVE WEBINAR

Empowering Volunteers with Technology: Introducing the Rosterfy Mobile App

Oct 15 @ 10:00 am (BST) - Duration 30 minutes

Introducing the Rosterfy Mobile App - Empowering your volunteer community to get involved in more opportunities and find more ways to support your mission.

Hosted by Martin O'Neill, Head of Marketing for Rosterfy. This live webinar will cover:

  • How a trend towards on-demand services has changed the behaviour of volunteers
  • An introduction to the Mobile App with Rosterfy Senior Technical Business Analyst -
    Jake Geddes
  • How to introduce the Rosterfy Mobile App to your community
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Martin and Jake

Featuring insights and strategies from leading volunteer programmes

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LESSON 6. RECOGNITION

Beyond a Thank you: How Recognition Drives Volunteer Retention

Recognition is more than just a “thank you” - it’s a powerful tool that can deepen volunteer commitment and inspire long-term involvement. Volunteers who feel valued are more engaged, motivated, and likely to advocate for your mission.

Recognition drives retention

In this lesson, we explore the effect recognition has on your volunteer programme. To illustrate this, we've invited Angele from Literacy Pirates, whose approach to rewarding volunteers is both innovative and perfectly aligned with their brand.

Discover how to build stronger connections with your volunteers and empower them to become loyal champions of your cause.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Why recognition is essential to building a thriving volunteer programme
  • Strategies for implementing reward and recognition initiatives
  • How recognition influences volunteer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy
  • Practical tips for scaling volunteer engagement efforts with limited resources
Sam Rosterfy Angele Literacy Pirates
INVEST IN YOUR PROGRAMME

How to develop a reward and recognition strategy

It is widely recognised that volunteers must feel appreciated, and for many programme coordinators, their reward and recognition programme plays a crucial role in achieving this, although it can be time-consuming. The benefits of investing in your volunteers might not be immediately evident, so it is essential to have a sustainable and practical approach to expressing gratitude.

1. Whatever you choose to do make sure it's realistic

You might envision elaborate reward ceremonies, trophies, badges, and gifts, but in practice, this could become costly and you'll end up dedicating a significant amount of time to managing the logistics of distributing these rewards, which is unsustainable in the long run.

A more practical approach maybe be needed. Consider the resources you have and streamline as much as you can. Angele from Literacy Pirates is able to reward her volunteers by using third party providers such as Tempo who offer time credits that can be turned into rewards such as theatre tickets or yoga classes.

2. Keep your recognition programme on brand

Individuals are drawn to the mission or community linked to your volunteer programme, so ensure that any rewards you offer are suitable and closely aligned with your brand.

This could involve offering merchandise for completing a certain number of shifts as a marathon marshal or gifting a day at the zoo for receiving an outstanding review at an animal charity.

3. Use your rewards in your recruitment marketing

Helping your volunteers feel appreciated through your reward programme is fantastic, as it boosts engagement and promotes retention. Additionally, seize the chance to draw in new supporters to your cause or event by showcasing how you reward volunteers.

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Sustainable

However your choose to reward make sure it's scalable and realistic  
The Literacy Pirates Session

On brand

Use your brand to your advantage and tie your rewards to your mission

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Promote

An effective reward and recognition programme can help increase recruitment
THE POWER OF APPRECIATION

When volunteers feel valued they commit for longer

Volunteers selflessly dedicate their time and skills to support causes and events.

By ensuring you have a well managed Reward and Recognition programme you can ensure they continue to feel connected to your organisation.

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Satisified volunteers
Definitive Guide to Successful Volunteer Recruitment
WHITE PAPER

Successful Volunteer Recruitment: The Definitive Guide

Want to better understand how to future proof your volunteer recruitment?

Go beyond simply filling opportunities and build a robust volunteer program by engaging with the next generation of volunteers and ensuring diversity throughout your programme. 

DOWNLOAD NOW

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More from Angele and Literacy Pirates

Angele joined the Rosterfy team to record a special episode on the Engaged Volunteer Podcast.

In this episode, we discussed how to develop a more effective onboarding process for your volunteers, as Angele shared how their team increased application conversion rates from 10% to over 40%!

For more episodes of our podcast dedicated to volunteering and the people who make great programmes happen click here.

Volunteer Management Masterclass Lessons

Masterclass Lesson 1
1. RECRUITMENT

How to create an attention grabbing volunteer programme

Covered in this lesson:

  • Understanding what motivates people to join your programme in particular
  • The reasons why people choose to volunteer
  • Creating a more effective process for volunteer role applications
  • Case Studies from successful volunteer programmes
Go to Lesson
Masterclass lesson 2
2. APPLICATIONS

How to create a more effective 'Volunteer Application Funnel'

Covered in this lesson:

  • How to calculate your volunteer applicant conversion rate
  • How to get more people from 'Interested' to 'Active'
  • Examples from organisations such as British Heart Foundation
  • Resource material and actionable advice throughout the lesson
Go to Lesson
Masterclass Lesson 3
3. SCREENING

Volunteer Screening made Easy: How to Save Hours and Engage Effectively

Covered in this lesson:

  • How to simplify your screening process
  • How to reduce the admin screening creates
  • Best practices for evaluating volunteer applications
  • How technology can help you automate tasks
  • How to foster volunteer loyalty
Go to Lesson
Masterclass 4
4. RETENTION

How to use storytelling to improve volunteer onboarding and retention

Covered in this lesson:

  • Fundamentals of storytelling and how they can be applied to volunteer onboarding
  • Practical strategies for crafting narratives
  • How to create a sense of belonging and purpose through shared stories
  • Real-life examples of storytelling to enhance volunteer engagement
Go to Lesson
Masterclass Lesson 5
5. SCHEDULING

Smart Volunteer Scheduling: Grow your Programme. Not your Workload.

Covered in this lesson:

  • How to scale your programme not your workload
  • Proven methods to streamline volunteer scheduling
  • How technology helps you automate manual tasks
  • How London Youth Games has built a strong volunteer community
Go to Lesson
Masterclass Lesson 6
6. RECOGNITION

Beyond a Thank you: How Recognition Drives Volunteer Retention

Covered in this lesson:

  • Why recognition is essential to building a thriving volunteer programme
  • Strategies for implementing reward and recognition initiatives
  • How recognition influences volunteer satisfaction, retention, and advocacy
  • Practical tips for scaling volunteer engagement efforts with limited resources
Current Lesson